I dressed up as a guy with a big fat beer belly for Halloween, a costume suggested by reader Claudia Williams. Thanks to the nearly 100 readers who suggested ideas for the costume contest. I was not able to convince my husband to cross dress as my girlfriend, unfortunately. I told him he would look really sexy, but he did not budge.
I created my entire costume from stuff around the house, though a better fitting cap would have helped. Still, I think my beer belly looks pretty real!
This tiger hat is just $1.74!
This post is brought to you by PureCostumes.com where you’ll find the latest in halloween costumes. Use coupon code BARGAINBABE65 to get free UPS ground shipping on orders over $65.
I’m counting down to Halloween with tons of candy deals, coupons, and freebies! For pumpkin carving ideas, go here.
Halloween Freebies - Catherine at Frugal-Freebies compiled a list of great Halloween freebies, including a free masks, free Halloween computer games, and free carving patterns. Nice!
Kroger candy coupon - Get $2 off $5 of candy when you load this electronic Kroger candy coupon onto your store loyalty card.
Fake eyelashes - Get a fake eyelash kit for fairy, Cleopatra, spider woman, goth princess, fortune teller, and black magic costumes through Sally Beauty for $5-$7.
Get into the Halloween spirit with these coupons! Credit: BEE FREE/Flickr
This post is brought to you by PureCostumes.com where you’ll find the latest in halloween costumes. Use coupon code BARGAINBABE65 to get free UPS ground shipping on orders over $65.
Find pumpkin carving ideas here. Halloween candy deals are here! The shipping deadline for many online Halloween costumes shops is today, tomorrow, or very soon so if you plan to buy online, do it now.
Bobbi has 10 ideas to save on Halloween costumes, including raiding your grandparent’s closet. If you want to have an old fashioned Halloween, we’ve got you covered. Fruit snacks are a cheap Halloween treat you can pass out (reader tip). Today is the last day to enter the Halloween costume contest! And now for the coupons…
Terry.Tyson / Flickr
This post is brought to you by PureCostumes.com where you’ll find the latest in halloween costumes. Use coupon code BARGAINBABE65 to get free UPS ground shipping on orders over $65.
Here are this week’s Halloween costume coupons and deals! Bobbi has 10 ideas to save on Halloween costumes, including raiding your grandparent’s closet. If you want to have an old fashioned Halloween, we’ve got you covered. And don’t forget to enter the Halloween costume contest!
Wholesale Costumes - Get the lowest Low Wholesale Prices on Halloween costume with coupon code SAVENOW.
Free Halloween crafts - Get a booklet of 14 free Halloween crafts and costume ideas from AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com.
creativedc/Flickr
This post is brought to you by Reader’s Digest. Find more great tips on saving money from Reader’s Digest.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Halloween can be a fun family time. But, with all the costumes, decorations, parties,
and candy giving, the costs add up, even if you are having an old fashioned Halloween.
My advice for Halloween is the same for any annual holiday – think ahead. Look for costumes and accessories all year long. Anything that you have to buy in a hurry will cost more. That being said, here are the 10 best places to go looking for Halloween items NOW.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Robert Couse-Baker/Flickr
When I was a little girl, Halloween was a simple and cheap affair. We’d make costumes out of stuff we had at home, grab a pillow case, and walk up and down our block. Everyone who opened the door knew who we were, and we knew them. We returned home with warm homemade cookies, fruit, and my very favorite, a little envelope with 10 shiny pennies from the man who worked at the local bank. That, my friends, is what Halloween is supposed to be.
Unfortunately, Halloween has gone the way of all holidays: a commercialized spending spree. The average person will spend $72.31 on costumes, candy and decorations, adding up to a total holiday splurge of $6.9 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
All these costume coupons make me happy!
This post is brought to you by PureCostumes.com where you’ll find the latest in halloween costumes. Use coupon code BARGAINBABE65 to get free UPS ground shipping on orders over $65.
This year’s Halloween costume contest has launched!
$.99 Pirate Costume - Little Tykes is advertising a $.99 pirate costume. I’m guessing you pay shipping.
Wholesale Costume Club - This site seems to have some of the most popular and affordable kids Halloween costumes. Use code SAVENOW to get $5 flat shipping.
Disney sale - Select kids costumes are 25% off, including accessories! Select adult costumes are 40% off.
My belly needs room in this year's contest!
This year’s annual Halloween costume contest has a big – pun intended – twist. I’m pregnant! As you can see from the photo, my belly will play a role in whatever I dress up as for Halloween this year. Here’s how the contest works:
You suggest your most zany and frugal Halloween costume for me to wear.
The most unusual and fun costume is what I’ll dress up as. Bonus points for a costume my husband and I can do together.
I’ll prance around town in your costume and post a picture of me in costume. No matter how silly it is!
Comment with your idea for a Halloween costume by Oct. 19, 2011. That gives me about a week to put the winning costume together.
Interested in more preggo details?
Tons of costume coupons below!
This post is brought to you by PureCostumes.com where new halloween costumes are in.
There are already 14 good Halloween coupons this week, so I didn’t want to wait until later in the week to post. Here are our deals on candy and decorations. Send me any Halloween coupons you want to share. Our annual costume contest will be launching soon!
Disney costume coupons - Get free shipping on all Halloween costumes with Disney coupon code COSTUMESHIP. A number of costumes are on sale by 25% off. Offers expire Sept. 25, 2011.
Walgreens costume coupon - Get 25% off all Halloween costumes with coupon code DRESSUP25 at Walgreens through Sept. 24, 2011.
BuyCostumes coupon - Get free shipping at BuyCostumes.com with a tab of $65 or more. No code needed, it will kick in. Or get 10% off $40 or more with coupon code hallow10. Expires Oct. 31, 2011.
There are 21 coupons and freebies today. If you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join!
Free Icee - Get a freebie 20 ounce Icee at AMC Theaters on the following three Fridays: Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30, and Oct. 7, 2011. Must bring an original print out of the coupon, which you can get by “liking” its Facebook page. Thanks, Free Sample Freak!
Free 100 biz cards - Get 100 free business cards in full color at Office Depot starting this Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011 and continuing until Oct. 3, 2011. Look for a coupon in your daily newspaper, including the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronicle, San Diego Union Tribune, Fresno Bee, Florence Morning News, Myrtle Beach Sun News, Columbia The State, Charleston Post and Courier, Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dallas Morning News, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Detroit News and Free Press, Tacoma News Tribune, Winston Salem Journal, High Point Enterprise, Bergen Record, and the Newark Star Ledger.
Free ice cream - Get free ice cream when you “like” the Safeway Facebook page. This won’t last!
Smoothies are $2 with the Jamba coupon below!
There are 34 coupons and freebies today. If you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join!
Free theater performances - Get free tickets to theater performances across the country Oct. 1-31, but the important part is to register NOW to get tickets. 15 states are participating. Thanks, Hip to Save!
Free glasses - Get a free pair of prescription glasses from CoastalContacts.com starting today, Sept. 14, 2011 at 12 noon EST/9 a.m. PST. Use coupon code FREEGLASSES914. Facebook log in not required. Just copy and paste the coupon code onto CoastalContacts.com. One per household. You pay $10-$15 shipping and for any upgrades.
Free American Baby mag - Get a free subscription to American Baby magazine through Freeflys, a website you’ll have to register for to get the freebie mag. (more…)
Terry.Tyson / Flickr
This post was brought to you by SillyJokes.co.uk, the UK’s leading source of Halloween Costumes and Halloween Decorations.
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Before you trick or treat this year, there are nine things you can do to save money on Halloween and reduce stress. Starting now is the most important part to finding deals on Halloween decorations, costumes, and candy.
Decorations
- Take inventory. Make a list of what you need. This year, I’d really like to find a deal on kitchen towels with pumpkin designs on them. I’m staying away from witches and goblins as I’ll be able to used these until Thanksgiving. (more…)
Bubble bath for Halloween!
This post is brought to you by PureCoustumes.com, seller of the most family friendly Halloween costumes online!
It may seem like Halloween is weeks off – it is – but retailers are wasting no time offering coupons for Halloween costumes, decor, and candy. Here are all the Halloween coupons I’ve spotted so far – a dozen so far.
Kmart - Get up to 20% off costumes plus shipping is free on $40 or more. Or use Kmart coupon code KBOO to get $5 off $50. Both discounts valid Sept. 11-17, 2011.
Target - Spend $50, get free shipping on Halloween costumes.
SpiritHalloween.com - Get 20% off one item with SpiritHalloween coupon code SPAFF20. Expires Oct. 26, 2011.
Bargain Babe's Halloween costume!
I really am obsessed with money. After dressing up as a black eyed pea on Thursday, I made a vending machine costume for a Halloween pub crawl on Saturday and turned a dollar profit!
I cut up a cardboard box, taped items onto a white piece of thin poster board fitted into the box, and made a change hole in the lower right corner. I duct tapped an empty tin can on the other side of the change hole to collect money and used a diagonal strip of tape across my back to (more…)
Bargain Babe as a black eyed pea, a costume suggested by reader Jessica
Here I am dressed up as a black eyed pea! The lighting is not great, but you can just make out my black eye. I wore this Halloween costume for my run club’s weekly 5k. (It is great motivation to stay in shape. The more I run during the week, the easier the 5k is.)
About 50 runners gathered for the costume run. The best costume was a guy who was a Chilean miner. He wore a hard hat that had a sticker depicting the Chilean flag, had smudged black face paint on his cheeks, and he wore a soiled T-shirt and jeans. Simple, and everyone loved it.
Another great adult costume was a guy who strapped six empty plastic coke bottles to his hat. He was? A coke head. Best for adult Halloween parties.
I also saw a girl scout, a pair of crazy scientists, Forrest Gump, a guy dressed as a baby, Snow White, the mad hatter, Batwoman, a guy in a Tyvek suit, He-man, two bees, a Freudian slip, and a referee.
Now I’m off to buy candy. Are you dressing up this Halloween?
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