Halloween is almost here and more than likely your kids are already trying to come up with a great costume. Sure, you could go to the store and buy one, but often the costumes available aren't very original, not to mention all the money you spend on something your kids only wear once. One great idea is to make your own homemade Halloween costumes for your kids this year. You'll ensure your kids have a unique costume that no one else is wearing and you'll save a lot of money too. Maybe you think you have to be a master seamstress to accomplish this – that's not true. There are actually many simple ideas you can find that won't require sewing skills. To help you out, here are some great ideas that you can easily make at home and some great money-saving tips you can use this Halloween as well.

Great Costume Ideas You Can Make at Home

From classic costumes, to box costumes, to character costumes, you'll find that you can easily make most of them yourself. Here are several great costume ideas and instructions on how to make them. Follow the instructions, add in a bit of creativity, and you'll be sure to create some great costumes for this Halloween.

Cowboy or Cowgirl Costume

One easy and classic costume idea is a cowboy or cowgirl costume. All you'll need is a western shirt, a pair of jeans, boots, and a brightly colored bandana. If you can find one, a good cowboy hat will complete the costume.

Mummy Costume

Designing a mummy costume is pretty simple. You'll need white clothing underneath, and then strips of white sheets or some gauze can be used to wrap around your child. You may need some safety pins to hold the strips in place. Make sure you leave ample room for their mouth, nose, and eyes.

Scarecrow Costume

A scarecrow is definitely appropriate at this time of year. You'll need a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans. Patches on the jeans make it even better. Use some duct tape on the inside of pants and sleeps to attach some straw so it sticks out. Add a straw hat. You can take an eyebrow pencil and use it to draw triangles around each eye and a bit smile on your child's face.

Soldier Costume

It's easy to dress up your child as a soldier. You'll need some camouflage clothing, camouflage makeup, and perhaps a homemade compass, canteen, and other accessories to make the character believable.

Elvis Costume

Maybe you'd like to dress up your boy like a little Elvis. If he already has dark hair, you won't need a wig, you'll just need to tease it up for hair that looks like Elvis. Otherwise you may need a black wig to pull off this costume. Then add some sequins to black pants and a black shirt, along with a brightly colored ascot. Don't forget the microphone (you can make one yourself).

Quasimodo Costume

Quasimodo, the character from the Hunchback of Notre Dame is an excellent choice for a Halloween costume. You can use cardboard or foam to make the hunch back. Then find a coat that is a couple sizes large for your child along with some old ragged clothing. Wear the hunch back under the coat and tousle the hair for a Quasimodo look.

Dice Costume

If you have some large cardboard boxes around, a dice costume is easy to make. Paint the entire box white. Put a hole on top for your head and holes in each side for your arms. Paint large black dots on each side and you have an easy costume that didn't cost a thing. If you happen to have twins, dressing them both up like dice is an excellent idea.

Television Costume

Another fun costume you can make with a large box is a television costume. Again you need holes for the head and arms. Draw a screen on the front and then draw controls on the front. Milk jug lids can be used for the knobs on the television as well. Consider drawing static on the screen or a scene from a favorite show. You can use a metal hanger or some pipe cleaners to make an antennae for the television.

Old Man or Woman

It's fairly simple to come up with an old man or old woman costume. For the old man you just need a button down shirt, a jacket, dark colored pants, and a hat. Add a cane and a limp to add effect. Use a bit of flour in the hair to give it a gray look.

For the old woman costume, you'll need a dress in a old style. Wear knee highs with the dress and carry a big purse. Again you can add flour to the hair to make the hair look gray.

Playing Cards

To make a player cards costume, you'll need some poster board, markers or paint, some rope or clothes line, and a staple gun. Take two pieces of poster board and decorate them like a playing card. Punch holes in the top of both of your cards and tie with clothesline or rope. Then the costume can merely slip over the head and settle on the shoulders.

Harry Potter Costume

Harry Potter is a popular choice for costumes, and you can make one at home with just a few items. You'll need a black robe, such as a graduation gown. You can make your own wizard hat and a magic want. Make or find some fake glasses as well.

Great Costume Money-saving Tips

Sometimes even making your own Halloween costumes can cost you. After all, you have to come up with the supplies to make the costumes. To keep the costumes cost effective, here are some great money-saving tips that you can use.

Tip #1 – Make Items Out of Cardboard - There are many accessories that you can easily make yourself instead of paying a lot for them at the store. For example, it's easy to make weapons and many other types of props with cardboard. Use tin foil to cover them or paint the items and you have simple and cheap accessories for your costumes.

Tip #2 – Shop at Goodwill for Used Items - If you need specific clothing items or even accessories for a costume, check at a local Goodwill or other thrift shop. Often you can find what you need without spending much money.

Tip #3 – Check What You Have – Before you go shopping for items, check what you have at home. Go through closets and find old clothing that may be used for costumes. You'll be surprised at how you can reuse clothing and other old items to make great costumes.

Tip #4 – Don't Make it Too Complicated - These costumes don't have to be works of art. No need to hem up costumes to make them look perfect. They'll be worn for one night, so while you want them to look good, don't waste your time making it too complicated.

Tip #5 – Use Old Makeup - Instead of purchasing special costume makeup, why not go looking through all the old makeup you don't use often anyway. You'll probably find about everything you need to get kids painted up for Halloween and you won't have to spend a lot of money.

Halloween can be a lot of fun without having to cost a lot of money. Get your kids involved and make it fun. Let them help come up with ideas and then make the costumes. Use these costume ideas and these money saving tips and you and your kids will have a wonderful time.

Boo! Hosting a spoo-tacular Halloween Party

It is that time of year! Fall leaves are blanketing the ground, pumpkins can be seen on most porches, stores are stocked with spooky costumes and more candy then any youngster could imagine. That's right; Halloween is just around the corner. This means fall parties at school and costume parties at home. Every little kid dreams of turning their house into the spookiest house on the block and having all their friends over for scary games and a huge junk food fest.  If you are feeling brave and want to host the best Halloween party but aren't sure of where to start read on.

The first thing to consider is the age of your children and their friends. The party games and themes are going to be different for older children, scary blood and gore really doesn't have a place at a party for 5 year olds. Then you are going to need to think about how many guests you are going to have your child invite, and for the younger kids you need to think about whether you want their parent(s) to stay with them.

You can buy invitations for your party, or you can get creative on the computer and create your own and then let your child color the invites. Remember this is their party, so letting them color with markers and glitter can be a lot of fun… and for the older kids stopping at WalMart and hitting the Halloween aisles where they can find fake blood, cob webs and other gross items they can even have fun making the invites. I recommend that on the invitation you put a start and end time this will help eliminate any confusion about how long the children are welcome to stay.

Now decide if you are going to convert your whole house into a Halloween spectacular or just a room? Actually if the party is for a younger crowd and the weather is nice you can even covert your backyard into the Halloween playground. Thankfully, stores like Target, WalMart, Meijer, Hobby Lobby, Michael's and the Flower Factory make decorating for Halloween cost effective. If you are going to host the party outside you can create your own backyard ghosts from old white sheets, which you can get at your local Salvation Army or Goodwill or you can get left over fabric from a fabric store. Buying hay, "spider webs" and pumpkins will also add to the decorations.

If you are going to hold the party inside, again depending on the age of the guests, the stores listed above can offer excellent party ideas. I have seen screaming ghouls, talking witches, huge black spiders that not only blow up but they move… and my personal favorite the candy bowl with the talking hand that grabs you when you stick your hand in the bowl.

I believe that it is the goodies that make the party. You don't have to spend a lot of money buying the store made goodies, you can easily make your own. This will help control cost, and honestly sugar content. Consider making monster eye balls, which are peanut butter balls dipped in white chocolate with an M&M in the middle. You can also make monster fingers which are made out of breadsticks and use sliced almonds for the fingernails. If you want you can frost the breadsticks with homemade frosting.

You can also peel grapes, make spaghetti and break up jello and hide them in a box for kids to stick their hands in and tell them that they are feeling eye balls, worms and monster brains. My munchkins also liked to make dirt cupcakes with worms, we would make blue kool-aid and mix it with seven up and call it our magic potion that turned all the kids into Halloween monsters. Granted that won't work for the older kids, but if you are having a party for kids that are older than 10 I recommend that you talk to them to see what it is they want at their party. I know if they are like my older two then being scared out of their mind is what they want.

Another option to consider for the older kids is taking a look around in your area and finding a corn maze or haunted hayride and hosting the party there. Most places will offer a group discount if the group is large enough and in some cases it can be more cost effective to do it that way then hosting it at your house.

Don't forget your costume! This is the one time of the year that it is okay to dress like Brittany even if you are 40 something! Find the costume that fits your alter ego and dress up for the Halloween party, just remember that you are hosting the party for your children. Have a spoo-tacular time!

Halloween Fun

If you have a child that is anything like my son then I am sure you have heard your fair share of corny jokes. If your child is anything like my son, then when you laugh and say you've heard that one before… chances are greater than not that your child is going to try to create their own joke just so you will laugh and they will know that it isn't a joke you have heard before.

I decided that for Halloween, maybe a better treat then candy… would be a few new jokes. I have scoured the internet looking for only the best kid friendly jokes for Halloween. Share them with your kids… or even other parents to make the spookiest of all holidays a little funny for all the pranksters out there.

Joke 1: Why didn't the skeleton dance at the party?

Because he didn't have any body to dance with.

Joke 2:  Why did the baker stop making donuts?

He got bored with the whole business.

Joke 3: What room does a ghost not need?

A living room.

Joke 4: Where do baby ghosts go during the day?

A day-scare center.

Joke 5: What do witches put in their hair?

Scare-spray

Joke 6: Where do spooks water ski?

Lake Erie

Joke 7: Where do mummies go for a swim?

The Dead Sea

Joke 8: How do you mend a broken jack-o-latern?

With a pumpkin patch.

Joke 9: What kinds of roads do ghosts haunt?

Dead ends.

Joke 10: Who did the ghost invite to his party?

Anyone he could dig up.

Joke 11: What kind of horse only comes out on Halloween?

A nightmare.

Joke 12: What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?

Squash

Joke 13: What do you get when you take the middle out of a hot dog on Halloween?

You get a hollow wiener

Here are a few funny little jokes to tell the older pranksters…

The nurse walked into the doctor's office and said, "Doctor the Invisible Man is here." The doctor replied, "Sorry, I can't see him."

Little Baby Dracula was chasing a man around the house when his mother walked in. The mother scolded, "Junior! How many times have I told you not to play with your food before you eat it!"

Did you hear the one about the vampire that was seen crawling through the desert screaming, "Blood! Blood!"

Monster 1: "Did you hear that the Zombie is going to marry the Invisible Women?" Monster 2: "I don't know what he sees in her."

If you prefer to sing a song or two to spook away the fearful cries, here is one that we should all know. Now the key here is to sing this song along with the tune of 12 Days of Christmas BUT sing it with a Transylvanian accent. Go ahead… try it.

The 12 Days of Halloween

"On the first day of Halloween my best friend gave to me.
A boney witch's knee.

On the second day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the third day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the fourth day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the fifth day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the sixth day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the seventh day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Seven witches cooking,
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the eighth day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Eight ghosts a flying,
Seven witches cooking,
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the ninth day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Nine monsters dancing,
Eight ghosts a flying,
Seven witches cooking,
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the tenth day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Ten bats a hanging,
Nine monsters dancing,
Eight ghosts a flying,
Seven witches cooking,
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the eleventh day of Halloween, my best friend gave to me.
Eleven Trick-or-treaters,
Ten bats a hanging,
Nine monsters dancing,
Eight ghosts a flying,
Seven witches cooking,
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

On the twelfth day of Halloween my best friend gave to me.
Twelve Jack-o-lanterns,
Eleven Trick-or-treaters,
Ten bats a hanging,
Nine monsters dancing,
Eight ghosts a flying,
Seven witches cooking,
Six ghouls a dancing,
Five haunted houses,
Four vampires biting,
Three pumpkins growing,
Two bats a flying,
And a boney witches knee.

By: W. S. Daniel"