Ah, yes. ‘Tis the season for scaring . . . and morphing into a gnarled, screaming, growling, lunatic of a monster after paying what you just paid for your kids’ Halloween costumes!

But fear not, my spooked friend. Halloween doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. (That’s just gross.) Think of it as a chance to stretch your creative muscles. And if you feel you don’t have any of those, here are some tips to (hopefully) return you back to your calm, beautiful self so you don’t look like you just stuck your finger in an electrical socket.

1: If you were blessed with creative genes, then you might want to try your hand at making the costume. I made Belle’s gown (Beauty and the Beast) for my daughter one year and she ended up using it to play dress-up with her friends for the next few years. Yes, it took time. Yes, it took some work. For me, it was worth it because she got a lot of use out of it and loved every minute of it.

2: Recycle old costumes. If you have kids of different ages, save costumes for use in the future. The younger kids may really love what the older ones have grown out of or no longer enjoy.

3: Arrange a costume trade with family or friends. Kids always seem to be fascinated with everyone else’s stuff, so why not suggest a costume circle? Get the whole gang together, display all the costumes everyone has saved, and let the kids have fun trying on different looks.

4: Use what you already have and put a different spin on it. My mom made Musketeers capes for my boys once, and this year one of them will be put to use as a magician’s cape instead. He has dress pants, a shirt, shoes, and a magical fantasy wand – all I really need to buy are some white gloves and a top hat and he’s good to go. (Lots of places sell accessories separate from the costumes so you’re not trapped into buying it all.)

5: Go Resale. Not all resale shops sell costumes, but ones that do offer them at greatly reduced prices. If you have old costumes you know you’ll never need again, bring them in and you may get a discount on something you buy. Just be sure to ask what the store’s policy is on trade-ins.

So, before you get scared pants-less as you cough up tons of cash at the register, try one (or more) of these money-saving tricks so you can enjoy the holiday treats. And above all, try to remember what Halloween is all about – shrieking kids and mummy’s hands, blood soaked fangs and fairy’s wings, witches’ cackles and sugar highs . . . sheesh! I just gave myself goosebumps . . .