Guest Author - Cate Brizzell

One of the challenges of managing Home Finance--but also the most fun--is trying to make do with what you already have, versus buying new.

Halloween is the perfect time to rise to that challenge. Instead of store-bought costumes, try using items around the house to get your youngsters ready for trick-or-treating.

When I was growing up, my mom had a trunk of old clothes from the early 1900's that we used every single Halloween. We'd rotate costumes, or take large pieces from the trunk to create a new costume. It was easy to accent our outfits with more modern-day items from our family closets, simple makeup and other accessories.

For example, one year my brothers went as bums. They took two old sport jackets and felt hats, added a pair of Dad's pants and a couple shirts, spread soot on their cheeks and wore old mittens.

I once used an old black dress (worn over a snowsuit, it was so cold), a veil and a black hat to trick-or-treat as a witch. It actually looked scarier and more true-to-life than the black sheath/pointy hat outfits in the store.

There's no limit to the items you can use around the house. In college, I attended a frat party as a basketball hoop. I "borrowed" an indoor Nerf hoop from guys down the hall, wore white sweatpants and a white t-shirt, taped the hoop to a stiff piece of cardboard and stuffed the cardboard down the back of my shirt, tucking it into my pants. Earlier, I had tied the Nerf ball to the rim with a long piece of yarn. Partygoers had a blast dunking on me. Total cost of costume: ZERO!

Ask your relatives, friends and neighbors if they have costumes you can borrow. No one wants to wear the same costume twice! My aunt handed my cousin's amazing costumes down to my kids, who ended up winning awards for "best costume" each year at a local Halloween party. One was a lobster costume made of foam, complete with claws and a long tail. Another was a bright star with cut-out face (foam again). The best one was a Christmas tree (green foam), decked out with ornaments, tinsel and working lights (thanks to a battery compartment underneath). Total cost to us: ZERO!

Don't forget to find new homes for your costumes, even the homemade ones. Pay it forward.

There are dozens of websites with creative homemade costume ideas. Do a simple search on Google for "homemade Halloween costume" or "handmade Halloween costume".

Challenge yourself to come up with costumes free of charge. Then take the money you save and use it for some quality time with your little ghouls, maybe a movie or dinner out.

The trick is to be creative and the treat is money in your pocket!