It's getting spooky out there...

Somewhere back around May, my eldest daughter Emily started thinking about what she would be for Halloween this year. She puts a lot of thought into this holiday.

This year she wants to be a vampire princes. I don't really know what that is, but I'm assuming it involves a lot of black clothing and maybe some of those fake fang teeth.

 

The good thing about Emily's Halloween obsession is that it gives me a lot of time to find/make/borrow pieces of her costume so that it all comes together at minimal expense to both me and the planet. But even if you haven't been planning for Halloween for the last 5 months, you can still put together awesome, inexpensive, costumes that tread lightly on the environment. Here's how:

Get Thrifty: Thrift stores are a bonanza of Halloween treasures. Most stores have bins overflowing with pre-made costumes that you can pick up for pennies a piece and aisles of cool clothes that will transform your child into a clown, princess, wizard, nurse, "mad scientist, or treehugger!

Surf The Web: Check out About.com or Homemade Costume Ideas for lots of how-to instructions to make your own costume on the cheap.

DIY The Props: If your child needs a special prop to go with his outfit, help him make it out of the materials you have at home. Cut a sword or "magic" wand out of cardboard and cover it with aluminum foil. Make a cape for a wizard or princess using an old fancy pillowcase. Cut it lengthwise and attach a thin piece of felt at either end. Or jazz up your child's princess of ninja costume with "glow in the dark stars."

Jenn Savedge's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.