Happy Halloween!!



Halloween-themed gif

With Halloween only six days away, I know what you’re thinking, “crap! I still need to buy an eye patch, a large feather, boots, and striped socks for my pirate costume and some of those Sour-Patch-Kid candies my neighbor’s kids like so much!” You’re not alone. In fact, according to The Marietta Times, Halloween spending is up this year and is second only to Christmas in cost.

Consumer spending on Halloween costumes, decorations, and candy is expected to rise as a record 170 million people are projected to spend as much as $8 billion. That means that the average person, according to the National Retail Federation, is expected to spend $79.82 on the holiday’s preparations, up from $72.31 last year. Wow!

Looking for cheap costumes to relieve the costs this Halloween? Here are some of my favorite ideas from the internet:

·         Pin-up Girl (females only) Pin safety pins in the shape of an arrow pointing upwards onto a colored shirt

·         Gangrene (for groups) the whole gang wears green and travels together.

·         Gangster Some may prefer the under-dressed Sopranos look, but for a traditional gangster you'll need dress pants, a vest, a fedora, and a toy machine gun. Or you may prefer to nix the gun for an empty violin case.

·         Backwards Man This simple concept was popular in the 1980s and is due for a revival. Simply put your clothes on backwards, pad your front to give yourself some "back" and voila, you're ready.

·         The Nerd Some can go from work to Halloween parties without a change of clothes, but for non-nerds, pair high-water pants, a short-sleeved dress shirt buttoned to the top with pens in the pocket and appropriate ink stains. Take the nose and mustache off a set of Groucho glasses and you've completed the look.

·         Blackmail Wear all black and glue postage stamps to your chest.

·         FAKE BLOOD RECIPE (you have endless opportunities with fake blood): 1 cup Karo syrup, 1 Tbsp. water, 2 Tbsp. red food coloring, 1 tsp. yellow food coloring. Mix everything together in a mixing bowl. You may need to add some blue to get the right color.

Also, make sure you check out some of Springfield’s downtown activities this Weekend!! Go to www.itsalldowntown.com and click EVENTS for more information. Good luck on finding a costume and have a safe ghouls-and-goblins holiday. J