Posted on Sun, Oct. 23, 2011

It used to be that an inexpensive Halloween costume was one that came out of your parents' closets.

Pull on your dad's old jeans, tie them with string and — voilá — instant hobo. Borrow your mom's skirt and blouse, perch some glasses on your nose, and you were an accountant.

Times have changed, and today buying a costume from a store or online is common. But how much should you spend?

"No more than like $20," said Josiah Parra of Modesto, shopping for costumes Sunday at Party City on McHenry Avenue.

Josiah, 16, was buying a ladybug costume for his sister, 2-year-old Kaitlynn. The cost: about $17.

That's more than the family spent on Kaitlynn last year, when she went as Cinderella. The toddler wore a dress (bought by mom, who figured she could wear it on other occasions) and a tiara.

But as kids get older, they're needs — wants? — can be more elaborate. The child who was once happy with a hand-me-down cowboy costume now has his heart set on being a Willie Wonka, a zombie doctor, a crew member from Star Trek, etc.

Just ask Andrea Acosta of Modesto. She and her son, Lucas, 8, on Sunday were in search of a stormtrooper costume.

Acosta, who has three kids, remembers her mother making her costumes. Once she was a gypsy. Another time, the singer Carmen Miranda.

"I didn't even know who Carmen Miranda was," she said. "My mom got the plastic fruit from the thrift store and put it on my head."

Acosta didn't get much say in those homemade costumes, so she wants her children to decide who they want to be for Halloween. But she doesn't want to spend too much.

"I'd say $40," she said, asked how much is too much. "Even $30 is kind of a lot."

That's a bit steep, according to Yvonne Williams of Manteca, who was in Modesto on Sunday to buy Halloween costumes for six of her grandchildren.

She had strict guidelines: Younger kids were to pick a costume costing $20 or less; older kids could go a bit higher, but not much.

"I think anything over $40 is way too much," she said. "It's a one-day thing."

Williams took her grandchildren, ages 2 to 11, to stores such as Party City, but there are other stores where a shopper can find low-cost components for costumes.

Dollar stores carry plastic swords and shields this time of year. Goodwill stores — Modesto has two — might have, say, a red dress and black shoes for Minnie Mouse or a mod dress and high boots for a '60s girl, both popular costumes in stores.

Even party stores, busy with Halloween shoppers, often have bargains. Grand Events on McHenry is advertising some kids' costumes for $9.99.

It's a good deal, considering it's easy to spend upward of $40 on a child's Halloween costume.

"They're so expensive now, it's crazy," said Brittany Jones of Ceres, Williams' daughter. "We're lucky grandma pays."

Bee staff writer Kerry McCray can be reached at kmccray@modbee.com or (209) 578-2358.