With budgets tight, this Halloween it's time to get creative

Carl Soto lives for Halloween.

The Port Hueneme resident wears his thrill for the unearthly on his finger — a skull ring. On the walls of his garage, there is a menagerie of spooky outfits and gory props from old horror movies.

More than anything else, weirdly concocted costumes get Soto's blood pumping.

He is a special type of artist. When he looks at an old sofa, he envisions a monster made of cushions. When he looks at a pile of brown paper bags, he sees a rotten-tree man.

Soto said he believes that nothing captures the spirit of All Hallows Eve quite like making your own costume.

More people might be following Soto's lead this year because of the economic meltdown that might make the $24 average price for a costume look downright frightening.

Consumers this year are expected to spend an average of $66.54 on Halloween, including costume, up $2 from last year, according to a National Retail Federation survey.

For retailers, that estimate translates to about $5.8 billion at the register.

But the survey was done in early September — right before the economy plunged into a scary spiral.

"Because the economy's so bad right now, people don't really want to buy costumes this year," Soto said.

That means more consumers likely will be hunting for costumes at secondhand stores or piecing together their own get-ups.

At St. Vincent de Paul at 1258 Saviers Road in Oxnard, shoppers can save at least 50 percent to 75 percent on new and used costumes, which range from $7 to $20, manager Angela Smith said. The store also sells accessories, party supplies, dishes and decorations. Everything is reasonably priced, she said, with accessories starting at 25 cents.

Smith said there's been a strong demand for cheap costumes.

"I think everyone is trying to be thriftier in preparing for the holidays," she said. "Our store is helping with their budget by buying secondhand."

Many people are piecing together their own costumes with vintage clothes, she said. Wedding dresses are flying off shelves to be mutilated for dead bride costumes.

For many costumes, all it takes is $5 to buy inexpensive makeup and old clothes, and some imagination, Soto said. Old clothes or other pieces can be found around the house, the Dollar Store, Big Lots! or purchased secondhand.

A costume designer and makeup artist for the movie industry, Soto has plenty of experience. He's been making his own costumes since he was a kid because his parents didn't have much money.

He said he remembers one year grabbing one of his dad's work shirts, buttoning the top button and having his mom sew up the sleeves. Then he ran around wearing the makeshift cape, pretending to be Dracula.

With new costumes often costing $25 to $50, Halloween can get very costly, said Juliet Brown, owner of OaksParent.com, a resource for parents in the Conejo Valley.

"It's too much money for the average family," she said.

Since children wear costumes for just a few hours "and get chocolate all over it," Brown said it makes more sense to exchange costumes with friends or buy them used.

While living expenses have surged, "to be able to save somewhere definitely helps," she said. Teaching children a lesson about the importance of reusing is an added perk.

"I don't think the kids are any less excited about the costumes they're wearing if they are used," she said.

At Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts on Rose Avenue in Oxnard, there's an uptick in sales for costume fabric every year, said Patricia Ottley, manager.

People have been coming in to the newly remodeled store browsing a "huge selection" of holiday and costume fabric, buying up fabric to make all different costumes, including Spider-Man, Hershey's Kiss and an M&M, she said.

Buying a costume is more convenient for people who don't know how to sew, said Eileen Alber, owner of the Quilter's Studio in Newbury Park, "I think in coming years, we're going to see more people making their own."

The economy might steer more people in that direction, she said, but there are other factors as well. Many adults who want to dress up can't find costumes that fit, or they want something that's hard to find.

or example, one year, she was a magician and her husband a giant rabbit — not exactly an easy costume to find. It took her about a weekend to sew.

Alber said many mothers who shop at her store are making their children's costumes. For Alber, making a costume as a child was more about tradition than about saving money.

"Of course, we made the costume — it's part of the celebration," she said. "We would never even think of buying a costume."