Rather than raid the dress-up bin for Halloween, Wendy raids the after-Halloween sales for the dress-up bin! Great setup for future costume swaps, too.
My 3 year-old daughter loves playing dress-up, but we only have a couple of items. I've been searching for a way to expand her dressup wardrobe without spending tons of money. I discovered that just before and after Halloween all the costumes and accessories get ridiculously discounted (usually 50-90 %). I bought 3 really good quality costumes with accessories for around $15.00 (would have been around $100 or more for normal prices).
If I can spend a few dollars every year buying costumes that are 1-2 sizes bigger than she is, then she will get a really good costume wardrobe for her and all her friends. And you can always resell the old ones on eBay well before Halloween for about what you paid for them. Or use them the following year for Halloween.
More: Halloween hacks