Time and money-saving Halloween costumes

It's the time of year that many parents dread: time to decide what their children will be wearing for Halloween. The simple answer might be to buy a ready made costume. But that's not a good solution when money's tight. And store-bought costumes often just don't make the grade. So what's a parent to do?

You can find the answer at www.familyfun.com. The website has more than 100 costume ideas; there are classic pirate and princess costumes, along with quirky suggestions including Bubble Bather, Retro Robot, Slice of Pizza Slice and Rockin' Sushi Roll. For each costume you'll find a shopping list for materials, estimated completion time, clear instructions and even patterns. You'll know right away if you have the time and ability to tackle the project.

The site has ideas for costumes that work for little kids (Lady Bug and Skunk) and also suggests multi-part costumes for families who want to dress up together (Dog Walker, Three Little Pigs, Movie Stars).

Family Fun magazine and FamilyFun.com are part of the Disney Company that also owns ABC 7 Chicago.