When you want to put a little magic into your Halloween, you will find that you simply cannot go wrong with Harry Potter costumes. Whether you are shopping for your own kids or you are looking for something fun yourself, decide which Harry Potter costumes will suit you the best.

The nice thing about choosing to play one of the students is that the robes can suit either boys or girls. Harry Potter himself and his best friend Ron Weasely are perfect for anyone who loves to play hero, and if you would rather play someone a little darker, there’s always Draco Malfoy and his henchmen Crabbe and Goyle.

If that’s not their style, then maybe Draco Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle will be more to their liking. Specifically for a girl, there are Harry Potter costumes for both Hermone Granger and Luna Lovegood, and adding a wig with a basic costume is a quick and easy finishing touch.

Don’t forget that there are adult Harry Potter costumes as well. If you like strict and stern, consider Snape’s signature black cassock-cut robes, and if you want to get a little wilder, look for Sirius Black’s prison uniform.

For the men, you can choose to be edgy with a prison uniform for Sirius Black or you can play it down with a black robe outfit with Snape.

Who says you have to be limited to just the human characters either? A Harry Potter Halloween can include all of the other creatures and characters with the right addition of masks and makeup.For example, a werewolf mask and some accessories will be great for Remus Lupin when he’s transformed. Or you can embrace the spooky side of Halloween and scare people while dressed up as Dementor.

Clearly there are lots of options to choose between when it comes to Harry Potter costumes. Find something that matches your personality or preferences and you’ll be all set.

If you want to make a splash this October 31st, you want to make sure that you are taking the time to look for a great pirates costume.

Maybe you have always had a thing for sailors or you feel in love with Johnny Depp’s character, Captain Jack Sparrow, you can make this Halloween a Halloween you will always cherish.

For a quick glimpse into the fantasy world, many people automatically think back to the time of the seventeenth and the eighteenth century for their pirate costumes ideas. You want to look for a poet’s shirt, full frock coats, black slacks and tall boats. If you are dressing as a lady pirate, go for the corset or bodice that will enhance your figure and make the jaws of the men around you drop.

When you are thinking about purchasing a mens pirates Halloween costume, make sure that you get it from a quality dealer. Look for the ones that use good cloth and that have costumes that will stay together. A little bit of wear and tear is fine, but you don’t want it to fall apart before midnight!

One nice thing about the pirates costume is that while a lot of people will be attempting to put the same thing together, not everyone will do it very well. This means you have a chance to stand out. You want details in your costume such as matted, twisted hair so that it looks sea-logged.

Similarly, take some time to really dirty your clothes and to make it look as if you have been fighting off of the Spanish Main for the past few months! Details are everything! You will be the best dressed pirate at your door or party.

If you have wondered if it were possible to get cheap and safe babysitting in this economy crisis, the answer is a resounding “yes”! It’s true that for many families, childcare costs can exceed even their mortgage or rent payment, making it their most expensive household expenditure. But, during this economy crisis, many families are looking for ways to reduce all of those high cost budget busters, which includes childcare, so that they can make ends meet.

Here are 2 ways to reduce the overall expense of childcare and still ensure that your child is safe and happy:

1. Work out your own babysitting “program” with 2 or 3 families. Your family is not the only one that needs a little help during this economy crisis. Develop a babysitting swapping program with a few close families that you know and you will almost immediately see a family financial saving. Cost-conscious families can team up and share the babysitting load. The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child. well, a few families may not be a village, but you probably have a lot that you can each offer the other children and families in the babysitting group that you develop.

You can keep it simple by first planning on a quarterly basis. Consider all of the times that you may need additional childcare help such as afterschool, early school release days, for a date night with your partner, or for a whole weekend at some point. Stay flexible and consider everyone’s contribution. Take full advantage of each other’s skills and abilities by encouraging each other to plan activities with the children that are your personal strong suit or something that you are exceptionally passionate about. This will help to keep everyone engaged, and the saving, cost reduction, and safety that you all feel will make the co-op even more valuable.

2. Find a family member to live in. If you have the space and a family member that needs a place to stay and a few dollars, this option may work for you. Many families benefit from “live-in” childcare or nannies, especially when it is a relative that you can trust and feel comfortable with. Many times, the relative will babysit your children in exchange for a free place to live. You may pay the relative a few dollars if you feel it necessary, but for many, just having a place to stay, especially if they are college students or trying to save money for their own home or a move, this arrange could work out well.

The cost of weekly childcare at a professional day care center can run a family upwards of $300-400 per child. Just by having a live-in childcare arrangement in place, a family realizes a huge saving. Cost-reduction for live-in childcare could be as much as 75% or about $200 savings per week. It’s definitely worth it for everyone involved. The children get the attention and love of a family member, you get peace of mind that your child is safe, and the relative gets to save a few dollars which could really help them to manage their own costs of living.

Your family will appreciate the saving, cost reduction, and opportunity to try a new way of getting your childcare taken care of with these two easy methods. During this economy crisis, everyone is looking for alternatives that will work for their families. Reducing your child care expense could be just the break that your family budget needs!

Toys are an integral part of a child’s life. They play with them, they build with them, and their little minds are constantly coming up with new and inventive ways to use them to express themselves. Toys are great. But, during an economy crisis, those high retail prices can cost a family a pretty penny. As long as people don’t try to get their kids the biggest, most expensive toys on the market, they have a chance as getting lots of fun play things without breaking the bank.

It is absolutely possible for any frugal fashionista to get her kids great toys during this economy crisis if she follows these three easy tips:

Try having a toy trade party. Families will love the opportunity to swap toys while saving. Cost-conscious parents know that buying toys in retail stores can be pretty bad for a budget, but with the toy trade, kids can get “new” toys in a flash and for free!

Toy exchanges are easy to set up. Simply find a space, such as a church basement or community center that you can rent for free, and invite everyone to bring their used toys. Group the toys according to type or age. Give the kids a bag or basket and let them rummage through picking what they like best. That way, they get what they want and there’s no “guesswork” for parents.

Buy for cheap! Make a commitment not to spend over a certain amount for toys. That doesn’t mean that you should buy all of your children’s toys from the dollar store, as sometimes, those toys are not even WORTH a dollar. However, if you set your toy budget in advance, then you can seek out sales and other opportunities to buy for cheap.

Grab those after-holiday deals. Right after Christmas and Easter, lots of stores try to clear their shelves of all of those left over toys. Any frugal fashionista can, of course, expect to be able to buy for cheap with discounts totaling as much as 60% off of the regular price. But, they can also expect to get tons of toys they can use later in the year for birthdays or other “gifting” events.

Of course, you should never forget about the thrift stores and garage sales. They are great places to buy for cheap lots of toys that your kids will love. Buying at a thrift store or garage sale could net you a savings of up to 90%!

Try to get them completely FREE. Consignment shops are fantastic places where you can take your gently used things and get cash or store credit for them. You and your family were most likely done with using those things anyway. So, why not get money for them? Once you get the money or store credit, then you can either get some more toys using that credit at the consignment shop or take your free cash and shop somewhere else where you can get a bargain on the toys that your kids want!

Gone are the days when families can readily afford taking in a movie at the theatre every weekend, or even patronizing the local pizzeria. Most of us have scratched such activities from the family budget, just in order to make ends meet. However, this doesn’t mean that family outings are out of the question. We just need to find activities that are affordable.

Getting the whole family involved in a get together keeps family ties close and affords opportunities for communication that we may no longer have at the dinner table, due to schedules that don’t match up at the same time. Here are five ideas for cheap family fun that every member of the family will enjoy, despite budgetary constraints.

1.When was the last time your family went on a picnic? No matter where you live, there are plenty of public parks where you can have a picnic in beautiful surroundings. Pack up your lunch and a couple of blankets or beach chairs and get out in the fresh air. You’ll be eating lunch anyway, so this is indeed cheap family fun. Bring toys for younger kids to play with, a ball for older kids to play a game of catch and you’re in business. Board games provide more fun, so everyone has a good time.

2.Nature walks are virtually free, but for the gas it takes to get there. Now that gas prices are reasonable, this activity is cheap family fun at its finest. If you have a set of binoculars, bring them to spy out birds and forest critters. Go to the library and check out a field guide for your area. Kids and adults alike enjoy being able to identify plants, rocks, seashells or tide pool residents.

3.If you live in a metropolitan area, you’ve got a kid’s museum somewhere close by. Typically, there’s no admission fee. At worst, the entrance fee is nominal. Combine a picnic with the remainder of the afternoon spent checking out the kid’s museum. More cheap family fun on the hoof.

4.Biking is another great idea for a cheap family outing. If the kids all have their own bikes, but you and Dad don’t, you can rent bikes cheaply from your local bike shop. Almost every town in America has biking trails, some of which are quite picturesque. You discover new scenery and get some exercise as well.

5.Many community parks have swimming pools, volleyball courts, playgrounds, skateboarding areas and other kid friendly activities. Again, there’s no charge for making use of these city and county parks and there’s something for everyone to do. It gives the kids opportunities to make new friends, while parents can supervise while having a little quiet time to chat.

Cheap family fun ideas are everywhere. Once you put a little thought into finding these activities, you’ll see that you have tons of free, or next to free activities to fill months of weekends.