Post-Halloween Purchases - Nov. 1st Clearance Sales

If your local Halloween store hasn't already started marking stuff down (and frankly most of them have and moved on to that red and green holiday), today's the first day they will.

November 1st is a great day to take advantage of post-holiday sales at savings of 50% - 70% off.  Considering that many of these stores jack up their prices, the "after-holiday clearance"s brings the costs back down to a deal.

But what to buy?
Here are a few tips from your Uncle Steve of what I, personally, look for.

1)  Weapons.
Weapons tend to be an accoutrement to most scary costumes and I've gotten many items for a steal.
Plastic axes.  Chainsaws.  Shotguns.  Pistols.  Machetes.  Bandoliers of bullets.

2)  Bagged costumes.
These tend to be WAY overpriced before Halloween.  ($60 for a Spider-Man costume??!  Seriously??!!)  BUT, after Halloween nobody wants it.
That Spider-Man drops down to a very affordable $24.99.
If you're an avid reader of the site you've heard me rage against the machine that is an out-of-the-bag costume.  So why suggest them now?

I'll tell ya why.  Because it's not what it IS... it's what it CAN BE.  A Spider-Man costume that you paid less than 25 bucks for is very easy to cut up and create a ZOMBIE SPIDER-MAN costume.  A little planning... a little foresight... and you can look awesome.

Also:  if you buy appropriately you can get a good deal on a timely costume.  Example:  Captain America will probably still be a hot property next year because The Avengers is coming out.
Angry Birds... MIGHT be next years Furby or Tickle Me Elmo.  Just sayin'.
Skeletor? (pictured)  Well for kids from the '80s... always cool.
Buy now and save the dough. 

3)  Tableware.
Plates.  Napkins.  Black and orange tablecloths... cheap, cheap, cheap.  No reason to pay a lot for something you're going to throw in the garbage after one night.

4)  Decoration basics.
What are decoration basics?  Cob webs.  Fake stone plastic rolls.  Funkins (fake pumpkins).
Skeletons!  You can't have too many.  You can disassemble them for various uses (a skull on a tabletop)
These are the staples.
The decorations that go with any theme whether it be The Shining or Sleepy Hollow.

5)  Fog juice.
Got a fog machine? Use it every year?  You need to fuel that beast.  Why pay 80 bucks a jug?  Stock up now.

6) Pieces for Next Year's Costume
If you can take a few minutes to figure out what you're going to be next year you can get the pieces necessary to assemble your Voltron of costume awesome.
A wig here, a battle axe there, a muscle-suit and some liquid latex and you can be on your way to your 'Conan of the Dead' for a fraction of what you would have paid next October.

So get out there (or get online) and see what's gettable.