It’s October! Unfortunately that means dodging creepy-bloody-death decorations everywhere, but it is also one of my favorite times of year because I LOVE fall and I love costumes. I almost can’t even handle all the imaginative creativity and cuteness every year when I see kids dressed up.
There are also so many activities going on that you can wear your costumes to. Here are three of the free family friendly dress up activities we’ll be participating in again this year.
If your child wears a costume to Chuck E. Cheese ANY day in October you get 50 free tickets. That’s 150 free tickets between my three kiddos. We went over and over again last year. The kids wore different costumes every time (we’ve accumulated a collection which I’ll talk about tomorrow). I bought a handful of tokens ONE time that they used very sparingly throughout the month. The fun of Chuck E. Cheese is only amplified when you get to make believe!
Our local Ikea is hosting their trick or treat event on a Tuesday October 27th (the day kids eat free in the cafe!) You can get more use out of your costume while going from station to station collecting candy and doing crafts and having a free meal. Check your local Ikea, mall, and retailers for events like this that could be happening throughout the month.
Our church does a trunk-or-treat fall festival every Halloween. It’s always a lot of fun. I’ve lived a lot of places and no matter where we are there are always tons of free church, school, library, and community organized activities available at no cost. So I’m sure that there is something near you. Some of these options are also great if the weather is bad, which seems to happen a lot here in Ohio!
So even though you may not have the same exact events available in your area, check online (or click the links above for more details on the three I’ve mentioned here). Between that and all the farms and pumpkin patches there is sure to be something going on all month long that lets you have some super frugal family time.
Why not get more than just one use out of those costumes?
My kids are in middle school and still love Halloween. Our neighborhood does it up big, with lots of folks putting on haunted houses in their front yards. So much fun.
Good to know about Chuck E. Cheese and IKEA. My daughter is only 6 months but this will be handy to know in the years to come. We have both of those in our area. 🙂
What a cute idea for Chucke E. Cheese! I don’t have kids but I’ll have to pass this on to my sister-in-law so she can take my nieces!
great to know about chuck e cheese! i had no idea!
Good options on a budget! I wish we had an IKEA closer, I’ve never been! Love the pictures, as always!
We have a Chuck E Cheese nearby but have never been. What do you use the tickets for? Are they for playing the games or just turning in for a prize?