You do it every Halloween. It's October 31st and you suddenly realize you need to find a great costume for that Halloween party you have been invited to, so you head out to the local "everything" store and find that they only have jester and nun costumes left in three sizes too small. You scramble to make your own costume out of large garbage bags, a couple of plastic two-liter soda bottles, and some glitter wigs you found on the clearance aisle, but you always end up looking like a homeless person rather than what you thought looked like Madonna in her good years. So, what should you do? Well, instead of waiting until the last minute again this year, you need to shop early to find that super cool Halloween costume that will really knock their socks off at any Halloween party.

There is nothing wrong with shopping for a Halloween costume during the summer. In fact, it's one of the smartest things you can do. Shopping for Halloween costumes online well before October rolls around is a great way to prepare early and find some great deals while you're at it. Most online costume shops sell their Halloween costumes at a discounted rate earlier in the year in order to attract those early bird shoppers. So, why not take advantage of those savings by purchasing your Halloween costume early?

Once October rolls around and everyone starts hunting for the perfect Halloween costume, the selections start dramatically decreasing and it gets harder and harder to find that perfect costume in the perfect size. Shopping early for your Halloween costume eliminates this problem because most costumes will usually be available in most sizes. If you are looking for plus-sized costumes, it's essential that you purchase your Halloween costumes early because those are usually available in shorter supply. So, you really want to shop early for plus-sized costumes before the only ones left in your size are pumpkin costumes. Those don't look attractive on anyone, no matter what the size!

You will also have a larger variety of Halloween costumes to choose from when you shop early. All the hot costumes, such as pirates, vampires, princesses, Star Wars, and Spiderman are available throughout the year, but as Halloween approaches these costumes might not be as readily available. Deciding early what you are going to dress up as for Halloween is the key to putting together a great Halloween costume. You will be kicking yourself once again this Halloween if you wait until the last minute when there are only gorillas-in-tutus costumes left the week before Halloween!

Another thing to keep in mind when buying a Halloween costume early is the accessories you will need to complete the look. Wigs, boots, weapons, makeup, masks, stockings, hats, or whatever you might need to really take your Halloween costume to the next level will be in much shorter supply if you wait until October to buy your costume. So, if you want to spend another year scrambling for another makeshift Halloween costume, go ahead. But if you want to really wow them at that Halloween party this year, shop early! You will save money, time, and have peace of mind as Halloween approaches knowing that you have already got the best Halloween costume in town.

For help in choosing the perfect costume find many more costume articles at

Mark Callegari is a Halloween enthusiast and the owner of ScaryProducts.com - a website dedicated to Halloween fun.

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