HAPPY Halloween?

   I have been on the hunt for a Halloween costume, on the cheap, of course, for my honey bun. It's been too much fun for humans this year. Frequently I dodge this bullet because I put a costume on her September birthday list. We struck out this year because her majesty has gotten interested in hard to find video game based outfits that grownups wear for cosplay. She is pushing mommy's creativity to it's limits again. I sprung for an overpriced hat on Amazon that allegedly won't arrive until November 1st! Halloween is not supposed to be stressful! My parents never went through this crap!
    It's easy to lose perspective in an environment that's lousy with marketing. Halloween is only one day. Costumes should be budgeted accordingly. I got lucky one year when our girl went out in a one piece pajama that doubled as a pokemon that year. Manufacturers really need to jump on that bandwagon and make more varied pajamas. Wouldn't it be great to get more than one use out of a Halloween costume?       This year I am trying to focus on accessories, rather than something overpriced and outgrown in ten minutes. I am also grateful our girl was never the half naked  "Disney princess" type. I had no interest in sending our girl out freezing for the sake of some outfit on a late October evening. I'll have to deal with that soon enough without a holiday. The accessories aren't exactly budget friendly, either. Eventually, I'll be lucky if I recoup a very small percentage of what we paid for various hats and props at our yard sale.
    Our girl is approaching an age where we can use makeup. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I guess it still beats a skimpy outfit but hopefully my skills with makeup will improve before it matters too much. I am trying, despite my dna, to not wait until the last minute next year. Despite her squirrely personality, I'm hoping to pin our girl down to a definite selection early enough for us to be completely ready. I would love to just relax and focus on what the holiday is really about - free chocolate!