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It’s getting close to Halloween here, which means costume parties and trick-or-treating. Costumes can get pretty pricey, especially if you have a large family. Even inexpensive ones from discount stores can add up. So the obvious solution is to make them yourself. Maybe that statement brought up visions of fighting with a sewing machine, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The trick is to create a costume out of things you already own or do. Here are a few examples:

• Sports theme – Do you play tennis, golf, hockey or some other sport? Dress appropriately & take your racket, club, etc with you.
• Well-known person – Do you resemble anyone famous, even very vaguely? Dress similarly to them, use their mannerisms, and carry some props with you to make your point.
• Exercise buff – This is fairly easy. Dress for working out, slap a headband on, and carry a water bottle & a small weight with you.
• Plumber – Do you have a plunger? Dress in monochromatic colors, slap a name tag on, and carry the plunger with you.
• Handyman – Similar to the plumber, except wear a tool belt or carry a hammer instead. You could go as a beleaguered do-it-yourself-er pretty easily too by messing up your hair, wearing old clothes, and slapping paint spots on your face and hands.
• Anything you can imagine – Cardboard & tempera paint are your friends. You can be pretty much anything by cutting the cardboard into appropriate shapes and wearing the pieces like a sandwich board.

Now for the links…

Frugal Dad offers a simple formula for achieving financial independence.

Canadian Capitalist hits one MILLION visits and one thousand posts! That’s some feat. On an unrelated note, he posts some Credit Crunch Humor.

ABCs of Investing explains what stock dividends are.

Clever Dude reviews 50 prosperity and finance classics. The book, that is. I’m tempted to get the book just to decide which of the 50 books I should read first.

MoneyNing explains how not to lose sleep in a bear market.

Quest for Four Pillars wonders whether the current market drop is good, bad, or irreleveant.

Squawkfox provides 15 free printable home inventory sheets, along with instructions on how to make a home inventory. (I highly recommend doing this and keeping it updated.)

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