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Given the cost of Halloween bits and pieces can very quickly begin to mount, I set myself a limit of €20 and wondered just how much I could buy with it.
I wanted quantity; I was looking for the main elements of two kid's costumes and I hoped to get household decorations out of the €20 too.
Where better to try I reckoned than a shop where absolutely everything costs €1.49 -- Dealz, which has 20 stores throughout the country.
Knowing I could get 13 items for my €20 I started with costumes.
You're buying elements of the costume rather that the whole outfit in Dealz, so I got girl's witchy tights, a great witches hat and a huge broom as one outfit.
I figured that as the accessories were so good, a black dress would do the rest.
Then I picked up a red cape, a scythe and a scream mask as the boy's costume.
To be fair the 'scream' mask didn't go with the cape, but it looked great and in fact there is a large range of good quality masks to choose from in the shop.
I still had around €11 in the kitty so put the following in my basket -- a skull-shaped paper lantern; a spider's web; a loot bucket; a big skeleton; a cupcake decoration kit; a pack of eight skeleton party straws and a bag of sweets called 'fright mix'.
I hadn't even gone near the tridents or axes, the glow-in-the-dark gloves, the fake noses, fake blood or face paint.
But most importantly I stayed clear of temptation and kept to my €20 budget.
Anyway I had the key parts of two costumes plus enough decorations to create a 'spooky section' in the corner of a room -- result.
Irish Independent
