The scariest thing about Halloween is not ghosts or goblins but commercialism and the capitalist influence that infringes on this holiday.

There was a time when the main concern on a parent’s mind was the candy their kids collected from strangers. The only kind of questions that parents typically asked themselves, were, “Is it poisoned? Does it have razor blades inside?” but now they’re not asking those questions as much.

Instead of worrying if the candy is safe to eat, parents now worry about costumes, pumpkin carving and whatever else costs money.

Kids usually don’t want to stand out, but on Halloween they do. The companies that profit from this holiday want to make you think, “How would it look if your kid or younger sibling went to school with a homemade costume? Or even worse without a costume at all! They would be laughed at or made fun of!”

So what’s a parent to do? Fall into the commercial trap and shell out big bucks of course!

Has anyone noticed how much costumes cost? Usually they start out at $25.00 and that doesn’t include facial paint ($5-10) and body glitter ($5-7). Let’s not forget the extra ornaments that can also range from ($5-10). I mean you can’t be a devil without a staff, or a vampire without fangs. Then you have to think about the candy you have to buy for the trick-or-treaters and the pumpkins with a carver set.

Now if you’re a bargain hunter, you might slide by this holiday only spending a measly $50.00. But that’s if you’re a bargain hunter.

Most people wait until the last minute and buy whatever is left. Usually the price has skyrocketed by then.

This all seems a little too much. I mean parents shouldn’t be buying costumes, they should be spending some quality time with their kids making one. Not only is this old-fashion way of getting ready for Halloween cost-efficient, but it’s an excuse to bring out the kid in you and bond with your child or younger brother or sister.

If you’re worried that your child would get upset because they want to be a power ranger, make a couple suggestions until they’re satisfied. You can convince them that being a cartoon character or an action figure is so passe. You would say, “Honey that’s what all the other kids are going as. Do you really want to be boring and be like everyone else?”

If you phrase it that way, I guarantee your young one would look at things differently.

And like I said, kids usually want to be like everyone else, except for Halloween. It’s important to encourage individuality, especially at a young age.

So don’t do what everyone else is doing and spend a lot of money on a costume. Use your imagination; be creative and scare off the companies that try to rob you blind.