Halloween is always an exciting holiday--but too often, it's an expensive one too. Outfitting two or three kids with costumes and extras can run well over a hundred dollars.

But it doesn't have to be that way, says Shel Horowitz, "The King of Frugal Fun." Horowitz, author of The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook, says Halloween can not only be fun, but frugal.

"All it takes is a little creativity," says the 40-year-old father of two. "Scissors, cloth, art supplies, and cardboard can make very imaginative costumes--for free."

Horowitz's own children have charmed their neighborhood in previous years, all in creative costumes of their own choosing. A few examples:
* a Picasso painting (cost: $2.00)
* a geranium plant (cost: $8.00)
* a computer (cost: zero)
* Little Red Riding Hood (cost: zero)
* Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz (cost: $3.00)

Horowitz's book is a complete guide to slashing the cost of fun. In addition to a chapter on low-cost activities with and for children, its 280 pages include chapters on cheap travel, live entertainment bargains, dining out on a shoestring, even frugal romance. It can be ordered at (413) 586-2388, https://www.frugalfun.com, or 16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA, USA.

Horowitz is available for interviews.

Shel Horowitz, Editor of Global Travel Review and owner of FrugalFun.com, is the author of the e-book, The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook, and the creator of the Ethical Business Pledge campaign.