Thrifty parents know where to go to find affordable Halloween costumes -- local thrift stores like Goodwill and Savers, where you can cobble together your own DIY costumes (see five ideas below) while sticking to your budget.

Not into DIY? Even the most craft-challenged will find options at some of these stores. For example, each Savers location has a costume consultant to help customers create unique get-ups. Plus, the Halloween section has new and used costumes, wigs, masks, makeup, jewelry and more. That's right: If you aren't feeling up to the costume challenge, you can still pick out a packaged costume at a lower price.

Now for the hard part: Helping your family choose who (or what!) they want to be for Halloween! Find several ideas, including mad scientist and Charlie Brown, in Goodwill's "Chamber of Costumes" here.

Plus, here are five DIY costume tutorials from Savers:

1. Elsa from Disney’s Frozen

What You’ll Need:

  • Fancy or frilly blue dress, blue slippers or flats
  • A wand, cape, and blonde wig

How to Create the Look:

Stay within your budget by combining a base piece, such as a fun or fancy blue dress from your child's closet (or thrifting one). Pair the dress with accessories like a blonde wig, snowflake wand and shimmery cape to create an Elsa look.

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What You’ll Need:

  • Mix a solid color shirt or shorts in your favorite TMNT color—Raphael (red), Michelangelo (orange), Donatello (purple) or Leonardo (blue)— with black or green (shirts or shorts/tights) and black boots.
  • A TMNT backpack, nunchucks and matching bandana and/or socks. Other options include: gloves, matching sweat bands.

How to Create the Look:

It’s easy to put together a fun costume by mixing and matching solid color tops or bottoms in a mix of your favorite TMNT color, black and/or green. Don’t forget to accessorize with a TMNT backpack, nunchucks and a pizza box.

3. Katniss from The Hunger Games

What You’ll Need:

  • Black long sleeve shirt, black pants, brown leather jacket, and boots
  • Bow and arrow set and brown wig long enough to braid

How to Create the Look:

This is an easy costume to put together. Many of the basic pieces can be found in your own closet, including black shirt and pants, and brown leather jacket and boots. Finish off the look with a bow and arrow set, and a long brown wig (if you need it).

4. Dracula

What You’ll Need:

  • Black pants and red or black shirt
  • Patterned vest, Dracula cape, fangs, vampire makeup and Gothic jewelry

How to Create the Look:

Start with a button down red or black shirt, black slacks and dress shoes from your closet, and pair them with a patterned vest, Dracula cape and some Gothic jewelry from the Halloween section. Vampire fangs and makeup pull the whole look together.

5. Zombie Princess or Bride

What You’ll Need:

  • Princess dress or fancy white dress
  • Princess crown or wedding veil, colorful hair extensions, tights, dress shoes or boots and zombie makeup

How to Create the Look:

Zombify your costume this Halloween by ripping and shredding the skirt of an old dress. Next, throw it in the dirt or even run over the costume with your car. Add black combat boots, ripped black tights, colorful hair extensions and a tiara to create a deathly frightening costume. Finish the look with a zombie makeup kit.