The frugal Mishloach Manot (Shalach Manot)

Purim is one of my favorite holidays. What's not to like? You read Megillat Esther with its fairytale ending, you eat really good food with family and/or friends at the Seudah, there are kids about colorful costumes, and most importantly, you get to see so many of your friends and neighbors via the mitzva of Mishloach Manot.
 sporting

Halachically, you only need to provide 2 ready-to-eat portions of food to one person; but if you are lucky enough to have many friends and neighbors, you'll naturally want to spread the holiday cheer, and at the very least reciprocate the gifts of food you're given. This is where things could get rather pricey.

Also, if you're like many recipients of Mishlochei Manot, you end up with a ton of junk food that nobody could possibly eat in the short month before Pesach, and the surplus ends up in the garbage with the Chametz.

I don't think there's one good answer to this dilemma. Each family has to consider the number of people they'll likely be giving Mishloach Manot to, who these people are, their personal budget, and the approach prevalent in their community. So here are a few things to consider when preparing your offerings:

5 ways to save on Purim costumes for children (even if you can't sew a stitch)

As I've mentioned already, one of the best ways to save on just about anything is to time your purchases so you're not captive to salespeople who can almost smell your desperation and capitalize on it. One such particular seasonal item, which by being prepared can save you lots of money, is the Purim costume. Or, if you have several kids, make that costumes.

When I was a kid, your average Purim costume meant you slapped on some of your mother's makeup, wore the long gown said mother bought you for some relative's wedding, and passed your getup off as Queen Esther. Unfortunately, nowadays, that won't work on any child old enough to go to gan. Some costumes, especially if your child has his or her heart set upon being a Disney or other merchandised character for Purim, can set you back over NIS 100 - which in my book, is kind of steep for an outfit to be worn for 2-3 days max (wedding attire excepted, of course).  If you have more than one child, and especially, the older the children get, the expenses increase accordingly.

But there are several ways to save on costumes for your kids, even if you're not one of those super-creative, handy-with-a sewing-machine types: