We know how expensive it can be at this time of year - from the start of the autumn term though to Christmas it seems that all parents get to do is spend, spend, spend!

And of course part of that expense is that the easy entertainment of summer is over - the weather changes, the clocks go back and kids don’t get to play around outside the way they used to. So indoor entertainment is required and that can be more expensive.  We like to help where we can, so we’ve got a couple of tips and tricks to make your money go further.

We’ve been watching the news recently and it’s amazing how often Fancy Dress has been in it. Last month the sad story of Cecil the lion was rapidly followed by lots of coverage of the fancy dress costume created by an American site. The outfit was called the Lion Killer Dentist Halloween Costume and cost around £40.00. It featured a dentist’s outfit spattered with blood and a severed lion’s head. Some charities thought this was a terrible idea, but interestingly, PETA UK got behind the costume, saying “we … think it most fitting that people make fun of the dentist for his sick, illegal pursuit”.

August is crazy with sporting excitement this year, from the final Ashes Test - a total nail biter - between 20 and 24 August which overlaps with the other big extravaganza, the Athletics World Championships in Beijing (hot stuff!) which runs from 22 to 30 August.

Of course, if you’re not a sports fan, this is all quite boring, so why not plan a party that works for the sports fan and the sports hater equally? You’ve heard of surf and turf, well at Cheap Fancy Dress we’re fans of Sport and Resort … and this is how you do it!

We’re all pinned to the TV for the Tour de France in July. Ever since Sir Bradley Wiggins won it, anyway! And it’s a long gruelling ride, which can also take its toll on the dedicated fan, so we’ve come up with a few ways to ensure that your Tour de France viewing is as enjoyable for you, and the rest of your friends and family, as possible.

Yes, we do too!

The problem is … how do you theme a party around space, SciFi and aliens?

We have the answer. Moon Landing Day! The first moonwalk took place on 21 July 1969 - that’s surely a good reason enough for a party.

There’s something really special about a room full of Spocks and Yodas, Terminators and Neos. It’s proper alterego fancy dress - and for men, in particular, an outer space and SciFi party allows them to really commit to the dressing up process in a way that no other theme will do. You see every single man believes he really is a Terminator, or a Predator, or at very least, Han Solo. So if you’re struggling to get the man in your life to want to dress up, this is the ideal way to persuade him to play along.

June 21 is the summer solstice and we think it’s a great reason to celebrate! It’s the longest day of the year - so more party time, and from the earliest records, our ancestors felt that the summer solstice was a significant event so we’re following in a long tradition. Of course for some people it is also a religious date, so it’s sensible to be aware that Druids, for example, see it as a vital part of their spiritual practice. 

So Keith Lemon just celebrated his birthday with an on-set fancy dress party!  We wish we’d been there. In fact, we’ve been going through our order list to see if any of the celebs involved might have place their fancy dress costume order with us.

Well, spring is well and truly sprung, the clocks have gone forward and we’re all excited about spring parties and events. Now we’ve put our Easter bonnets away, what’s next?

Kermit might not agree, having famously sung ‘It’s not easy being green’, but we think that St Patrick’s Day parties are so much fun to organise that you’ll find it easy being green.

Begin with St Patrick’s Day decor

Get the kids to make some garlands with green crepe paper, they can make simple paper chains and then hang shamrocks off them. If you have a little cash to spend on decoration a few green helium balloons make a big difference to the look of the room. Make a really big leprechaun hat (the easiest way to do this is to put a cardboard brim painted black around an ordinary black dustbin and then put a cardboard or crepe paper hat band around it, paint it green and add a gold buckle. Instant beer cooler! Put your beers in it with some ice and watch your guests ooh and aah at your cleverness.

Valentine’s Day is nearly here! What better way to celebrate your loved-up status than with a party … and a fancy dress party is the best way for a couple to be able to show their feelings for each other. We’ve seen some great couple costumes, and some not so great ones, over the years. At www.cheapfancydress.co.uk we really can’t recommend a pantomime horse as a Valentine’s Day Fancy Dress outfit … while it’s fun at the beginning of the evening, it becomes a real drag as the night goes on, and wearing half a costume isn’t a great look whilst joining up to be a complete horse soon gets to be a pain in the posterior! No, what we find works a lot better is a horse costume for one partner and a jockey outfit for the other … and for Valentine’s Day dressing up, you can get naughty by adding a crop and long gloves for a female dominatrix jockey which adds a little spice to the evening!