Is it Halloween time again? If you’re a busy professional then preparing for Halloween can seem like another chore on your list. A lot of time is needed for even thinking what you’ll wear let alone putting it all together. And if you have one or more Halloween socials to attend, whether they’re personal or professional, you’ll need to put in some effort on costume preparation. You don’t want to look bad at work for something as silly as skimping on a Halloween costume. If you just don’t have the time, don’t worry. There are options for you. Costumes can be bought or rented. Let’s take a look at some advantages and disadvantages of renting vs. buying a Halloween costume:

First, ask yourself some questions. Is it cheaper to rent or buy? Will you use the costume again? What will I do with the costume after Halloween? Will I need to buy a new costume every year?

Buying Pros: If you’re a busy professional without a spare minute to your name then Halloween time seems like more work. Take some of the load off of yourself and buy a costume. If being the center of attention is not your thing, then there are a ton of generic type costumes available all the time. With themes that range from political to sports, you can’t go wrong. When the party is over you can donate your used costume to a school or local theater company. Or, consider giving it to a thrift store and get a tax deduction.

If this is a costume you think you could use again then you’re covered for a future year’s event.

Buying Cons: The truth is you’ll likely be buying a costume for one or two occasions. This could be a waste of money. If you decide to keep the costume, then you’ll need to find a safe place for it so it doesn’t become ruined. The space itself could be an issue. Halloween costumes can really take up a lot of closet space. If kept for a long time, some clothes change in color. Also, maybe this year’s style won’t be the same as styles in years to come. Different occasions call for different costumes so buying one costume might not be practical and very expensive. Something else to consider is that store-bought costumes usually look like they’re store-bought costumes. You won’t get noticed for being creative. Or worse, you will get noticed for a lack of creativity.

Rental Pros: There are those times when renting makes more sense than buying. If you are attending a theme party and you need something specific, then a theatre rental shop would be a great place to go if you’d like to put together an outfit that really hits the mark. Renting is certainly cheaper and more practical if you plan to use a costume for one occasion. Also, if you have a limited budget, renting is best because high buying prices might cause you to wear a costume you normally might avoid. Renting a costume will give you many more choices than you think. Finally, by renting you can save more and thus afford to have different costumes for different occasions.

Rental Cons: Of course there’s a downside to everything. Rental companies charge more per rental than if you were to simply buy the item yourself and own it. There could be associated deposit and rental fees, not to mention cleaning costs should any kind of spills or damages occur.

The point is, just give renting or buying some thought before you rush out to spend money on Halloween. Then have fun at your party.