WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- Less than two weeks away from Halloween, families are making trick-or-treat plans, preparing for parties and creating costumes. Given the high costs of many essentials, including groceries and other day-to-day items, many consumers will find ways to cut costs, to avoid a scare in the check out line. DC News Now found several ways to avoid jump scares from sticker shock this Halloween, including certain offers inside discount stores to avoid feeling ghoulish about overspending. What’s Going Around | Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack The holiday comes as the National Retail Federation says nearly 3 in 4 people plan to celebrate Halloween, holiday spending in 2024 could reach 11.6 Billion dollars, and per-person expenses could amount to $104. To lessen the blow of high prices, Dollar Tree and Dollar General promote discounts on holiday décor, candy and costume accessories. Both retailers did not offer an array of full-length costumes when we visited two locations Friday. Bags of candy are priced $1.25 at Dollar Tree, where shoppers can also buy holiday-themed tote bags for trick-or-treat events, as well as party decorations to spook and spruce up houses. Dollar General offered higher quality masks at higher prices, compared to their discount store competitor. Dollar General also priced bags of candy, many in assortments from several brand names higher than Dollar Tree. Meantime, other consumers in the DMV have shared their Halloween savings experiences. Lauren Gajadeera, a mother of two in Montgomery County said, her daughter's costume was purchased via Facebook's online shopping network called Facebook Marketplace. "I paid $8 for the whole lot, which included six or seven pairs of pants, shorts, some dresses, the costume," she said. Neighborhood groups may also offer costume swaps for children to access. Megan McCune of DC helps organize an annual costume swap event, that is helping families who may not be otherwise able to afford a costume. "We collect costumes all year long," McCune told us, adding, "this year we set up donation sites on 12 porches across our community, meaning that a neighbor could very conveniently just walk, maybe, a block or two to donate a costume." Shopping at thrift stores can offer savings opportunities for costume-builders, and abilities to customize outfits in ways that premade costumes at big box stores may not offer.