If you haven’t figured it out yet, we love Halloween. It might very well be our favorite holiday of the whole year. I mean, who doesn’t love a night out with candy and costumes? And while we have spent the past few weeks digging up some of the raddest costumes to DIY, we know some of you lazy buns might wait till the last minute to plan your big reveal.
Thus, we took to the Internets to find some of the best (and least overdone) costumes for women to buy. The best part? Almost all of these are available on Amazon; and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can even snag most of them overnight!
We suggest favoriting this post, especially if you’re a procrastinator who knows you likely won’t remember to buy a costume until the week of Halloween. (You know who you are. Don’t worry, you can thank us later.)
1. Harry from Dumb and Dumber Costume ($48): “We got no food, no jobs… OUR PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!” What a classic, quotable movie. If you like this costume, then you may want to check out the following one, too.
2. Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber Costume ($45): “Pull over!” “No, it’s a cardigan, but thanks.” “Yeah, killer boots man!” <– a sampling of things you should repeat all night if you wear this costume.
3. Mummy Costume ($40): Have you seen the Mummy Door we featured on the Today Show recently? This costume would go great with it, especially if you’re handing out candy on the doorstep. Also a great way one for moms-to-be… er, mums-to-be ;)
4. Bun in the Oven Costume ($28): An alternative for all of you moms-to-be who are a bit further along in the process.
5. Ms. Sock Monkey Costume ($28): For all of you crafty gals, this one is just too darn adorable. Look at the hair piece!
6. Lady Gaga Swimsuit Costume ($32): We’re (still) googoo for Gaga. This costume is not advised for the bodily conscious, but we’re sure it will garner you “applause” all night.
7. Juno Costume ($20): A simple, affordable costume that most everyone will recognize. Also a good one for any pregnant ladies out there. Or those that just want to freak their boyfriend out.
8. A League of Their Own Costume ($48): Is it just us, or do you immediately think of Rosie O’Donnell chewing gum when you see this?
9. The Flintsones Wilma Costume ($22): Great as a solo costume, or grab the Betty and/or Fred version if you want to bring your beau or your BFF with you on Halloween night.
10. Jessie from Toy Story Costume ($35): Who doesn’t love Toy Story? This is a solid pick for animated film lovers, or any cowgirl. Remember to practice that country accent!
Wenda Costume
best couple’s costume (when paired with Waldo), Wenda can also work as a solo costume.
13. Rubber Cat Suit Costume ($69): Okay, we know this isn’t really anything super unique, but holy cow is it hot! It’s kind of like the black version of Britney Spears’s “Crazy” music video outfit. Maybe it could also be repurposed as a Dead Britney costume?
14. Star Wars Stormtrooper Costume ($64): Bust out your inner geek girl (and score all the geek guys) by rocking your most bad ass Stormtrooper this Halloween.
15. Inflatable Cowgirl Costume ($42): Wait. This is hilarious. Someone please wear this and send us a pic?
16. Athenian Goddess Costume ($19): Is it us, or does this totally remind you of the Saved by the Bell episode where Kelly and Zack go to the prom together as Romeo and Juliet? This is the dress he gives her to wear… before they, so so sadly, break up. #zackandkellyforever
17. Wonder Woman ($33): Okay okay. We know we said these costumes were meant to be “not overdone” but really, can anyone ever resist Wonder Woman? We say no.
18. Ursula Costume ($77): In a Halloween world where many girls are mermaids, why not be the sea witch? Plus, those tentacles are kind of rad.
19. Carmen Sandiego Costume ($49): We know this one would be fairly easy to DIY, but if you don’t have the red coat and hat, you can snag the duo here. This one is particularly great because you could probably repurpose the coat post-Halloween without necessarily looking like a girl who wanders the world.
Raphael Ninja Turtle Costume
Weirdest Sexy Costumes list, but let’s be real: Raphael was the best ninja turtle. And this costume is a great girly interpretation of our favorite animal show of the 90s. Grab the other three if you want to style this one out with your girlfriends.
21. Corpse Countess Costume ($150): The most expensive on the list, yes, but dare we say, also one of the best? You’re sure to win a contest if you end up with this gem.
22. Olive Oyl Costume ($25): We recommend finding a buff dude to go as your Popeye. Or someone who would be willing to dress up as a chicken. (Get it?)
23. I Love Lucy Costume ($26): Because she is one of the most adorable TV personalities of all time. And because we love polka dots.
Thing 1 & 2 Costume
best couple’s costume roundup, these are whimsical and fun pieces to wear together with a friend or significant other.
25. Angry Birds Dress ($12): We know, we know. Angry Birds are a bit overdone. But this dress costs $12! That’s less than most dinners out. We recommend penciling in some dirty, angry eyebrows if you rock this look.
26. Crayola Tank Dress ($21): We have a deep passion for crayons and think this is the perfect costume for all of you extra artistic ladies out there.
27. Crayola Crayon Box Dress ($47): An alternative to the above, this one is also a great way to show off your creative energy. We think it’d be ideal for a teacher to wear!
29. Adult VooDoo Doll Costume ($50): Remember to practice your crazy voodoo face before wearing this one out on the town.
30. Marge Simpson Costume ($38): Pro tip: style this one out with a DIY cozy that says DUFF on it. Then wrap around your drink on Halloween night.
31. Nerds Tank Dresses ($35): A fun group costume, but also great on its own. As it’s definitely higher on the skin-revealing side, we recommend wearing tights or leggings unless you want to literally go “all out” this year.
32. Tootsie Roll Dress ($20): Let me see your tootsie roll! To the left, to the left, to the right, to the right… this one screams dance party.
33. Skittles Tank Dress ($18): For the girl who loves her rainbows. Idea: Combine Skittles, Tootsie Roll and Nerds if you and your girls want to dress up together. How “sweet.”
34. Foxy Lady Costume ($44): It’s bound to be one of the most popular costumes of 2013, so if you are going to go for it, go all the way.
35. Bacon Dress ($23): Yes, now you can even dress up as everyone’s favorite food. This one is sure to score you a few mouth-watering looks from the gentlemen this Halloween.
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures