Budget-Friendly Halloween Costumes

There are few Halloween costumes that can be worn more that once a year. Let’s face it, when and where are you ever going to wear that large bright yellow banana costume? To make the most out of your Halloween costume this year, here are a few costume ideas that can be worn twice or even three times a year on other major holidays and special events.

Pilgrim costumes: The pilgrim costume is perhaps one of the most versatile costume ideas. Pilgrim costumes can be worn on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and can be used as a theater costume for a wide variety of plays set in the early 17th century.

Grinch costumes: The classic Dr. Seuss character, the evil Grinch, makes for a quirky costume that can be worn on Halloween and later on in the year during a Christmas play or family gathering. Feel free to wear this mask to other costume parties such as Mardi Gras.

Fairy Costumes:  A fairy costume is always a hit on Halloween night; however, it can also be worn to other costume parties, too. Wear your fairy costume to a Pimp and Ho party or magical Disney-themed costume party. To change it up a little, you can purchase different wings or wands and pair the costume with different pairs of shoes from your own closet.
With just a little creativity, you can wear your Halloween costume more than once a year.

When Cutting Costs is Actually Losing You Money

The most-cited reason for outsourcing calls to an answering service or a virtual call center is probably cutting costs. Many businesses believe (and rightly so) that having someone else answer their clients’ calls will reduce payroll and overhead costs enough that the cost of contracting the service can be recouped. Yet for some, this doesn’t prove to be the reality.

Outsourcing calls to offshore non-native English speakers may be cheaper initially, but many businesses find that in the long run, cutting costs this way ends up losing them money in the long run. Now, many offshore call operations are excellent, but many employ staff members who have extreme difficulties communicating with clients. Communication difficulties decrease customer satisfaction, customer retention, and customer loyalty. And losing customers ends up costing the business more money in the long run.

So before contracting an answering service—especially a doctor’s answering service, which requires crystal clear communication in order to be effective—make sure that the level of communication is on par with your standards for customer service. If not, this cost-saving measure could turn into a costly nightmare.