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While pundits and economists worry about Wall Street’s well-being, Americans worry about losing their jobs, paying their bills and the health of the planet. The capitalist marketplace promotes the exploitation of people and natural resources as cheap fixes. But you don’t have to abandon your values to save a buck. Welcome to the People’s Marketplace.

Halloween is only the beginning of a holiday season that is sure to frighten loving parents with little cash to spare. Leave the screams for the haunted house and start talking to your kids about ways the whole family can pitch-in to make the upcoming holidays fun and affordable.

It’s easy to cut costs on Halloween. Don’t worry about buying enough candy for the whole neighborhood. Only buy what you can afford. Or ditch the sugary snacks and check-out a teacher supply store or 99-cent store for cheap Halloween bag stuffers, like pumpkin shaped erasers, or plastic spiders. When it comes to costumes, kids are bombarded with the message that they need store-bought versions of the newest Disney character or superhero. Tell them you want to help them be more creative, and help the family save money, by putting together a costume from what you have at home, or what you can find from a second hand clothes store. It may be a hard sell at first, but if you get excited, your kids just may follow your lead. Turn costumes into a fun family project.

For help on how to talk to your kids about the ways advertising shapes their ideas about what is desirable and cool, check-out the website for the Canadian organization, Media Awareness Network, at media-awareness.ca. It has resources to help parents navigate conversations on topics like marketing, the Internet, movie violence, and stereotypes in media.

For parents who are short on time, sewing skills, or both, making a costume can be a daunting task. But there is help! Check out the website www.costumes.familyeducation.com for tons of genuinely easy and cute homemade costume ideas and instructions. Many require no sewing at all and some can be lovingly thrown together in about 30 minutes. Among the many options you will find are instructions for a pirate, a mummy, a flamingo, and a lamp, which is perfect for the kid with a sense of humor who wants to go overboard decorating an old lamp shade to wear as a hat.

If the whole costume and candy scene is too much to deal with this year, don’t do it. Get a scary movie and some popcorn or a sweet treat and have a family night at home. Make Halloween cookies or cupcakes together, or have a Halloween art party night.

So, don’t run screaming from Halloween celebrations, make an affordable family night the beginning of a happy, low-cost, holiday season. Try it, and stretch your dollar to meet your values.