This Mom May Have Discovered the Greatest Halloween Hack of the Century

Listen, no one has to tell you that having a newborn is capital E exhausting. I got a front seat to the constant diaper changes, sleepless nights, and breast milk production fatigue my sister-in-law went through after my nephew was born. So it's no surprise I got a call on Oct. 30 of last year, when my nephew was just shy of 4 months, with my sister-in-law on the other line, panicking, asking me to go to Toys R Us (RIP) for a last-minute costume. "Literally anything, I don't care if there is only a princess costume left, honestly," she said. She had completely forgotten it was Halloween the next day and felt horribly guilty for almost missing her son's first spooky celebration. To no one's surprise, Toys R Us was capital E empty. Not even a whisper of a Spider-Man onesie left behind.

So I called my sister-in-law to let her know the very disappointing news, and she was suddenly very giddy. "I got him a costume!" she informed me. How was that possible? The woman at the checkout counter had told me every store was completely sold out in his size in all of Manhattan and Brooklyn. "That's because she didn't check PetSmart's inventory," my sister-in-law said. I'm sorry. What? That's right; as she went to buy food for their dog, she noticed all of PetSmart's Halloween treats, toys, and — you guessed it — dog costumes were on sale for $1. ONE. DOLLAR. Turns out my nephew wore the same size as his big sister, a Shih Tzu. She snatched up the cutest bumblebee costume anyone has ever seen for a buck.

The next day, Oct. 31, she put him in a yellow onesie and strapped him in, literally. By some miracle, I found a stranded bee costume at Target (it didn't even have a price tag on it) and got it for less than my lunch that day. You bet your stinger I matched with my nephew on Halloween, and I've got the pics to prove it. Is your mind blown yet? A dog costume. For one dollar. Cutest bee ever. You're welcome. Happy Halloween.