The mailbox (the one at the end of the driveway) is full of Halloween costume catalogs which fuels the "I want to be THIS! ... Wait, I really want to be THAT... " rantings. It's happening all around me as I type. For the best selection, the Internet is hands down your best bet. Here are some of our favorite sites, some of the most popular & over-the-top costumes for kids & adults, buying tips to get the most bang for your buck & where to look for money-saving coupons.

According to AOL Search, some of the most sought after costumes are characters from Indiana Jones, Alice & Wonderland, Cleopatra, Star Wars & Batman.

TARGET has over 5,000 costumes & is currently offering free shipping on select styles. Walmart has pet costumes starting at just under $7.

AOL Home also has some clever decorating ideas. I always try to copy things from Pottery Barn. We always use an advent calendar leading up to Christmas. Think will copy the routine for Halloween, with this:

Costume and party supply site celebrateexpress.com has many of this year's hottest costumes – from Hannah Montana and your favorite Disney Princesses to Anakin Skywalker and Power Rangers. And a nice feature of the site is the ability to search for costumes by price range ... $20-$25, $25-$50 ... helps with sticking to budget.

Adults can also get in the game with costumes like this Lady Cop, Big Foot or if Beer Man is your favorite super hero, you can go that route.

***** COSTUME BUYING TIPS *****

SHOP EARLY: Halloween or the party you're going to, is a fixed date. So, work backwards & you really need to order right about now for the best selection and to avoid "rush" shipping charges. Right now, you may still even be able to take advantage of free & flat-rate shipping.

KNOW WHAT'S INCLUDED: Be sure to read the fine print; not all accessories you see in the picture are included. If you're getting the pirate costume, the boots and the sword don't always come with it, nor does the eye patch.

THINK eBAY: You might consider selling your costume from last year on eBay to raise money or even buy used on the site. Right now, there are more than 50,000 related listings. See: halloween costumes on eBay.com. As the date nears, eBay may be the only place to find hot sellers sold out at local retailers and online costume sites. Right now, some of the most popular are going, going, gone. We'll keep an eye on it for you.

KNOW THE CODE: Find coupon codes on sites like www.couponcabin.com and use price comparison sites like www.pricegrabber.com.

DO-IT-YOURSELFERS: If you're a do-it-yourselfer, check out these links for plenty of ideas: www.costumeideazone.com and www.1halloween.net/html/costumes.html