Our Halloween costumes were mostly home concocted too, but maybe some of the younger sibs later had bought ones. There were 5 of us siblings, so we knew how to come up with something fun from regular things. It was all in the way you put them together.
We did have a few of the cheap plastic masks from time to time, but those things were normally quite terrible as they would sweat on the inside when you breathed, even though there were eye, nose and mouth holes. ha ha .... yuck!
I never heard of "Help the Halloween party!". Even though the biggest bulk of my trick-or-treating happened in the 60s, we always said Trick or Treat, even though we had no intention of "tricking" anyone. You'd always hear a story or two though how some teens pelted someone's car or house with eggs or TP'd their house and yard.
If we had been part of either of those and our parents found out, we'd be in trouble! That's why we didn't do it.
Thanks for stopping over and sharing you fun Halloween memories.