There’s a reason why people almost always correlate secondhand stores with DIY Halloween costumes. Goodwill is the perfect destination to piece together a DIY Halloween costume but it’s also an incredible resource for brand new or like-new costumes for the entire family. That’s why this month we’re thrifting a kid’s costume for the 12 Months of Thrifting Challenge.
Here’s why I believe in thrifting a Halloween costume:
The variety!
Step into a Goodwill around the months of September and October, and within five minutes you will understand why you should reconsider buying a costume at full retail price. Goodwill stores are bursting with fantastic costumes for kids. Everything from oh-so-adorable infant costumes to on-trend characters. Unless you come from a large family like mine where costumes were recycled among siblings until we all grew out of them, chances are the kids are only wearing them a handful of times. That’s why you can absolutely find characters and themes that are still relevant, like Frozen and The Avengers, in addition to classic costumes that never go out of style like pumpkins, doctors, and so on.
Thrifting a Halloween costume teaches kids great thrifting skills: Taking your child with you to Goodwill to pick out their costume can be a fun activity for the family. It teaches them not only how to become excellent bargain hunters, but more importantly the value of secondhand shopping – especially for something they will only wear a few times. Ask them to think of a few costume ideas in advance, set a spending budget, and head to a couple of Goodwills and see what you can find. This is a great opportunity to teach them how to navigate a thrift store and look for items that are on sale using the colored tagging system.
DIY Heaven:
Every costume I’ve worn as an adult has been a DIY creation, pieced together with finds from my closet and secondhand stores. You don’t have to be super crafty to DIY a costume – because trust me, I’m not! I seek inspiration online, make a list of things I think I can find at Goodwill and keep my wish list handy when I’m thrifting. It’s such a thrill when it all comes together.
Infant costume galore:
Let’s be real: aren’t most of us are buying Halloween costumes for our 6 month old babies for the adorable photo op? I know I do! Infant costumes can cost upwards of $30 at regular retails stores but meanwhile they cost a fraction of that price at Goodwill. Every one I spotted at Goodwill Akron was either brand new or like-new condition, most likely worn once or twice for parents to take a photo of the baby. I picked up a Dalmatian for Baby J and a lion for my nephew.
Be sure to share your thrifty costumes with us using the tag #12MonthsofThrifting.
Happy Halloween!
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Are you up for the challenge? Check out the upcoming prompts below!
