Thrifting costumes is easy on the budget and environment (yay for reducing and reusing!), but the process can be frustrating unless you have a game plan. My boys have Star Wars fever this year, so when my six-year-old found a Darth Vader voice-changing mask at Goodwill for $4, I knew he’d found his Halloween muse.
Last year my boys’ Halloween costumes were handmade from thrifted clothes, but this year’s Star Wars obsession required careful planning for costume success. Here are my favorite costume thrifting strategies:
1. Start Early. Many thrift stores set out costumes in September. Start looking as soon as you know what you need — waiting until the last minute for a costume often means spending lots of money at a big box store.
2. Shop Frequently. Ah, the key to any successful thrifting strategy — second-hand success requires lots of little trips. When you find yourself near a thrift store, duck in for a couple of minutes. You don’t need to browse the whole store — hit the highlights of the costume racks.
3. Shop Broadly. Running an errand across town? Check the thrift store in that neighborhood. Different areas have different offerings — I found a $5 X-Wing Pilot costume in the original packaging at a store 30 minutes away. It wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes at my local store.
4. Dig Deeply. If you do have the time, carefully check all the costume racks in the store to get the most out of your trip. Also glance through other areas of the store — we found the treasured Vader mask in the toy department.
5. Think Big. My original plan for the Vader costume was adding a black cape to a black shirt, but I kept my eyes open for a complete, official costume, and found one for $3!
6. Set a Budget. This is especially important for those of you who, like me, love costumes a little too much. I went to a Goodwill outlet recently and walked out with costumes for Batman, Superman, Mr. Incredible, and a firefighter. Fortunately, outlet prices are forgiving, and I spent under $4.
7. Know Your Brands. Because of the Star Wars obsession in my house, I’ve gotten decent at spotting costumes that look suspiciously alien. Knowing what I’m looking for means I can flip through racks relatively quickly, letting my intuition tell me when to take a closer look. (In doubt about what you’ve found? Check the inside tag….there’s a good chance the label will tell you if the costume is from Star Wars, Disney, the Marvel Universe, etc.)
I was feeling a little guilty about not hand-sewing Halloween costumes this year, but after my thrifting bonanza, I’m excited! My boys love dressing up, so every costume will get lots of use — and I look forward to passing it along to the next family when we are done.
What are your favorite costume strategies?
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