Thursday Thrift: Making Halloween Costumes

Halloween in coming up and thrift stores are where it's at for costumes! Long before Lady Gaga donned her famous bubble outfit, I had my own version. I used balloons instead of bubbles, but the fact remains that I did it before she did. Yes, I had on clown makeup and an orange clown-fro and a black shirt/pants combo, but I was six so give me a break. I remember my mom making that outfit out of a dollar store bag of balloons, clothes that I already had, and a fancy clown makeup kit (that is where she got the wig of course).

Today, commercial Halloween costumes are incredibly expensive. My little sisters, L&E, went as a witch and a mermaid last year. You know how much my parents spent on their costumes? Let's see... $20 for each costume. So $40? Not so bad. Not until you add in the wigs. That is another $50 for the two of them (and I'm being generously low with the estimates right now). So we're up to $90. L needed black shoes to go with her witch costume so that was another $15. $105. She also needed this stupidly overpriced makeup kit so that her skin could be green. It was $10. $115. Thankfully, E did not need a makeup kit... Mom had her covered to be prettified. A kid's sized broom was borrowed from a family member for L and E carried around a stuffed fish that she already had. So there is that. They used spare plastic store bags for trick-or-treating (laying down $10 each for a plastic pumpkin was not an option). So my generously low estimate of what my parents spent on two little girls for one night of trick-or-treating, before taxes of course, is around $115. That. Is. Insane.

Once again, I rely on my default "quick Google search" and I found a ton of websites that provide costume ideas from thrift stores. I'm posting about this a month in advance because some costumes require planning... THINK AHEAD! Anyways, check this site for the top 10 costume ideas for thrifters. That article mentions something awesome: "Many stores... offer consultants to help you piece a costume together!" How freaking awesome is that? My favorite is the steampunk idea. Paint swim goggles (you know, the ones that are $1 at the dollar store) gold to save on an expensive key accessory? Genius. This site lists 10 more ideas. Dog's Dinner was my favorite from that list. Hmmm. Both are at the bottom of the list. Saving the best for last? I think so.

So if you are someone that typically dresses up for Halloween (regardless of age), get to planning your perfect costume now. And if you are working on a child's costume, nail down the details NOW and stick to the idea. Nothing sucks more than kids changing their minds about their costumes the day before trick-or-treating. Make sure that is not an option.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS