My Halloween Thrift Store Haul

I hate gory, bloody, and scary. For Halloween, I prefer glittery, whimsical, and funny, and because of this, it’s one of my favorite holidays. I love to dress up, but one thing I’m not fond of is spending a ton of money on a costume that’s only going to be worn once. The costumes I was seeing online this year were $50 or more just for the basics, and didn’t include any of the cute add-ons that don’t come with your typical “costume in a bag.”

When Savers reached out to see if I’d be interested in thrifting my costume this year, I enthusiastically said yes! I love thrifting and, when I was told that Savers/Value Village also carries a line of new costume pieces,  I was excited to save time and money by not having to go store to store. As much as I’d love to drive around in Chicago traffic to complete my look, with all the travel we are doing this month, it was nice to know I could find something fabulous in one place.

I decided to mix and match—new and thrifted pieces, along with whatever I had at home to keep my budget under $50. Additionally, since I am both limited on space and like pieces I can use again, I wanted to go for something that could be repurposed. I had my work cut out for me!

I found some awesome pieces in their Halloween section. On the racks, they had new, complete costumes, accessories, and makeup to complete your look. Whether you’re going for a ’20s flapper or an adorably cheesy deviled egg (which I was so, so tempted to do—I’m so punny!), you’ll find what you need. They have a big selection of both new items and thrifted Halloween items, so you can mix and match.

Eventually, though, I decided to go with what I both know and love—rainbows, unicorns, boas, and glitter. For Halloween, I put together a complete unicorn costume for $47, and I could use heels I already had at home!

I picked up a bag of bright pink skinny feather boas for my tail ($1.99, a bargain) and a darker pink full boa to wrap around myself for warmth ($2.99) from the thrifting crafting-supplies area. I can reuse them for costumes, or the skinny pink boas would be perfect wrap for a bachelorette-party gift. The rainbow tutu will be repurposed for some costumed 5ks I want to run, and, of course, the leggings are always useful—they don’t take up much space in my one-bedroom apartment but could easily be stored for another costume party or fun run. Since they were cheap, I bought two pairs—fishnets and thicker leggings. I’ll choose which pair to wear depending on how cold it is in Chicago this year; some years it’s freezing and other years it’s not so bad. Either way, I could afford to be prepared (and besides, pink hosiery is awesome). 

The items will store well to be reused next year (yes, in a one-bedroom apartment, I have to be kind of crazy about what I hold on to!) and don’t take up much space at all. When my next costume party or fun run happens, I’ll be ready with options—because the best outfits can be worn several ways, several times. Boom.

I’m so excited for Halloween—with all objectives achieved and doing it under budget, I’m ready to party! I shall be spreading glittery, rainbowy goodness throughout Chicagoland this year, and it’s bound to be a magical night!

Savers/Value Village is the ultimate Halloween destination for creating unique, fun, fashionable, or frightening costumes for the whole family and for every budget.

Get in the spirit of the season by entering the annual Savers Halloween Costume Contest!

One lucky winner will win a grand prize pack valued at $1,000 and runners-up will have the opportunity to win tons of other spooky prizes!

To enter, submit a photo of you, your child, or your pet in a unique Halloween costume through Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #ThriftOrTreatContest, or via the website at Savers.com. Entries accepted Oct. 1 through Nov. 3, 2015. Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges based on costume appearance, styling, uniqueness, and creativity. See website for prizes, rules, and regulations.

Savers/Value Village is the ultimate Halloween destination for creating unique, fun, fashionable or frightening costumes for the whole family and for every budget.