Thrift Halloween shopping saves money and planet
By Kendra Simpson
With less than a week before Halloween, St. Joseph residents may be rushing to find the perfect costume for a decent price. While shopping at a chain store may be convenient, there are more unique and cheaper ways to dress to impress.
The average adult spends roughly $37 on a Halloween costume, not including masks, props and makeup. Once the holiday is over, the majority of costumes are thrown away, equaling 2,000 tons of plastic waste in U.S. landfills every year.
But there are ways to save money and the environment while still pulling the perfect look together. Rather than buying new, people can create unique Halloween costumes by visiting local thrift and vintage shops.
“If you go to a thrift store and you buy it, you know that those dollars are actually staying local,” AFL-CIO Executive Director Nichi Seckinger said. “When you go to a big box store and you buy items there, there’s no guarantee that that money is going to stay in your community. But when you shop locally, that’s exactly what it does.”
The AFL-CIO secondhand store at 1203 N. Sixth St. has several shirts, bottoms, dresses and hats that paired together create an entire Halloween costume for half the price of a new one.
“You spend the money and you use it for one day and then you’re done with it,” Seckinger said. “And there’s no reason to invest in something that you’re going to have for 24 hours. You may hang on to it, but the odds of you being able to utilize it again in following years, unless you’re an adult, it’s just not probably going to happen.”
For those not needing an entire costume but who are looking for a classic statement piece to complete the look, The Lucky Tiger Vintage Vinyl and Curiosities shop at 718 Francis St. has countless accessories and looks that will complement almost every style.
“You go to a party and everyone’s wearing the same thing,” Lucky Tiger owner Amy Heath said. “I feel like you could use your creativity in your costume, and I’m here to help. You can come here and kind of find something you like and then build your costume from there.”
It’s possible to look scary good this Halloween without scaring budgets. The AFL-CIO is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the Lucky Tiger is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
