DIY Kid’s Costumes on the Cheap!

image description

I’m sitting here writing, listening to the leaves rustle in the wind and dreaming of hot apple cider and bonfires! October is such a lovely month to fall in love with autumn. It wouldn’t be complete without kids in cute costumes! Let’s be honest, you can easily overspend on costumes for the family, especially if you have multiple kids.

This year, I wanted to put together some DIY looks from Goodwill for each of my kids and save a little candy money. I let them pick their costume and then I went shopping! Here’s what we came up with….with a few tricks along the way!

Lucy (Cowgirl)

My youngest, Lucy, had her heart set on a cowgirl costume. We started with a $1.99 ruffled dress from the children’s section. Next, I found a long sleeve denim blouse that I cut into a denim vest. Ifinished the look with a sparkly cowgirl hat (for $1!!) and some cute little boots. Total cost: less than $6!

Henry (Ninja)

Henry is next up. He wanted to be a ninja. This one was fun to be creative with! I found a black hoodie and a pair of black extra small tights in the women’s section. Last, I grabbed a large red t-shirt. To start the costume, we put on the tights on Henry and cinched them up to fit. They were baggy, but worked just fine for a ninja! I cut out a hole in the back if the hood section of the shirt. When Henry put the shirt on backwards, our hole created a ninja mask. Next, I cut a bunch of strips out of the t-shirt and tied them around Henry’s head, arms, legs and torso. And voila! Red ninja for about $8!

Livi (Princess)

My sweet Livi wanted to be a princess. I have found the best place to shop for princess dresses is actually the women’s dress section. Cocktail dresses are usually just the right length and need only a little cinching to make them perfect. I started with a women’s size small golden cocktail dress and made two simple seams along either side of the dress bodice to make the dress fit perfectly. If you don’t sew, hot glue would work just fine. From there, we added a crown and added a piece of pink satin fabric tucked into the top of the dress to give more color to the look. This royal look only cost $6!

Charlie (Luke Skywalker)

Charlie was my tough customer, with a request to be Luke Skywalker. After a little online searching, I came up with a plan. I found my first piece in the women’s section- a white polyester turtleneck blouse. Because it was a fabric that wouldn’t fray, I was able to cut out the pieces I didn’t need until it fit Charlie the way I wanted. I added a brown belt to the top, khaki’s (which double as new dress pants once we are done with the costume!) and for the “boots”, I used pillowcases in the same color as his boots, wrapped around his legs. Add a shiny flashlight for his “light saber” and say hello to budget Luke Skywalker! Just $9!

This was such a fun project to work on with the kids. I was super happy to find what we needed for less than $10 per costume! Before you shop the other stores, try Goodwill first! Then save your cash for a pumpkin spice latte!

by Michelle Loss

Michelle is a Goodwill guest contributor, writing monthly fashion articles and modeling her thrifted finds. In addition, she is a local TV personality and former Miss Kansas. She also has her own YouTube channel, Chic on the Cheap. As a third generation thrifter, Michelle grew up shopping at Goodwill. She loves finding deals on clothes and accessories for her family of six or upcycling home decor items