The thrift store guide to making your own Halloween costume

Halloween at BU: A solid excuse to dress up as whatever you want and go out right as midterms are coming to an end.

When you were younger, picking out a costume was as simple as going to your local Halloween store and buying a pre-packaged costume that came with everything you needed. But now that you’re on a student budget you realize how expensive these are, and you will probably be going out at least two or three times this Halloween so it’s going to get costly.

Luckily BU is located in the midst of thrift stores that make it possible for you to create your own costumes for cheap.

Goodwill

Goodwill is right next to West Campus and is generally ignored, but can be a very valuable asset in creating a Halloween costume. There’s so much to choose from – there are literally costumes hanging from the ceiling.

If you do decide you want to buy a pre-made costume, Goodwill has a pretty decent selection of these, many of which have never even been opened. But at Goodwill they will be far cheaper than at any Halloween retail store.

If you’re more geared towards putting together a costume yourself, Goodwill has several piles of various costume pieces such as ears, wings, tutus, etc. piled together, all at very low prices. It is a little overwhelming to sift through everything, but definitely worth it if you have an idea of what you’re looking for.

Urban Renewal

Located near Harvard Ave in Allston, Urban Renewal is a large thrift store with very affordably priced clothing, shoes and accessories. Although they did not appear to have a Halloween section, this store is a great idea if you are making your own costume and just need basic pieces to go along with it that you don’t want to spend a lot on. The clothes are all organized by color, which makes it easier to find whatever you are looking for.

Buffalo Exchange

Buffalo Exchange is located further down Harvard Ave in Allston, and is a smaller thrift store. But it has a large selection of Halloween costumes at affordable prices. They have both packaged costumes and individual costume parts such as flapper dresses and jackets to wear over your look. The actual clothing in the store also has a vintage vibe to it that could be incorporated into a costume.

Buffalo Exchange also has fun hats, masks and accessories that can be added to basic clothes that you already have to make them look more like a costume.

So don’t just settle for a witch – get creative.