Trendy DIY Halloween Costumes from the Thrift Store
- Briesha Bell
- Oct 16, 2021
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 20
Looking for a way to get behind underconsumption core this Halloween? Whether you're a mama to little ones, a caregiver to tiny humans, or childfree, a DIY costume is
an easy way to repurpose clothes you already own.
And if you can't find the items you need in your closet, it's the perfect occasion to hit up the thrift store. I've been going the DIY route since 2012!
Once you start putting together your own costumes, you won't want to go back to paying ridiculous retail prices. The most I've paid for costume materials is $20... and that was on a costume that I'm actually rewearing this year (more on that later).
From kid-friendly to scary, classic to minimalist, or just a costume that's easy to put together, I've got some trendy ideas for you. Here's a quick overview of the costume styles you'll find featured in this post:
✨ Featured Costumes Styles:
💖 Kid Friendly → Miss Rachel Costume
👧🏻 Iconic → Wednesday Addams
🧟♀️ Scary → Zombie Costume
🤘🏽 Frugal → Kpop Demon Costume
🏴☠️ Timeless → Pirate Costume
💰 Mischievous → Robber Costume
🍫 Minimalist → Candy Thief Costume
🐭 Classic → Minnie Mouse Costume
👾 Creative → Bonus Idea
🎃 Is It Better to DIY or Buy a Halloween Costume?
Putting together a DIY Halloween costume allows you to repurpose everyday clothing with less involvement in the commercialization of the holiday. You get to participate and enjoy Halloween festivities while leaving a small footprint.
Here's a scary statistic for you: The National Retail Federation is projecting that Americans will spend $4.3 billion on costumes alone this Halloween season— 13 percent more than last year!¹ 😲
Personally, I prefer to contribute as little as possible to that statistic. There are items like masks that thrift stores don't really carry. So it's totally understandable if you can't find all of your costume materials secondhand. The point is to just do what you can to lower your contribution to the seasonal fast fashion industry that Halloween has evolved into.
📍Where Can I Find Secondhand Costumes?
Check to see if a sibling or friend has something that you can borrow
Keep at eye out for Halloween costume swamps in your community or at our local library
Thrift stores (Goodwill has a cute costume planner tool)
Facebook Marketplace
Your local Buy Nothing group
Ebay
💖 DIY Miss Rachel Costume
Estimated Price | $20
Prep Work Required? | No
Style | Kid Friendly & Trendy
Miss Rachel, the highly engaging creator that is amazing at keeping your toddler (and millions more) learning and entertained for hours. I dressed up as Miss Rachel for Halloween in 2024. A lot of moms and kids recognized who I was going for and some (mainly dads + childfree people) did not.
For context, this was shortly before her toy line with Spin Master took off. And amidst the time when she began receiving a surge of media attention (positive and negative) for her stance on the conflict in Gaza.
Since then, Miss Rachel has become even more of a household name, especially now that her show has been added to Netflix! Plus, she made headlines for welcoming a new little one into the world this year, while continuing to be vocal on behalf of children suffering globally. With all this said, I'm going to rep the Miss Rachel costume again this year in pride. I love that she uses her fame to support causes and raise awareness of injustices.
Here's how you can give a shoutout to Miss Rachel this Halloween along with me:
🎬 Prep Work:
No prep work required.
📜 Things to Note:
Miss Rachel wears a bubblegum pink shirt, also called Persian pink. While her headband is a lighter soft pink. And she wears white sneakers. Yes, I did in fact scan through videos to see what color shoes she wears (think: low top Converses but unbranded). I can't tell if she wears socks, if she does, they are no shows.
Before you stress out about finding a shirt and headband in the "right" shades of pink, it's really no big deal if you wear any pink shirt and pink headband. That's what I did. Also, I just wore black and white Adidas I already own. People will still get the picture.
Full disclosure: I edited the color of my Miss Rachel costume featured here specifically to provide closer shades to her signature look as a reference point.
🏷️ How Much I Spent
🎀 Pink Headband | ~$10
👩🏽🌾 Jean Overalls | ~$6
👚 Pink Shirt | ~$4
👟 White Sneakers | Already Owned
＄Total Spent | ~$20
👧🏻 DIY Wednesday Addams Costume (Addams Family)
Estimated Price | $8
Prep Work Required? | No
Style | Iconic & On-Trend
Dark, angsty, rebellious, emotional, meet the classic Wednesday Addams costume. Admittedly, I put this costume together in 2016... many years before the Wednesday show. So, this costume is based on the Wednesday Addams from the iconic Addams Family movie (1991).
But trust me, everyone will definitely understand your costume-- there are so many ways to replicate Wednesday's style.
If you have a family of your own, you can easily turn this idea into a family affair by assigning them characters from the Addams Family movie as well!
🎬 Prep Work:
No prep work required
📜 Things to Note:
It's worth noting that this costume is easier and cheaper to replicate for current or past wedding caterers. Years ago I catered formal events on the weekends. White collared blouses and black men's ties were part of my uniform.
It can be hard to find a black waist belt with a white buckle. Here's a way to improvise:
Use a black men's tie as the belt >> buy a 50 cent piece of white felt >> cut out a belt buckle >> cut slots to thread the felt buckle through >> wrap around waist and tie a bow in the back. The felt will stick to your dress seamlessly.
🏷️ How Much I Spent
👗 Black Dress | ~$8
🤵🏻♀️White Blouse with a Collar | ~$4 (Already Owned)
👞 Black Booties | Already Owned
🔲 White Buckled Waist Belt | Already Owned
🖤 Black Tights | Already Owned
💄 Black Lipstick | Already Owned
＄Total Spent | ~$8
🧟♀️ DIY Zombie Costume
Estimated Cost | $2-$5
Prep Work Required? | Yes; Minimum
Style | Scary & Frugal
Walking Dead fan anyone? I completely understand if you stopped watching when Glen was killed off in that heartwrenching baseball bat scene! Yeah, I'm still not over that one.
Still surprised that show lasted 12 years. Nonetheless, zombies are timeless. Cheapest
🎬 Prep Work:
Step 1: Locate a worn out plaid shirt, tank top, and jeans in your closet
Step 2: Cut holes in jeans
Step 3: Make clothes look dirty by rubbing them in the dirt or mud; smear red paint or fake blood on clothing
Step 4: Smear fake blood on your body (optional)
Ex: I rubbed some fake blood under my nose to make it look like I had a bloody nose
✅ After that, you'll look so creepy scary, you might even get cast as an extra in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon!
🏷️ How Much I Spent
🍂 Plaid Button Up | Already Owned
☀️ Tank Top | Already Owned
👖Worn Out Jeans | Already Owned
🚩 Bandana | Already Owned
🩸Fake Blood (optional) | $2
＄Total Spent | $2
🤘🏽Kpop Demon Costume (Kid Friendly Zombie)
If a zombie sounds too scary for kiddos in your life, skip the fake blood and use some purple body paint to paint lines (patterns) along your skin.
And ta-da, just like that, you're a demon from KPop Demon Hunters. Bye bye scary zombie, hello trendy!
🏴☠️ DIY Pirate Costume
Estimated Price | $11-$15
Prep Work Required? | Yes
Style | Timeless & Flirty
Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, Caption Jake of the Never Land Pirates, I'm sure you're familiar with one of those popular pirates!
Pirates captivate kids and adults alike. Maybe it's their daring, edgy, and adventurous personality? Well, here's another reason to be drawn to pirates (fictional pirates, not real pirates... I've also seen Captain Phillips 😬)— their costumes can be put together with just a pair of scissors and a V-neck blouse.
Dressing up as a pirate also gives you an excuse to pull out the fishnets and channel your inner Elizabeth Swan!
🎬 Prep Work:
Step 1: Find a button-up blouse with vertical stripes at the thrift store. Preferably V-neck if you're going for a flirty style. Not sure who started it, but for some reason vertical stripes give pirate vibes.
Step 2: Cut off excess sleeve leaving some sleeve (a bit longer than t-shirt sleeve length). Then, cut small zig-zags along the sleeve borders. Lastly, cut large zig-zags around the bottom of the blouse.
📜 Things to Note:
I can't 100% recall if the blouse was long sleeve when I bought it (this was in 2013). Pretty sure it was though, which is why I had no trouble finding a cute-ish style in a small town with only one thrift store.
🏷️ How Much I Spent
👕 Vertical Striped Blouse | $3
🖤 Black Skirt | $4
👀 Eye Patch | $4
💎 Earrings | Already Owned
🥋 Waist Belt | Already Owned
🐠 Fishnet Tights | Already Owned
🚩 Bandana | Already Owned
❂ Necklace | Already Owned
＄Total Spent | $11
💰DIY Robber Costume
Estimated Cost | $3- $5
Prep Work Required? | Yes; Minimum
Style | Mischievous & Chic
Most of the clothing for a mischievous robber costume are probably sitting in your closet already! If not, I'm sure you'll have little trouble finding a black and white striped shirt at any thrift store.
Does this costume send the most professional or appropriate message to kids? Nah, not really. But, it does the job and saves you money.
🎬 Prep Work:
The only prep work involved requires you to paint a money sign on a canvas bag using acrylic paint. Let it dry and you're good to go!
📜 Things to Note:
This was my first time wearing black lipstick. I regretfully bought it from the Halloween section at Walmart (small college town, few options to shop). The lipstick did the job. But it took constant reapplying so it didn't look like I had Oreo crumbs smeared on my lips. Lol 😂
Looking back, I definitely should've checked the actual cosmetics section for a lipstick from an actual makeup brand line. The main takeaway here is don't go too cheap on the lipstick. A quality one will look better, need less reapplying, and last you for future Halloweens.
🏷️ How Much I Spent
👕 Black & White Striped Shirt | (Already Owned)
▸ Black Leggings | (Already Owned)
👀 Black Eye Mask | $3
🧢 Black/Grey Hat | (Already Owned)
💰Canvas Drawstring Money Bag | (Already Owned)
💄Black Lipstick | (Already Owned)
🥾 Combat Boots | (Already Owned)
＄Total Spent | $3
🍫 Candy Thief (Kid Friendly Version)
If the idea of dressing up as a criminal doesn't sit right with you, just position yourself as a candy thief!
Instead of painting a money symbol on your canvas bag, simply paint a piece of candy. A piece of candy corn, or a lollipop are both easy candies to draw freehand without drawing skills.
Pictured is an example of a piece of candy I drew in Procreate and collaged onto my canvas "money" bag. It's basic but effective.
🐭 DIY Minnie Mouse Costume
Estimated Cost | $4-$10
Prep Work Required? | No
Style | Cute & Classic
If you’re looking for a quick and easy kid-friendly costume, Minnie Mouse fits the bill! The best part is, Minnie Mouse is so classic, it's pretty easy to find a Minnie Mouse shirt at the thrift store if you don't own one already.
The hat I wore was not mine (Disney gift shops sell them for absurd prices). I just borrowed it from my sister.
That brings us to an important note, always ask around to see what costume materials you can borrow from friends or family before running to the thrift store! Costume swamps should be more mainstream.
🎬 Prep Work:
No prep work required!
📜 Things to Note:
I kept it really simple with this Minnie Mouse costume and just paired it with jeans. Mainly because I had to go to work and play on the floor with kids all day. Minnie Mouse style skirts aren't very functional for the childcare workplace.
Feel free to pair it with a puffy tutu if you'd like, but you'll probably have to borrow or buy one, as I've never seen a puffy tutu sold at a thrift store.
🏷️ How Much I Spent
👕 Minnie Mouse Shirt | $4
👖Jeans | Already Owned
🎀 Minnie Mouse Ears | Borrowed
▪️Black Eyeshadow | Already Owned
👾 Bonus Idea: DIY Tickle Monster Costume
Estimated Price | ??
Prep Work Required? | Probably
Style | Creative & Open-Ended
Here‘s a bonus idea I received from a clever 5 yr old!
🗣️ Me: What should I be for Halloween?
💬 Andrea*: Hmm, I know— you should be a tickle monster! You could dress up as a monster, then when kids come up to you, you just start tickling them! ☺️
I hope this was helpful and gives you inspiration for your DIY costume. Creating a costume with thrifted clothing or via shopping your closet are such accessible ways to celebrate Halloween while remaining a mindful consumer!
Source:
¹NRF 2025 Halloween Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Date Accessed: September 19, 2025.
*Name changed for privacy of child
Sincerely, Briesh
P.S. Stay Conscious + Curious!
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