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Find any costume you can imagine at Goodwill. Photo: iStock
When I was about 7 years old, I wanted to dress up as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” for Halloween. We put my long hair in braids, and found a shirt and dress that would work. But I was missing the most important part: the ruby slippers. My mom got a pair of white shoes, spray-painted them red and completely covered them with red glitter (cause she’s crafty like that). They made my costume. Where did we find these shoes we transformed? Goodwill, of course!
This year, with sky-high prices for Halloween costumes, start with Goodwill when you first begin your hunt. Not only will you save money, but you’ll be able to DIY whatever costume you — or your kids — can imagine.
Goodwill does not mess around when it comes to Halloween. I recently visited Evergreen Goodwill in Seattle and was blown away by its variety of DIY items for Halloween. You’ll find rows and rows of costumes, accessories and all the decorations you can imagine.
The best part? Your purchases help support Goodwill’s incredible job training and education programs. Evergreen Goodwill operates 23 nonprofit thrift stores and donation centers, five job training centers, and employs more than 2,000 people across King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Kitsap counties. They also provided tuition-free classes, workshops and job placement support for more than 6,000 students every year.
Why thrift for Halloween
Variety
I have two sons with very different personalities, and never is this more apparent than when it comes to planning their Halloween costumes. My older son makes up his mind months in advance and is unwavering. When he was young he would often fixate his costume planning on a random character no one else had ever heard of, such as the character he created for Dungeons and Dragons (you know, Ramshirken, the Druid Warlock). My younger son had a different approach to the holiday: changing his mind every 15 minutes for the weeks leading up to Halloween, and then grabbing something out of our costume box and running out the door on Oct. 31. So where did I go to find both extremely specific elements and a wide variety of costumes I could DIY? Goodwill.
Cost effective
Since my younger son liked to switch his costume multiple times, I had no intention of spending a lot of money on one he might not even wear. But he did enjoy dressing up all year, so we had a costume box filled with finds from Goodwill. Halloween is a great time of year for a costume box refresh, since there are so many to choose from and the prices are low. Being able to offer a wide variety of choices at home made Halloween more fun and less stressful. My son was free to follow his bliss on Halloween, and I didn’t feel frustrated that an expensive costume wasn’t being worn. That’s a win-win in my book.
Creativity
I think the best part about Halloween is seeing all the creative kids costumes. Sure, a classic ghost or witch costume can be fun, but this is the time of year to think outside the box! And if your kids come up with something really unique (like a character they created themselves, or someone from an old TV show, movie or book), you will likely be on the hook to help bring their vision to life. Goodwill is an amazing place to find everything you need for a creative costume, or that final piece that will bring a costume together.
I asked Goodwill’s PR and communications strategist, Micha Goebig, about some of the creative costumes she has seen folks create at Goodwill. Two stood out to her:
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume using catering dishes as shells with green clothes
- Ratatouille, by backlighting a plastic mouse in a chef’s hat, with a thrifted apron, spatula, etc.
Brilliant. No notes.
Reusability
Life is expensive these days, and it doesn’t look like any relief is in sight. Investing in something your child will wear for a few hours, for one night, doesn’t feel like a good idea (and for many, it’s just not in the budget). But when you thrift your costume, it’s easy to build it from pieces that you or your child can easily wear after Halloween.
Goebig says, “There’s a lot of base items like solid color basics that can always be used year-round. Let’s say black clothes; only add wings for an easy bat costume for Halloween. Other staples to continue using after Halloween can include tutus or tulle skirts, headbands, vests or uniform jackets, fun sneakers or hoodies.”
How to create popular 2025 costumes
Every year certain costumes pop to the top of the list (last year I had at least four groups of trick-or-treaters dressed as the Taylor Swift eras). Here are some suggestions for how to build popular costumes from thrifted finds at your local Goodwill:
Taylor and Travis
Look for a sparkly concert-ready look or a striped sundress and sparkly ring for Taylor and sports gear for Travis (or a simple black shirt and white pants to recreate the engagement photo).
Wednesday and Enid
If you are looking for costumes for two friends (or siblings), consider these two fun characters. Opposites attract with dark, gothic finds for Wednesday and colorful, bold pieces for Enid.
The Addams Family
A classic family costume! Look for a tight, long-sleeved black dress for Morticia, a pinstriped suit for Gomez, a striped sweater for Pugsley, a long coat for Uncle Fester, and plenty of black and long braids for Wednesday.
“K-Pop Demon Hunters”
You knew this had to be on the list. Blend K-pop flair with fantasy action with bold colors and metallic, and floral shirts, lots of pink and denim for the boys.
“Lilo & Stitch”
The recently released live-action version of this animated classic has spiked interest in this movie once again, making it a great choice for Halloween this year. To dress up as Lilo, look for a red dress or oversized T-shirt. If it doesn’t have a flower print, you can add some with fabric paint, iron-on patches or cutout felt shapes. Add a pair of flip-flops and a flower clip for your hair and you’re good to go. For Stitch, look for anything in solid blue (a hoodie, sweats, onesie, etc.). You can add large felt ears and some face paint for a fun look.
“Zootopia 2” (coming Nov. 26, 2025)
If you are looking for a fun family costume, this movie has tons of characters to choose from. Grab some gray leggings or jeans, a gray long sleeve top, navy vest, bunny ears, some toy handcuffs and a DIY badge to create a Judy Hopps costume. Dress up as Nick Wilde (the fox) with a short-sleeve green button-down shirt, dark blue or purple tie, brown pants and an orange or brown hoodie or scarf to mimic fur.
“Wicked”
Think pink or green for your Wicked-inspired costume! Look for pink fluffy dresses or skirts for Glinda and green and black for Elphaba. Goodwill sells face paint too, so get ready to get green!
“A Minecraft Movie”
While you could buy a chicken jockey costume, it’s more fun to make your own Minecraft getup. The characters all have pretty easy-to-find costumes too. For Steve, all you need is a blue shirt and a pair of jeans. Head to the toy section at Goodwill and chances are high you’ll find a foam Minecraft sword to complete the look.
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
Khaki adventure clothes, binoculars and a khaki backpack are the base for these costumes. Have a friend dress up in an inflatable dinosaur costume and chase you around, or pick up a handful of toy dinos at Goodwill to pretend to wrangle.
“Fantastic Four”
Another great family costume idea! Blue shirts and pants for the whole family will get this costume started. Add the “4” logo to the shirt, and a few little extras for each hero (some pretend flames for the Human Torch, a stretchy hand to fling for Mr. Fantastic, you get the idea).
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter
Think white and blue for this cool Halloween costume. White jeans and a white shirt can act as a base, add some blue cutouts, a white cowboy hat and DIY a sash that says “Cowboy Carter” and you’ll be ready to trick-or-treat like a diva who runs the world.
Go with a classic (ghost, witch, vampire, animal)
You’ll have no problem finding what you need for these classic costumes at Goodwill. Head to the sheets and linens aisle to find the perfect ghost costume. Look through the racks of preloved costumes for the other classics, or get creative and comb through the clothing racks to find the perfect witch dress or vampire cape.
Still need more Halloween inspiration? Check out Evergreen Goodwill’s blog. They have partnered with Seattle creator, photographer and storyteller Tash Haynes for more creative family costume ideas.
Happy Halloween, and happy thrifting!
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