If you’ve ever dressed up for Halloween, you know the struggle of the aftermath. Costumes from past years pile up and soon turn into a graveyard of forgotten ensembles. Have you ever wondered what you can do with them? Well, here are a few solutions. 

Donating to Goodwill, the Salvation Army or any other consignment stores is a great way to put your old costumes to good use. These stores are also  great places to shop for a costume, or parts of one. You can drop your old costumes, clothes, toys or even furniture off at any store, or find a drop off location that is more convenient for you such as drop off boxes located at gas stations and various stores, goodwill trucks, sometimes located at Paly, and much more. 

An alternative to donating costumes is lending or giving them to others. This is a great solution if you can’t bear to completely let go of your favorite costume. It is also an excellent way to help others in need of a costume for the next year. Swapping costumes with friends and letting others use them (especially if you’ve outgrown them) is a great way to help others around you.

There are many websites or groups that you can sell old costumes on. For example, Gunn has a facebook group called “New Clothes,” where people can sell old clothes, books and even costumes. It is especially helpful during spirit weeks like homecoming week because many people sell their costumes from the year before. For many people, this saves them a lot of stress because it is a cheaper, more accessible, easier way to fulfill their dress-up desires. 

It is also a great idea to save them and use them for future spirit events. As we all know, dressing up for spirit events like homecoming week requires pretty extensive costumes. One of the best feelings is already knowing that you have the materials for a day of dress up. Chances are, if you’ve ever dressed up in a basic halloween costume, you’ll have at least one of the days covered.

Repurposing your halloween costume is a great and environmentally friendly way to make new clothing items. You could turn a shirt into a tank top or even crop the bottom and make the scraps of fabric into a headband. Not only do you get a new shirt that has great memories attached to it, but you also save money and make an environmentally friendly decision by not buying more fast fashion.