Goodwill shares DIY ideas for spooky decorations without leaving your wallet haunted

Skeletons, monsters, vampires and zombies roaming through town this month are scary enough, but not as scary as how much you might pay to get ready for Halloween.

According to a news release from Goodwill, a recent survey found that 70% of consumers also reported that continuing concerns about inflation and the economy will limit how much they can spend. Nearly two-thirds of those respondents said that, because of rising costs due to inflation, they are more likely to create do-it-yourself Halloween costumes than purchase ones from a store.

That’s where Goodwill and other thrift stores can help provide some simple and easy ways to dress up and decorate your home without putting your bank account 6 feet under.

“Thrift stores have always been a go-to source for Halloween shoppers who want to make their own costumes and decorations,” Jaymie Eichorn, chief marketing officer for Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, said. “And this year, we expect that trend to grow as more and more families are trying to save money while still creating a fun, memorable experience.

“Costumes are usually the top expense for families who celebrate Halloween. On average, households spend $39 per person on costumes and costume-making materials. That goes much further when you’re shopping at a thrift store. And even better, a DIY costume is original and unique to you.”

Sara Butner, the communications manager with Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, shared a few ideas at the Goodwill on Northcross Lane earlier this month on how people can give their homes and costumes a spooky look while not haunting their wallets with the ghosts of dollars spent.

A little paint and some creativity can go a long way, she said. One example she had was taking any number of decorative figures that may look cute to start with, but after adding silver and black paint, as well as red to highlight the eyes and other features, you can suddenly have little minions casting their eyes on us mortals.

“It doesn’t take much to make them look pretty creepy,” Butner said.

The same can be done on other materials and fabrics, such as with a doll or stuffed animal. They may still be cuddly, but they’ll look more like a vampire or zombie after touches of red and brown paint are applied.

“I felt a little bit like Bob Ross, but with a blood splatter here and there,” Butner said.

The only limits in most cases are how creative and how much time one wants to put into creepy ideas, but the results will be unique.

“It won’t look like what everyone else is doing,” Butner said.

In the case of costumes, she said, it’s easy to find the right dress or suit to add a few flourishes to make them some of the standards of Halloween or to jump on a pop culture trend.

Last year many stores sold out of tracksuits as people jumped on the popularity of the Netflix series “Squid Game.” After sewing a few numbers on, thrifty shoppers had one of the more trendy costumes of last fall.

“There always seems to be something that emerges at the last minute that’s really hot, but that remains to be seen what that will be this year,” Butner said.

Butner said while it doesn’t cost much at the typical thrift stores for some of these items, Goodwill’s outlet store in Conover sells some of these materials in bulk.