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Halloween is a magical and spooky time of the year. It’s also fun for people of all ages to dress in costumes and join in all the activities.
If you are like many, you will purchase Halloween costumes from local retailers that will be used only once. According to a survey, 83 percent of these costumes main material is plastic, making the holiday an environmental nightmare.
But the good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can DIY your own costume or children’s costumes out of things you already have at home. All you need is, glue, paint, cardboard, old clothing, and your imagination, according to Good Housekeeping. Check out these three smart reasons why DIY is the better way to go.
DIY is Greener
It’s time to think about the impact of costumes on the environment, reported Fast Company. Over 7 million store-bought costumes are thrown out in the UK after Halloween, and that’s a lot of unrecyclable materials going into landfills.
When you DIY, you can focus on reducing waste and find ways to modify clothing in a way where it can continue to be used. You can use a t-shirt and leggings and modify them with items that are affixed by fabric tape. You can raid your closet and make a scarecrow costume, suggested HGTV, by fabric sticking patches on a flannel shirt.
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More Economical
Store bought Halloween costumes can be expensive. In fact, American consumers will spend a whopping $3.32 billion on costumes, reported Fast Company. Making your own costume doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
When I was growing up, we made our costumes or bought them from thrift stores,” Aja Barber, author of Consumed: The Need for Collective Change told Fast Company. You can even make a costume out of clothing you already have at home.
You can make a ghost costume out of an old sheet, according to HGTV, by cutting out holes and using props like hats or sunglasses.
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Make an Original Costume
When you create a DIY costume, the skies the limit when it comes to originality, reported Fast Company. You can come up with a completely original, one-of-a-kind costume. Couples can wear fitness outfits and be the best Barbie and Ken on the block. Or you can design a family theme like different colored crayons, garden gnomes, or even fruits or veggies. You will be the cutest family trick-o-treating in the neighborhood.
If you are just not creative, don’t worry. You can rent a Halloween costume, find used costumes at a thrift store, or trade outgrown ones at a costume exchange. All of these are economic and environmental ways to celebrate Halloween.
