Halloween is a time for celebration and a time for savings. Halloween marks the start of the fall and winter season of holidays and although popular seasons, this time of year can lead to unintended overspending, especially on overpriced Halloween costumes.

Well, not anymore. A quote loved by moms, “Shop smarter, not harder” can be put to use when creating that perfect halloween costume.

Govenaires Thrift Store and Church of Saint Peter Thrift are both located at the bottom of our Gustavus hill and can help you discover what you need for your costume.

“Part of the fun of thrift shopping is going in with friends, not sure what you’re looking for, and coming out with something creative.”

Govenaires is open 10a.m. to 6p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 10a.m. to 4p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 12p.m. to 4p.m. on Sunday, and closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The Church of Saint Peter Thrift is open 9a.m. to 5p.m. on Monday through Friday and 9a.m. to 4p.m. on Saturday, and closed on Sunday.

So stop by these great stores when you have some free time between classes, to complete your Halloween costume.

With this option in mind, it is a good time to start thinking about what you will be for Halloween, and there are plenty of perfect outfits and costumes you can put together from a thrift store and save money doing it.

Common costumes to create include scarecrows, 1920’s flapper girls, doctors or nurses, zombie brides, cowboys or cowgirls, policemen or firemen.

Part of the fun of thrift shopping is going in with friends, not sure what you’re all looking for, and coming out with something creative.

If you do decide to be one of these suggested costumes, the thrift store is the place for you. To be a scarecrow all you really need is some overall bibs, a flannel shirt, some sort of straw hat and that’s about it.

For a flapper 1920s style, look for an old fashioned dress, maybe with some tassels, some long gloves and a sequinned headband.

Now for a doctor or nurse, all you’ll really need is a set of scrubs and those are extremely easy to come by at any thrift store—these things are essentially just waiting to be bought.

Now if you’re feeling a little more on the spooky side, then a zombie or zombie bride is the way to go. At most thrift stores, there are some old fashioned wedding dresses or tuxes ready to be repurposed.

Other fun options would be finding some cowboys boots and flannel—maybe throwing in some braids and being a cowgirl, or cowboy. If you’re really lucky, you’ll come across an old policeman or fireman outfit and will be able to rock that all night.

If you want to venture outside of the town of Saint Peter some other stores to check out include, but are not limited to, Goodwill, Salvation Army, MRCI and MVAC.

Some of these thrift stores choose to donate profits toward organizations and helping people, such as MRCI which helps raise money to people with disabilities served by the MRCI worksource.

MVAC helps community members through their program “Green Seats,”  which utilizes recycled car seats, and upcycled products. If you choose not to spend money on a costume only worn for a few hours, there are other options.

With Fall Break and Halloween fast approaching, it is a good idea to start planning your costume and saving money while doing it.