As Halloween approaches everyone is searching for that perfect costume to wear out to a party or trick-or-treating. But buying a costume for one time use can be expensive. In order to save some money many people will head to a thrift store for a more unique costume idea.

     Robin Douglas at the Club for Boys Thrift Store in Rapid City says, "We offer a lot of opportunities for creativity. We offer parents a chance to buy their kids several costumes for dress up and play and they can put together things that they're not going to see 6 other kids wearing and adults can do the same thing. So we're offering some creative alternatives as well as economical alternatives."

     The slightly used or imperfect clothes at thrift stores can be a great economical option. Douglas says you could spend about $20 dollars which is a fraction of what you'd spend at a costume shop. Douglas says, "As far as putting pieces together there are rarely any pieces over $6 or $8. So you're talking under $20 even with 2 or 3 pieces. You could spend some money if you buy quite a few pieces but it's still going to be way under what you would spend at the store." There are numerous ideas available whether you want to be a superhero or an athlete. You can even buy an inexpensive costume for your dog.

     But there are still other options. Chris Lee from the Black Hills Community Theatre says a lot of folks opt to rent their costume rather than buy something. Lee says, "They might not want to keep a costume in their closet that they're never going to wear again. Plus a lot of these are made for the shows so they're good quality costumes." And renting the show quality costume won't break your bank either. The option is still much cheaper than buying something brand new. Lee says, "Generally runs from $20-35. However, on occasion sometimes people just want an item or two which would be less than that."

     So whether you want to purchase a few items to create a costume of your own or simply rent one, there are several options available.

Darren Leeds