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Creative Costumes on a Budget with Zabrielle Little

  • Oct 23
  • 3 min read

In the latest episode of Mrs. C's Podcast, Mrs. C spoke with expert content creator and fashionist Zabrielle Little to discuss every parent's challenge: the cost of keeping up with a child’s wardrobe and buying new outfits for every holiday and school event. In this guide, we extract Zabrielle's top secrets for ballin' on a budget, creating memorable costumes and looking great all year without breaking the bank


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1. The Power of Thrifting, Upcycling, and Community

The key to affordable, unique outfits for your kids lies outside the expensive retail stores:

  • Go Thrifting First: Stores like Goodwill and Savers are Zabrielle’s top spots for finding clothes for all shapes, sizes, and genders. You can even find brand-new, donated items from retail stores.

  • Repurpose and Upcycle: Don't just look for ready-made costumes. Look for clothing you can cut up and alter.

  • The Tinkerbell Tip: Find a green dress for around $10 and wings for $3 at Goodwill, then cut and pin the dress to make it fit, using fabric scraps for handbands.

  • Community Swaps: Ask siblings or family members for hand-me-downs. You can even organize a clothing trade event during a family holiday like Thanksgiving to swap clothes you don't wear anymore.


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2. Strategic Shopping: The Insider Budget Hacks


To get the most bang for your buck, timing and location are key:


  • The 50% Off Insider Tip: Shop late on Halloween or the day after to purchase seasonal items like makeup, ears, tails, and fishnets at 50% off.

  • Stockpile Essentials: Use the post-Halloween sales to stock up on essentials that don't expire, like fake lashes, temporary tattoos, and cute headbands for use year-round.

  • Year-Ahead Sales: Shop the seasonal sales at stores like Target, Ross, and Burlington. Buy items a year in advance for the next season when prices drop.

  • The Dollar Store/Tree: For quick, super-affordable accessories like ears for Easter or face paint for spirit week, The Dollar Tree is the easiest go-to.


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3. DIY Costume Ideas for School and Family Fun


You can easily create clever, low-budget costumes for school events, holidays, and parties using items from your closet or thrift store finds:


  • Smartie Pants: This teacher-friendly costume is a fun pun. Just take a pair of jeans, use colored construction paper to make the "Smarties" logo (an 'S'), and glue it to the pants. You can take it to the next level by wearing a Smartie necklace and handing out Smarties to your class.

  • Book Fairy: Great for teachers or parents, this costume uses a tutu and a pair of wings. Carry a "wand" made by taping pencils together and a book.

  • Miss Frizzle: An easy, recognizable costume from The Magic School Bus. Wear a colorful outfit and add an ID badge that says "Miss Frizzle".

  • Festive Red Kiss Mark: For a super low-budget Valentine's Day look, put on red lipstick and give your child a kiss on the cheek to leave a cute, fun "kiss mark".

  • Holiday Characters: Dress kids up as characters like The Grinch for a Christmas Eve service or use bunny ears for spring pictures at the park.

  • Spirit Week/School Events: Use face paint or temporary tattoos to easily transform your child for a themed day, such as putting little spots on their face for an animal theme.


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Tips for Staying Confident and Purging


Find Your Middle Ground: Find clothes that are comfortable but also "cute" and make you feel confident. You want to look good and appreciate positive feedback.

Know Your Budget: For kids who are constantly growing, set a clothing allotment at the beginning of the year and re-budget halfway through to manage growth expenses.

Purging: When clothes are too small but in good condition, re-donate them to Goodwill or Savers. This can also provide a tax break.

Recycle Everything: Once you buy a seasonal item (like bunny ears), save it in a marked box and reuse it year after year.


Where to Find Zabrielle and Mrs.C’s  Podcast

Thank you to Zabrielle Little for sharing these amazing, budget-friendly secrets!


Listen to the Full Episode: You can listen to the full episode on Mrs. C's Podcast, soon to be released here: https://www.oaktreelearningcenter.com/mrscspodcast

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