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Whether someone wears one costume or three, Halloween costumes can rack up high costs for those hoping to celebrate the holiday in costume. This can discourage many people from dressing up, or motivate them to turn to fast fashion for cheap and convenient costumes.

On October 22, St. Kate’s Money Management program and the St. �������� Fashion Association (SCUFA) hosted the “Fashionably Frugal” workshop in the Coeur de ��������, highlighting ways to spend less on costumes while still serving up scares on Halloween.

Money Management, a free program available to students, offers resources to support students with money literacy. Students may meet with peer mentors or attend events to receive guidance on various financial topics such as student loan tracking, finding scholarships, budgeting, and saving. During their portion of the presentation, Emily Rodriguez Sanchez ’25, lead Peer Money Mentor, provided general tips for budgeting, such as the recommendation that only 5% of one’s annual income should be allocated for fashion (so, for a yearly income of $30,000 a year, this would amount to $1,500 spent annually and $125 monthly).

SCUFA presented the bulk of the event, led by co-presidents Sylvia Schwantes ’25 and Mikayla Roper ’26. SCUFA is a student-led club open to any students interested in fashion — not just fashion majors! Schwantes and Roper shared tips for saving money on clothes and ideas for affordable and easy Halloween costumes. 

SCUFA recommended trying the following to lighten the load on your fashion budget:

• Clothing swaps — rather than throwing out clothes you don’t want or spending unnecessary money on new clothing, consider getting together with friends to trade clothing. This reduces spending and ensures that old unused clothes are getting good use.
• Thrifting. Second hand stores and garage sales are cheap and eco-friendly sources, both for commonly-needed clothing staples and surprising one-of-a-kind items!
• Avoiding fast fashion — presenters stressed this point especially. 10% of global carbon emissions is from fast fashion! By utilizing the other tips on this list (e.g., thrifting), you can save money and make your fashion habits more sustainable.
• Building a capsule wardrobe — a capsule wardrobe is a minimalist collection of clothes that can be mixed and matched in various ways. This maximizes one’s wardrobe and ensures that clothing items can be used more than once.
• Renting out clothing — apps such as Le Tote allow users to rent items from others to wear before returning, which is more affordable and sustainable than buying desired items yourself.

The presenters also made room for attendees to share their own tips with the community, which included: 

• Mending your clothes. Although it may seem intimidating, mending clothes does not require as much skill as it seems. Miniature sewing kits are available at many general merchandise stores and gas stations, and there are many simple online tutorials for darning socks or sewing buttons.
• Utilizing — an organization that centers around helping women gain access to affordable professional clothing.
• Upcycling — this refers to the creative reuse of different materials for new purposes. SCUFA member Nora Crayford ’27 demonstrated how she upcycled her denim skirt by combining the skirt that was originally too large and pieces from an apron, both of which were thrifted.
• When planning out costumes, consider finding versatile items that can be worn multiple times, not only for Halloween.

Katie’s Closet was also highlighted at the event as a resource for saving money. Located in CdC 355, Katie’s Closet provides students with free, convenient access to clothing, including professional attire, that is an excellent on-campus resource for Halloween costumes. Katie’s Closet’s hours alongside details about pop-up events are available on their .

Finally, presenters provided ideas for affordable and easy costumes. The list was extensive, but some options included Barbie, pop stars, Adam Sandler, Strawberry Shortcake, Carrie, a Greek goddess, and using body paint or animal makeup.

When asked to provide a main takeaway for students who attended the event, Schwantes summarized the main point succinctly: “You don’t have to spend [a lot of] money to have cool clothes. Don’t feel pressured to spend money on Halloween.”

Money Management hosts various webinars and events throughout the school year to increase student financial literacy and access to different resources, including an upcoming webinar about scholarship searches on November 4. Outside of events, students can consult Peer Money Mentors for guidance in different financial matters by visiting CdC 211 or booking an appointment through email. To stay up-to-date on future events and follow their social media, read more on their webpage or .

Photos by Tessa Schoenecker ’25.