Go Green This Halloween by Participating in National Costume Swap Day

This Halloween save some money and go green by participating in a costume swap instead of purchasing new Halloween costumes for your children The average children's Halloween costume costs around $30.00 and if parents have to purchase costumes for multiple children that amount could easily reach $100.00. A pretty costly sum for costumes that will only be worn once. Saving money isn't the only reason to participate in a costume swap though. According to Use-Less-Stuff.com the weight of 2500 mid-sized cars could be saved from landfills if fifty percent of all children's costumes were swapped. That's roughly 850,000 pounds of clothing a year, making participating in a Halloween costume swap a choice that's good for the environment. You may be concerned that your children won't want to wear a used costume. As a mom of four children I can honestly say that what my children care about the most is being something different each year. It doesn't matter to them where the costume came from or how new it is, They are more concerned with whether their costume looks cool or not.

How Can Parents Find A Children's Halloween Costume Swap In Their Area?

This year Green Halloween and Kiwi magazine teamed up to create and promote the first ever National Costume Swap Day which is to be held on October 9 th. Many communities across the country have organized Halloween costume swaps to be held on this date and others have swaps planned throughout the month of October. To find out if your area is participating in the first ever National Costume Swap Day or has a similar event organized, parents can check on Green Halloweens http://www.greenhalloween.org/CostumeSwap/index.html" _fcksavedurl=">http://www.greenhalloween.org/CostumeSwap/index.html">website
What If I Can't Find A Halloween Costume Swap In My Area?

Since this is the first year that National Costume Swap day is to be held you may not be able to find a swap near you. Not to worry though, there are many online sites where you can swap your costume for someone else's. The only drawback is that you will not get to examine the item up close and you will have to pay for shipping. The post office offers flat rate priority mail shipping for a little over $10.00 which is still a good deal since you won't have to pay for the costume itself. Green Halloween has a list of several online costume swaps on their website

What Happens At A Halloween Costume Swap?

Prior to the costume swap parents can arrange to drop off their used costumes on a predetermined date set by the costume swap organizers. In exchange they are given a token or ticket for each costume they turn in. On the day of the swap parents and children come back and choose a costume from the the hundreds of costumes that have been turned in for the swap. Once your child has selected a costume that they like you turn in your ticket or token and can take the costume home. If your child doesn't find a costume that they like you forfeit your chance to pick a costume. Any leftover costumes are given to local non profit family agencies. Many swaps also offer Halloween activities to keep children occupied and make the swap a fun event.

Is There A Fee To Attend The Swap?

Most swaps are free but there may be a small entrance fee required to cover the cost of renting the space the swap is held in. Some swaps will allow parents who did not bring a costume to swap to purchase a ticket to choose a costume with for a small fee. To find out about any fees contact your local costume swap organizers.

Halloween Costume Swap Tips

To insure you get to choose from the best selection of costumes make sure and arrive early on the day of the swap.

If you won't be bringing your child to the swap make sure you know what they want to be. It might even help to print off a picture of the costume they want so you can compare. Some of those Star Wars troopers look alike ro me but my son knows the difference.

Make sure you know your child's size. Some costume swaps will allow children to try on costumes. However, some do not have the facilities necessary to allow costumes to be tried on prior to selecting one.

Don't forget the accessories. Not only will the swap have costumes, there will also be costume accessories such as capes, wings,gloves, and weaponry.

Costumes are suppose to be turned in already washed but to be on the safe side wash all costume pieces in hot water or clean with a disinfectant prior to wearing.

Sources:

Green Halloween

written by Amy Lou Jenkins Insider scoop on Green Halloween and National Costume Swap Day