Tell Us: How Do You Reuse or Recycle Halloween Costumes?

Halloween time is always fun, and if your family is anything like mine, the great costume discussion of 2012 has already begun.

But new threads for a one-night gig are spendy and--also if you're anything like me--you've got at least a half-dozen costumes hanging around from previous years. Well, now, most of my young relatives have outgrown my children's prior haunting duds, so donating or swapping seems like a great plan.

Here's one annual event, National Costume Swap Day, which gives you the opportunity to turn in your old costumes for a swap ticket good at local businesses on Oct. 13. The nearest swap is happening at the Mercer Island Thrift Shop, and here's the information that we found:

Everyone knows the thrift shop is your best resource to treat your style and trick your wallet, so hurry in before the selection becomes ghostly. This year you can trade in your old costume for a $10 discount on a Halloween merchandise purchase of $30 or more. Ask your MITS donation customer service attendant for the coupon when you stopy by with your donation.

There are a couple of great costumes I hand made with and for my daughter once upon a time that I might have trouble parting with, but clowns, lady pirates, little boy ninjas, Simba from the Lion King circa 1996, and many other great things need new children to bring them back to life again.

So tell me, please, where and how do you trade in, trade up, and share the spookiness?