Halloween is one of my favorite fall events. I don’t consider it a holiday, because it’s Halloween, but I do love dressing up in costume and trick-or-treaters and everybody else’s costumes. I’ve seen some really great costumes that were clearly homemade, which is a great way to cut costs on Halloween. Since costumes are so much cheaper if you make them out of materials at home, why not try to DIY this year and save some cash? Here are some cheap costume ideas.
Funny or Unusual
Many people don’t want to go as something classic for Halloween, but you still don’t have to buy the entire costume from a costume shop. You can make funny, clever costumes at home for free or cheap.
One Night Stand Costume
This clever one night stand costume idea came from a friend of mine. She was going to be a one night stand for Halloween. It’s a play on words, because she made a costume that looked like a night stand. To do this, make some cuts in a large cardboard box for your head and arms (this will be the night stand base). Paint it the color of your choosing and paint on some drawers, handles, etc. Glue down a light or empty book to it, a fake or broken alarm clock, a plastic cup (to look like a glass of water), maybe some dollar store reading glasses. When people ask what you are, you can tell them you are a one night stand! A lampshade on your head will complete the look.
Don’t want to make your own? HalloweenExpress.com has one night stand costumes for a pretty reasonable price.
Have you ever dressed up as a one night stand?
An Egg
Once again,HalloweenExpress.com has fried egg costumes (at a really good price) if you don’t want to make your own. However, it’s a fairly simple craft – it likely just won’t come out looking as professional as this one.
This is the easiest one possible, other than maybe a ghost. Wear all white. If you can make yourself look rounder, that is ideal; try stuffing cloth in your clothing. Use an old shirt and paint a yellow yolk across your midsection. If you don’t have an old white shirt, you can use fabric tape and cut a yellow circle out of felt.
Use a helmet and cover it in either felt or paper. Make a jagged edge to look like a cracked egg. You can also go without the helmet.
Jazz it up with some homemade bacon (make it out of felt) and carry a flipper!
You can also buy an egg costume (one of the less expensive halloween costumes I’ve come across) or be a deviled egg!
Classics
Sometimes, you just want to go as something classic for Halloween. These will save you money and will likely be quick, easy fixes if you don’t have a costume yet.
Ghost
Cutting eye holes in an old, white sheet is a classic Halloween costume and while it seems obvious, it’s an easy way to dress up while saving time and money.
via go4costumes.com
Animal
You or your child may want to go as an animal for Halloween, in which case there is no point in spending a ton of money on a costume when you could make it at home. Try wearing black, getting some ears and a tail from the dollar store and painting a nose and whiskers on your face with eyeliner or face paint.
You can also make the tail and ears with a simple headband, and some black and pink felt.
The same goes for bunny rabbit (try wearing grey, making the ears longer) or a dog (brown, make the ears longer and more floppy).
Are you going the homemade route this year for Halloween? Have you saved money this way in the past?
Those are really amazing ideas for halloween and I really loved that one night stand costume. I would definitely pick any of these ideas for my kids for sure. Thanks for sharing those ideas
Haha, except probably the one night stand for the kids,right ? 😉
I love these ideas for Halloween! I refuse to pay $50 for a cheap Halloween costume that I’ll wear once!
I know, I’m with you. I hate how expensive it’s become.
Pretty sure the only one I’m “talented” enough to create myself would the ghost. Then again, I’m sure the eyes would be lopsided and different sizes!
Hahaha believe it or not I tried making a ghost once and it took me three sheets to master it
Pretty sure the only one I’m “talented” enough to create myself would the ghost. Then again, I’m sure the eyes would be lopsided and different sizes!
HAHAHA!!! An egg! That is really good stuff. Do you suppose a Black Widow outfit would be too difficult to achieve?
Hmmmm.. yes! But you can always wear a black and white outfit and go as a burnt marshmallow 🙂
I love the idea of creative pun costumes, like that one-night-stand idea. I’ve seen a lot of those in my time and they always win costume contests in my head. I also seem to always see the most recent celebrity who died which seems kind of disrespectful yet funny at the same time. When Elliot Smith killed himself, that Halloween I saw a ton of folks dressed as him with a knife sticking out of their chest.
There are a ton of people that go as celebrities in general, that’s for sure!
Creating a costume is easy enough to do and even if you need some bits to finish off the costume going to Value Village or The Salvation Army is always a great way to save money as well. The one night stand is funny.
Value village is always pretty good deals on costumes
That’s awesome! We love Halloween and the best costumes are always the home made ones. Buying a costume is the easy way out. Making a clever costume from home is way better!
I always appreciate home made costumes much more, too.
Last year, my hubby and I went to a Halloween Party dressed as Harry Potter and Hermione. We made our costumes out of cheap black sheets for our capes and bought a couple of cheap accessories – Harry Potter round glasses was one of them. We drew on a red scar with lip liner on the hubby’s forehead and we took along a stuffed toy cat to accompany my outfit!
Perfect! They sound like such cute costumes, I love the ideas!