Cheap, Homemade Costumes for Halloween

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?

Financial Fads

If you’ve ever spent any time trying to figure out how to drop a couple of pounds, you’ll know what I mean when I say that there are hundreds of fad diets out there. Everything from consuming nothing but water with cayenne pepper in it for days on end, to smelling foods but not consuming them. Fad diets are everywhere.

There are fads for everything; fashion, beauty products, even food (right now, it’s sriracha and everything being on a stick or in mason jars). Unsurprisingly, there are also money fads. A few of the more interesting ones are below:

via gobankingrates.com

Financial Fad: Frozen Credit Cards

I remember being younger and my mom freezing her credit card – literally, in a block of ice – to prevent herself from using it. This was back when online shopping and online banking didn’t exist with as much prevalence as it does now. Because you don’t physically need the card anymore to make purchases with it, this method definitely wouldn’t work in today’s day and age.

It worked great for my mom, temporarily, however, to curb impulse shopping with money that she didn’t have at the time.

Financial Fads: Hypnosis

Hypnosis was popular recently for people who wanted to stop smoking or lose weight, but it was also a popular financial diet to stop people from spending money they didn’t have on things that they didn’t need. In fact, people were using hypnosis for a lot of purposes a few years ago.

Financial Fads: Spending Fasts

I don’t know that this fad is completely out yet, but spending fasts were many people’s preferred way of saving money in the last couple of years. They challenge themselves to not eat out, or to not spend frivolously for a period of time. I thought this may have been just a fad in the personal finance realm, but apparently not. A couple of friends of mine from two completely different sides of the country both posted on Facebook about their spending fasts in the last few months.

There are probably a hundred other fad financial diets out there. Just like fad diets, they never quite work. If you’re going to spend, you’re going to spend regardless of these fads. Don’t get sucked in!

Should You Buy a Smart Phone?

I’m a big fan of my phone. At first, I couldn’t decide whether I should buy a smart phone or an android. When I bought my smart phone, I spent a lot of time on it, between keeping in contact with my friends and family and working on my websites and emailing my clients. I’m also a bit of a social media hound, and I love a phone that can take pictures and post them quickly on the fly.

My phone never leaves my side, and when I accidentally leave it at home when I go out, I feel lost and usually actually get lost (I can’t find anything without Google Maps).

When I imagine my life without my smart phone, I imagine that it would be very disorganized, and very messy. But that’s just me. I’m an individual, and I use my smart phone for a lot of purposes.

Just because I adore my phone doesn’t mean that I think everyone needs a smart phone. Deciding weather you should take the plunge? You should buy a smart phone if you:

Don’t Have a Computer? Maybe You Need a Smart Phone

Smart phones are invaluable for keeping in touch with people electronically if you don’t have a computer. Believe it or not, there are quite a few people still out there that don’t own a laptop or a PC, and if you are one of them, a smart phone may be a good idea.

It doesn’t have to be an iPhone. You can consider an Android like the Samsung Galaxy or another model. These can be just as helpful.

Work For Yourself or Own Your Own Business? You Probably Need a Smart Phone

If you own your own business or work for yourself, you will need a smart phone. Your email, phone calls, and even social media management can’t wait while you are out of the office. You should have a smart phone to be able to answer clients, staff, and suppliers on the fly.

Don’t Buy a Smart Phone Unless You Can Afford It

This is Suburban Finance, after all, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on the fact that if you can’t afford a smart phone, you shouldn’t buy one! Not only can they cost more up front, but they are almost always more expensive to keep. You will have to pay into a data plan so that you can use it to it’s full potential. It’s even more expensive if you decide to finance your phone.

Smart phones are great, but can be pointless if you don’t need one.

Do you have a smart phone? What made you made the decision to buy it.