Cheap Halloween Costumes

Make Your Own Cheap Halloween Costumes

Many family and crafting sites offer costume ideas and step-by-step instructions for favorite projects.

• Halloween costume ideas from Kaboose include an artist, an eyeball, and a scarecrow.
• Reader suggestions at The Dollar Stretcher include bears, crayons, and Oscar the Grouch.
• Costume Idea Zone offers hundreds of quick ideas, including many that rely on clever word play, like the “leaf blower” look accomplished by dangling a leaf in front of your face and blowing on it.

If you have some sewing skills and are handy with a glue gun, you can enjoy cheap Halloween costumes by making your own. While making your own costumes can be fun in its own right, if you're only doing it for the cost savings, make sure to calculate the cost of materials and the number of hours you have to invest in making it. In some cases it may actually be more economical to purchase a highly-detailed costume from a discount retailer than to buy yards of pricey fabric and spend every spare moment sewing it.

Some costumes can be created by simply piecing together assorted articles of clothing. Costumes based on the styles of past decades are a common example. You can embrace your inner flower child with a hippy costume, or revel in the excesses of 80s fashion. If you didn't actually live during the decade in question, look to family photos, movies, and TV shows from the era for inspiration. Raid closets and attics, and visit thrift shops for the necessary pieces.

Many other costumes can be made from common articles of clothing and a few accessories. Here are just a few ideas for cheap Halloween costumes made in this manner:

• Hula dancer – Wear a bathing suit, make a “grass skirt” by cutting strips in a garbage bag, and wear a few cheap plastic leis.
• Boxer- Get some shorts,a satin robe, don some boxing gloves and flaunt a pair of bloody teeth.
• Cat – Wear a black sweatsuit, attach cardboard ears to a headband, and add a fabric tail. Use make-up to create a nose and whiskers.
• Beauty pageant contestant – Wear an old formal gown and create a sash from a length of white fabric or paper.
• Witch – Wear a black dress or a black skirt and top. Add a witch's hat and paint your face green. A broom is an optional accessory.
• Sports costume – Borrow someone else's football jersey, basketball uniform, baseball shirt, or other sports uniform. Carry a ball or other prop from your chosen sport.

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and the clothes in your closet.

Secondhand Costumes

Most kids don't want to wear the same costume two years in a row. Unless they're very young, they also chafe at the idea of wearing an older sibling's previously-worn costume. This results in too many costumes sitting unused each Halloween. Why not tap into this potential source of cheap Halloween costumes by organizing a used costume sale or swap? Gather a group of like-minded parents from your church, school, neighborhood, or group of friends, and set up a time to exchange used costumes. Even if you don't feel like being part of an organized effort, you can scour garage sales, thrift stores, and eBay for the perfect costume at an affordable price.

Timeless Costumes and Accessories

The latest character costume might not be a bargain at any price because it can so quickly fall out of favor. One minute Princess Jasmine is hot, and the next she's been replaced by Dora. And it seems like every season, there's a new version of Power Rangers.

By creating and purchasing timeless costumes and accessories, you can get the most from your costuming dollars. A black cape can drape over the shoulders of a vampire, witch, or even Harry Potter. Similar multi-purpose accessories include wings, tiaras and crowns, wands, hats, some masks, and wigs. For an even better deal, purchase these items from stores during pre-Halloween percent-off sales or early November clearance closeouts.

When thinking of costume ideas, the classic ghosts, ghouls, and goblins are always a good choice. Anyone can appreciate animal costumes like cats and dogs. Princesses and pirates alike may experience a resurgence when they coincide with a hot movie, but they're also costumes that can be a hit year after year.