Halloween on a budget can be stressful. Shopping for a costume can lead people into buying outfits costing $100 or more. For those looking for a last-minute Halloween costume on a budget, try these simple do-it-yourself costumes.
WOMAN’S COSTUME
Remember the infamous leg lamp from “A Christmas Story?” Dig up a pair of tights, black heels and a lampshade of your choice for this simple and cheap last-minute costume.
Another timeless costume is Rosie the Riveter – the face and bicep of the women’s movement during the Industrial Revolution. For this costume, you’ll need a bandana to tie around your head, a denim button-down shirt and pants and shoes of your choice. Don’t forget the red lipstick.
MAN’S COSTUME
For men looking to impress and save some money this Halloween, here are two hot options:
Joel Goodson from “Risky Business” or Marty McFly from “Back to the Future.” You may remember the famous scene of Tom Cruise sliding around his parents’ house and singing into a lamp.
To pull off this costume, all you need is a pair of black sunglasses, a white dress shirt, some tighty whities, a pair of tall white socks. Use a candlestick, fire poker or microphone as a prop to complete the look.
If Tom Cruise isn’t your style, or you’re worried about freezing in a dress shirt and underwear, you can go back to the future with Marty McFly. You’ll need a plaid shirt, a jean jacket, a puffy vest, rolled-up jeans, sneakers and a skateboard if you have one.
If you have a dog, you could even dress him up to look like Einstein from the movie.
CELEBRITY COSTUME
Celebrities are people, too. Which means some of the easiest costumes to wear are just clothing you could find in the closet.
Create an entire costume by pairing key articles of clothing and signature accessories that embody a celebrity or a role they play in a movie.
Find an old suit and some 3D glasses for a classic costume: Clark Kent, aka Superman.
It’s an easy costume to master. All you need is a blazer, a button-down shirt, glasses and some hair gel.
For the ladies, Wednesday Addams from “The Addams Family” is a character with a simple wardrobe, which makes it an easy costume to throw together last minute.
Wednesday wears long braids, a black dress with a white collar, black tights and black combat boots. Commit to the look by mastering the pale makeup and topping it off with a chunky cross necklace.
CREATURE COSTUME
For men and women, animal costumes are common for Halloween. Why? They’re cute, cheap and easy to put together.
One option is an octopus.
Find six tube socks – borrow from a friend if you have to – fill them with stuffing or other socks and attach them to your waist.
You can paint big eyes on your face or find an old beanie and paint googly eyes on the front of it. This option could also work as a spider.
Paint black polka dots on a red shirt and add a headband with antennas to transform yourself into a lady bug.
If red isn’t your color, pull off the stripes of a busy bee.
You could also be a moose or a reindeer. Wear all brown, stuff a pair of gloves and pin them to your head.
You could also paint your nose red and carry around a carrot to snack on.
WORD PLAY COSTUME
For all the jokesters out there just looking to get a good laugh out of their Halloween costume, here are some punny ideas that are cheap and easy to make.
One option is a deviled egg. Put on some horns, a tail and make a large fried egg out of cardboard or fabric to attach to yourself.
You could also be a black-eyed pea. Wear all black, paint a “P” on your shirt and give yourself a black eye with some black face paint.
Another idea is fifty shades of gray. Go to Walmart or Lowe’s and get gray paint swatches.
Wear gray pants, shoes, a gray shirt and tape or glue the paint swatches to your shirt.
Don’t let the stress of spending money on Halloween get you down. Each of these costumes can cost under $20 and are sure to get a good laugh and approval from your friends this Halloween.
Story by Madison Wepfer, Staff writer