Halloween Costumes That Don’t Cost an Arm and a Leg

Halloween is right around the corner, and chances are you’ll need a costume. This year people will spend 2.5 billion dollars on costumes alone.  You can grab something pre-made at your local costume shop, but costumes out of a bag are usually overpriced and lame.

I came to this conclusion while searching for costumes online. I was flabbergasted at the amount of “sexy” costumes made for women. The most ridiculous being a “Sexy Ghostbuster” costume. Everyone knows that you can’t carry a Proton Pack in daisy dukes. The heat generated on use would instantly scorch and destroy the back of your legs. Do these people not understand Science?

I decided that it was time to go homemade. Being original while saving money is a win-win situation. These costumes cost way less than store bought ones, and you won’t accidentally show up to that holiday party wearing the same costume as someone else.

Easy to make costumes:

Cereal Killer

Items needed: Black shirt, single serve cereal boxes, string, safety pins, plastic knives, and red paint. Total cost – $14.38

Take a bunch of single serve breakfast cereal boxes and attach them to clothing. Cut a slit in the boxes and glue plastic knives into the holes, then drip red paint running from the slit in the cereal boxes.

Labor and Delivery

Items needed: Blue scrubs, small doll body, fake head and mask from party supply store, bald cap and surgical mask. Total cost – $23.45

Put the bald cap on. Apply the mask and surgeons mask to the fake head. Prop the fake head up by using a metal wire hanger and tape to hold in place. Hold the baby’s body under your chin throughout the evening.

Rubik’s Cube

Items needed: 5 different colors of construction paper (enough to cover each side of the box), box large enough to cover torso, glue. Total cost – $4.00

Cut up the construction paper in 9 equal squares and paste them to each side of the box. Cut holes in the box for the head and arms. Cover each side of the “cube” with various colors.

Mid-level costumes:

Change of Face

Items needed: face mask with the face cut out, rubber bands, paperclips, face latex, flesh and blood colored face paint. Total cost – $19.63

Trace various surgery lines on the face mask. To get toothless look place the rubber bands in the sides of mouth and use rubber bands to hold lips back by hooking them to your ears. Cover face in latex mixed with red paint. Add rubber bands and tissue to make look like tendons and bones.

Bag of Jelly Beans

Items needed: Lots of different colored balloons, extra large clear plastic bag, safety pins, white cardboard, ribbon. Total cost – $14.45

Blow up all the balloons. Cut two leg holes in the bottom of the bag and two arm holes near the middle. Stand in the bag and fill with blown up balloons. Write on each piece of cardboard “Jelly Beans”. Safety pin signs to front and back of bag. Loosely tie around shoulders with a colorful ribbon. Cut off excess bag around face.

Madame Butterfly

Items needed: 5 dozen fake butterflies, 24 gauge wire, glue gun, wire cutters, 3 hair combs and skin colored seam-binding. Total cost – $28.68

Take the fake butterflies and glue them to 8-12 inch cut wire pieces. Wrap wires around the 3 combs. Cut two 40 inch pieces of seam binding, and at the end make a loop and glue together for your forefinger. Coil the seam binding around arms and tie together at the back of neck. Put combs throughout head and arrange the butterflies in front of face.

Insanely complex (but awesome!) to make costume:

Big Daddy -Bioshock

This one is going to take more than a few sentences to explain how to do. Check out the detailed instructions here.

These costumes will involve some time and effort, but it’s worth it. Imagine the look on your friends face when you walk in the door at this year’s Halloween party not wearing last year’s getup or something generic out of a bag.

The average person will spend $79.82 on Halloween decorations, costumes and candy. These costumes (except the Big Daddy obviously) can be made around or under $25.00. Use that costume money you save this year for the good stuff, like candy and junk food.