10 Cheap and Easy Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween is almost here! Time for horrors, time for fear! Witches and skeletons dance in the sky, while you go a' walking by!

Halloween is nearly here! What may have begun as a festival to scare off evil spirits when the nights begin to lengthen has now turned into a celebration of imagination and creativity and fright. Here's a few easy ways to enjoy yourself and make neat costumes without stretching your budget.

1. Gumball Machine - Take 1 bag multicolored balloons, 1 clear trash bag, and a baseball cap. Blow up the balloons. Be sure to cut two holes in the bottom of the bag for your legs and two on the sides for your arms - not big enough for the balloons to escape from. Step into the bag and secure it at the neck with ribbon or twin or pin it to your shirt underneath. Add the balloons. Now get a piece of paper or cardboard and write 5 cents or other monetary amount of your choice and stick the paper onto the hat. Viola. Gumball machine.

2. Zombie - Easy as pie. Find old clothes you're going to throw out anyhow. Shred them. Add bits of red, green, and brown paint for 'realistic' color. Dark makeup under the eyes, bits of red lipstick or makeup for blood... done. Work on your groaning 'Braaaaains' and you're set.

3. Ghost - Mom did it when you were a kid. Why break tradition. Take one Bed sheet. Cut Eye holes. Done! Add silly shoes or use interesting floral patterns on your sheets for giggle value. It worked in Beetlejuice!

4. Toga! - Again with the sheets. Drape in creative ways, add sandals. Quick, easy, and classic.

5. Larger than life body parts! - Big butts and guts can be silly and fun. Buy a larger than usual pair of sweatpants and stuff the front or back with pillows/newspaper, plastic bags - whatever you have lying around to give it shape. It will exaggerate the size and shape of whatever.

6. Painter - Find painters overalls at your local hardware store. Buy cheap and easy to find kids paints anywhere. Decorate yourself, add paintbrushes to a pocket... done. Quick and easy.

7. Military - Any army/navy surplus store will have plenty of neat accessories for any kind of military costume.

8. Nerd/Old Person - Take one plaid shirt, a pair of khaki pants pulled up high . Now for nerd add toy glasses and a pocket calculator and pens. For an old man, you just wear high socks with old loafers.

9. Poor Man's Playboy - One bathrobe, one fake pipe, and one pair of slippers makes one a cheap version of Hue Heffner. Add a stuffed bunny rabbit for comedy value and you're set.

10. Bathing Beauty - Take any bathing suit, add a sash with 'First Prize' or 'Miss (Insert Punny Title here - Understood, Taken, Ing Persons) and high-heels. Tiara is optional. Works for men too if they're daring.

These ten easy ideas can be done by anyone for fairly little money and produce a lot of entertainment value. The more creative you are the more fun your outfit will turn out to be. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

Another suggested reading for great inexpensive costume ideas," Last minute Halloween Costume Ideas."