Halloween Costumes on a Budget

Let's face it, Halloween costumes have gotten more expensive and made out of cheaper and cheaper materials!

You too can create awesome creative costumes while saving money! Here are just a few ideas.

Farmer - A pair of overalls, flannel shirt and a straw hat. Add a stuffed animal or plastic pitchfork to complete the look.

Angel - white dress or white sweats. Make wings using light weight poster board or pantyhose over wire hangers. Attach tie straps (can be made from elastic - great use for a pair of old pants with elastic waist band) to go over shoulders. Pipe Cleaners can also shaped for the halo.

Techno nerd - dress in mix matched clothes. Take an old pair of glass or even sun glasses with the lenses out. Tape between the eyes. Pocket protector with pens for pocket. Wrong size clothes - too big or too small work best and weird or opposite patterns. Like checks and stripes.

Crayon - Make a tube out of poster board. Be sure to cut holes for arms. Don't forget to make a pointed hat. Where tights or sweats underneath. Decorate crayon in your favorite color (you can also start with colored poster board. Use Velcro in back for easy on and off for potty breaks.

Gypsy - long flowing skirt, lots of jewelry, bandanna or long scarf to tie around head and waist. Anything that jingles...from jewelry to belts to skirt.

Scarecrow - jeans or overalls with a flannel shirt. Tie raffia around cuffs of shirt and pants - it looks like straw. Paint a red triangle (using red lipstick works) on nose. Don't forget an oversized straw hat. For an added touch, take a fake crow and pen to hat or shoulder.

Fairy - using wire for the wings, and elastic bands to go over shoulders. Cover wire once shaped like wings with stretchy fabric or old panty hose. Embellish with glitter, rhinestones, sequins, and marabou.

Ghost - Find an old white sheet (thrift stores are a great place to buy these at a cheap price). Put over the person who plans to wear it being sure to center their head. Draw circles around where eyes should go. Mark how much material will need to be cut off at bottom. Remove sheet from person and cut eye holes. The cut bottom in a ragged fashion for a more ghostly effect. Brush glue alone eye holes to prevent fraying.

Tourist - Loud Hawaiian print shirt, long shorts and a straw hat. Large bag with maps hanging out and don't forget the camera!

Static Cling - Wear anything a solid color sweat suit all white or all black. With safety pins, pin anything to yourself socks(good use of single socks), underwear, and dryer sheets. Spray your hair straight up in the air.

Mummy - Wrap yourself in white bandages and rolls of gauze. Use spatters of green paint for mold. Use make-up on face with "age lines" drawn on.

Basket of laundry - Wear sweat pants and sweatshirt if it is cold. Take an inexpensive, thin plastic laundry basket and cut a hole in the bottom that you can fit through. Use rope to tie basket over shoulders and fill basket with laundry and pin a few dryer softener sheets to your sweatshirt.

Creating a costume yourself not only saves you money but your costume will be unique and the you will creating memories while creating your costume.