Last Minute Homemade Halloween Costumes on a Budget

Halloween is right around the corner and chances are even if you have extra money to spend on a costume there aren't many left on the shelves at retailers. So what do you do? These last minute Halloween costumes can be made in mere minutes, don't cost much and are perfect for small children who don't want to be a witch or a goblin.

Last Minute Homemade Halloween Costume #1: Christmas Tree

Yeah, that's right--a Christmas tree! A quick trip to the local retail store such as Wal-Mart or Target will tell you that this truly is a good costume idea as the retailers are already stocking their shelves with Christmas decorations even though it isn't even Halloween yet! So, here's what you need to make your little one into a Christmas tree for Halloween:

3 Garland Wreaths (small, medium and large)
20-30 feet of green garland
Zip ties
Red Ribbon

Chances are you already have these items at home in your Christmas decorations boxes packed away so for a really inexpensive Halloween costume, dig out those Christmas decorations a bit early this year and turn them into Halloween decorations too. Begin by taking the large and medium wreath apart at the seam so that your child can easily step into the wreath. Using the garland and zip ties, place the largest wreath just below your child's knees and the medium wreath at the waist, then sip tie garland in between the two to hole them into place. Now, use the small wreath around your child's neck and zip tie garland into place from the center wreath to the top wreath.

To finish the Christmas tree Halloween costume off, zip tie plenty of garland in between to fill in any areas where you can see through. The idea is to make the entire area green with garland so that it looks like a Christmas tree. Finally, tie some bows to the garland to decorate the tree.

Last Minute Homemade Halloween Costume #2: Box of Tissues

Halloween marks a time when cold and flu is also prevalent so why not make your child into a giant box of tissues for Halloween. Here are the items you will need to make this Halloween costume:

Large Box
Wrapping Paper
1 Sheet White Paper
Tape
Bungee Cord
White Tissue Paper

Begin by cutting arm and leg holes into the box so that your child can place his or her arms and legs comfortably into the holes. Cut the top portion of the box off so that it is completely open. Next, using the wrapping paper, wrap the entire outside of the box the way that you would a birthday gift using tape to secure the edges. Write the word "tissues" on the white piece of paper and tape the tag to the side of the box.

Using the bungee cord, secure the box crosswise so that you child can step in between the bungee cord and place the cord over his or her shoulders to hold the box up. Using whole sheets if white tissue paper, stuff paper into the top of the box once your child is in it and leave the edges of the paper puffed out around your child's face and neck to create a tissue box look.