As a child, I had some of the greatest homemade Halloween costumes ever made, to the envy of most of my friends. Of course, that was because my mother was a fantastic seamstress that could whip together Raggedy Ann, angels, devils, or mermaid costumes within a few days. Unfortunately I never learned how to sew.
To keep my costumes homemade (because those are really the best costumes), I’ve figured out how to gather together enough bits and pieces from my closet, Goodwill, plus a little creativity and throw together a few easy Halloween costumes. Here is a list of last-minute outfits I’ve worn over the past few years that are easy and cheap to put together:
- Cowboy/cowgirl. This one is pretty easy to piece together. All you need is a cowboy style hat, bandana, jeans, plaid shirt, and cowboy boots (which you can find at thrift stores). Add a few touches such as a thick rope, silver/metal belt buckle, and maybe a holster, and you’ve got a costume.
- Fisherman. So maybe this isn’t a first idea when it comes to costumes, but it’s pretty easy. Just add a fisherman’s hat, vest with fishing tackles hooked to it, and a fishing pole. If you can find some wading boots to add a little more character, that’s a plus.
- Pirate. Jeans -check. Black boots- check. Bandana -check. Loop earrings -check. Add an eye patch and vest and yell, “Yo! matey!”
- Witch. Black witches hat (which can be made from black felt/fabric and cardboard), dark clothing – preferably a dress, long socks and black shoes. Add a witches crooked nose and it finishes the costume.
- Angel. Long, light-colored gown or shirt with leggins, halo made from a wire hanger decorated with tinsel and a wand. Add wings using wire (knitting needles work), cardboard, and feathers or see-through fabric, and glue.
- Ghoul -whether that be zombie or old-fashioned dead person. Grab some old clothes, cut them to look “torn”, add some fake blood and messy hair. Voila! Zombie!
- Ghost. This one’s a long-lasting no-brainer. Cut two eye-holes in a white sheet and you have your standard “Casper.”
This year I’m repeating “cowgirl.” It’s simple and I have all the items I need. For more inspiration, check out Pinterest for ideas.
What will you be this year?
12 Comments
I love these ideas because they’re simple and cheap! I always wait until the last minute for halloween costume ideas! I’m mentioning this on my roundup this week.
@Monica- Thanks!
This year, I’ll be…..me. But my kids will be dressing up for Halloween, though they’ll be in purchased costumes. I do remember being a kid and having my Mom make a few costumes – a skeleton. Fun memories, and the homemade costumes carry the more meaningful memories.
@Tie the Money Knot – Definitely fond memories. Enjoy your Halloween…as you! 🙂
I don’t typically dress up for Halloween, but when the kids come to my place for trick or treating I love to look at the costumes. The best ones are the creative ones. I’m also seeing more and more people bring their dogs by, usually dressed up.
@Tushar – I haven’t seen the dogs yet, though I did see that on a cell phone commercial, but I’ve seen more cardboard box ideas. Cardboard boxes as robots, cereal, etc. Very creative ideas. Enjoy your Halloween!
These are all great! I learned to sew growing up, but I can make curtains, nothing as complicated as clothing. One year I was Medusa….put on a raggedy black dress, got black contact lenses, and bobby pinned some dollar store toy snakes into my hair. I have to say, it was pretty cool.
@Femme Frugality – Medusa sounds like a pretty cool costume. Great idea!
@The Potato Head – I have to say that I have no clue who Walter is from Breaking Bad. Maybe a few of those looks were confused. 😉
I expect there will be a lot of costumed little children at school tomorrow. I avoid dressing up because am past that age.
@Krantcents – You’re never past the age of dressing up! It’s funny, a student dropped by my room asking for candy today and when I told him he’d be getting plenty tomorrow, he said he was too old for that. He’s only 12 but looks 9. He could totally get away with trick-or-treating! 😉
My favorite cheap costume was a blind ref. 🙂 Striped shirt, black pants, a tapping stick, and big sunglasses.