How To Do A Halloween Costume Last Minute and on a Budget

by mzumtaylor on October 30, 2010

It’s happened to the best of us: we put off figuring out what we’re going to do for Halloween, if anything, and then a friend/co-worker/loved one says “What are you going to wear to the Halloween Party tonight?” and we panic.

But never fear, with a little creative ingenuity (and possibly a trip to your local thrift store/Target) you too can come up with a not-lame costume for $15 or less.

Step 1: What Do You Have in Your Closet?

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Tools: A pad of paper, a writing utensil, and a healthy imagination

If your closet is anything like mine, there are things hiding in there that you forgot you owned. Right now, my husband has a three-piece suit that he has never worn (remnants of working for a tailor) and I have about five fancy dresses (two bridesmaid, one prom, one that a friend made for me, and one that I found for $6 a thrift store and couldn’t pass up).

We also have several jackets, some more worn than others, and a mess of hats. (What? I like hats. Leave me alone. ;D)

Step 2: Go to Your Local Thrift Store / Consignment Shop

Time Commitment: 30 minutes to several hours (depending on how much time you have)
Tools: A healthy imagination, a sense of adventure, petty cash

Having taken stock of what’s in your closet, the next thing I always do is go to my favorite thrift store and see what they have that I might use to supplement what I already have. The great thing about this trip to the thrift store is that the gawdier and more ill-used an item is, the better it might be for your eventual costume.

It’s best to go with a creative and fun-loving friend, who can help you brainstorm ideas as you wander about.

Not having any idea what your thrift store might contain, I can only tell you some of the things my friends and I have found in the past:

  • an old mechanic’s jump suit – I dressed as Kaylee, my favorite character from Firefly
  • a horrible 80s bridemaid dress – my friend went as Lydia from Beetlejuice
  • enough bad tie-dye to dress like a hippie for decades
  • an old, moth-eaten suit – another friend went as a zombie punk rocker

The possibilities are only limited to your imagination, and most of what you find at the thrift store won’t cost more than $3 or $5.

Step 3: Finalize Your Idea and Gather the Finishing Touches from Target/Walmart/Walgreens/Lowes/etc.

Time Commitment: 10 – 20 minutes, plus driving time
Tools: Your completed costume idea, as sense of adventure, petty cash

No matter what you have at home or find at the thrift store, chances are good that you’ll need one or two extra touches to pull it all together, and that’s where the Halloween section at your preferred store comes in. You might need face paint or hair glitter or a witch’s hat or something that you can only really get at full price.

I’ve also had to go to the hardware store more than once; it just depends on what you need.

Last Year’s Last Minute Costume Ideas:

Ben: With an old plaid hunters jacket we had, a ratty old pair of jeans, shoes with holes in them, an old knit cap, bum gloves (cheap brown gardening gloves with the fingers cut off, $3 at Walmart), and a cardboard sign that said “Will eat Brains for Food / God Bless”, my husband was a zombie bum.

Total Cost: $5
Total Time: 45 minutes

Me: With the thrift store dress (all black), some awesome stripped socks ($7 at Target), a gauzy orange scarf I got for Christmas last year, a pair of high heels (ankle boots would have been great, but I don’t own any), and a pointy hat ($2 at Walmart), I was a witch.

Total Cost: $9
Total Time: 30 minutes

Other Ideas I Could Put Together in 60 Minutes Or Less Using the Above Steps

For Ben:

  • With the suit we have,
  • a monocle (key ring and a long chain or piece of string, probably $5 at Lowe’s),
  • a fake mustache (cardboard or paper would work),
  • a (small) pillowcase painted with a dollar sign and stuffed with newspaper ($3 at a thrift store if you don’t have one to sacrifice), and
  • a little extra padding (I would use pillows or newspaper; the suit’s too big),
  • he could be a business tycoon/banker fat cat.

For Me:

  • With one of the bridesmaid dresses I have, artistically ripped (it’s not like I’m even going to wear it again)
  • the matching pair of shoes I still have,
  • a pair of ripped up panty hoes ($4 at Walgreens), ripped by me after purchase,
  • face makeup ($5 – $10 to buy a kit, depending on where you go), and
  • fake blood ($5 – $10, but easy enough to make at home),
  • I could be a ghost bridesmaid or a zombie bridesmaid.

OR…

  • With a long-sleeve black shirt,
  • black pants,
  • black shoes,
  • a knee-high black sock ($7 at Target) stuffed with cotton batting or other socks,
  • a black headband ($3 at Walgreens/Target) with kitty ears (cardboard or construction paper) stuck to it, and
  • facepaint ($5-$10, depending on where you go),
  • (and black press-on nails ($5-$7 at Walgreens), optional)
  • I could be a black cat.

As always, the possibilities are limited only by your own imagination and how much effort you want to put into it.

Good luck, and Happy Halloween. ^_^

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