Welcome back to "You're Welcome" Wednesday, where I share a creative tip with you that's bound to make you say...THANKS!
With Halloween just around the corner (YIKES!) I thought I'd share this HUGE list of homemade Halloween costumes with you that I found. Some of them are pretty darn clever!
Remember, you should try to
NEVER PAY FULL-PRICE FOR ANYTHING.
Ever.
Yes, even Halloween costumes, no matter how cute they are.
Here's how to get a fun, cheap, or free Halloween costume:
- Borrow one. People RARELY repeat costumes, but people commonly pay a small fortune for them. Post something on Facebook "Help! I'm looking for a costume...anyone have one I can borrow?" Trust me, you'll get tons of responses. (On the flip-side, be sure to be willing to loan out yours! What goes around comes around...)
- Buy used. Thrift stores, Ebay, classified ads (Craigslist, KSL [for Utah, Idaho, Wyoming]...), Amazon. Give them a good washing, and there you go - new to you!
- Find a discount. If you just can't resist that oh-so-cute store-bought costume, no fear. Try to buy online when you can (tends to be cheaper), and remember to ALWAYS search for a coupon code online before buying ANYTHING! Yes, this works for non-online stores too. Google "coupon for Halloween City" or "coupon code for amazon.com" and more often than not you will find something!
- Mix it up. Don't feel like you have to buy - or make - everything. Integrate purchased pieces with homemade ones.
- For example...Last year I saw a cute costume for my son that I couldn't resist, so I Googled a coupon code, got it for a deal, and bought it. My husband and I made our costumes of things we had lying around, thus it was still an affordable "theme"!
Ok seriously, how cute is this?
He's our million dollar baby!
Get it?
Bag of money?
Robbers?
No?
Ok, I thought it was clever...
Even our dog go involved. Meet Sheriff Ollie.
Yes, he hated it. Poor guy.
- Buy off-season. Go right after Halloween and stock up for next year! You will be able to save up to 90% and have brand new costumes for thrift store prices.
- Rent. Yes, it's true. Contact High School drama departments, local theater production companies, or even TV stations if you have one near you. Ask if you can rent their costumes. Guess what? They will probably let you! You can also keep your eyes peeled for deals like this one:
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- Get creative. Make one yourself! Use things you have lying around! Think outside the box! For example:
- Salad bowl on your head + a few leaves of lettuce sticking out + bottle of dressing tied around your neck + croutons taped to you + sheet made into a toga = Ceasar salad.
Below are some examples from this HUGE list of halloween costume ideas:
- Be an animal -- ANIMALS of ALL KINDS
- For toddlers - you can make just about any animal there is using a sweat suit in the appropriate color. If it has a hood, you can attach ears to it, otherwise, you can use a headband to attach the ears. Glue some fake fur from a fabric store to appropriate places (like brown fur on the belly for a bear, or pink fur on the belly for a rabbit, or white fur as stripes on a black sweatsuit for a skunk, brown fur on the hood for a lion, etc.). You can do a zebra with a white sweatsuit and a roll of black tape easily too.
- Mount Rushmore
- Get three friends. Take one white sheet, and cut four holes in it. Whiten your faces and hair with make-up, powder or flour. Then line up and stick your heads through the sheet, and enjoy your monumental costume -- as Mount Rushmore!
- Lost TV Remote
- Simply remove two large seat cushions from your sofa, and affix one in front of you and one behind you. You’re an item familiar to all -- the lost TV remote control!
- A simple pillow can provide any number of last-minute costumes. Tuck it into the upper back of your shirt -- you're Quasimodo! Or move it around to the front -- you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger! Don’t discard that pillow case -- put it over the top part of your body and you’re a Chicklet!
- Universal Bar Code
- Get a child’s growth chart with the lines and numbers on it, then affix it to your body from head to toe. Every shopper will recognize you as a price in Universal Bar Code! This costume will also protect your anonymity: No one call tell what the real price is, just like at the grocery store!
- The Universal Bar Code thing can also be done as a "Generic Halloween Costume". Dress all in white and draw a big UBC symbol about the size a of a sheet of paper. Attach one to your front and one to your back. You are now wearing a "generic halloween costume"
- A CAESAR SALAD
- Put a colander on your head stuffed with lettuce (preferably Romaine for authenticity). Put croutons wherever you want. Tie a bottle of dressing around your neck. Make a simple toga from an old white sheet or towel. Find some sandals.
- DALMATIAN
- Find an old white T-shirt or sweatshirt. Use black spray paint or cut black circles from felt or construction paper. Add black face paint on nose and a piece of rope for a tail. Make some floppy ears and attach them to a headband. Pant.
- BAKED POTATO
- Find some brown tights, socks or sweatpants. Take a brown garbage bag and cut holes for legs and arms. Stuff with newspaper or packing peanuts. Attach around neck without strangling self. Use yellow construction paper for a pat of butter on the tummy or head. Consider a hat made from an empty sour cream container, unless you're concerned about fat grams. and sticking with the potato theme, if you have a baby who wants to get in on the tater-tot costume, then wrap the kid in aluminum foil and he's a "baked potato"!
I found these costume ideas from the Goodwill web site. http://www.goodwill.org/
Stop in at your local Goodwill Store for your costume needs.
- Sherlock Holmes: Get a brown cape, a vest, white slacks and a magnifying glass, the sleuth hat.
- Tacky Man/Woman: Just butt UGLY, mismatched clothes (polyester and patterns are a plus).
- Cowboy/Cowgirl: Jeans, western shirt, boots, western hat, neckerchief and bandanna.
- Scare Crow: Add patches to jeans and flannel shirts, add straw to cuffs of pants and shirt (duct tape will allow you to attach straw to under side of pants and shirt).
- Gypsy: Get a scarf for your hair, a shawl and a puffy blouse with a flowing long flower print skirt.
- Betty Rubble: Wear a black wig done "Betty" style, take a blue halter dress and cut the length with a pair of scissors so that the ends are jagged. Wear a bow in your hair. Glue a small rock to the top of the halter dress.
- Bam-Bam: Using leopard skin material, cut out a diaper size piece of cloth for the waist. Cut a ragged edge and then use the same material to make a sash for the shoulder. Use a dog's rubber bone for the back. Use hot glue to attach at the rear. Cut a card board circle and glue on a circle of material. Use bobbi-pins to attach to the hair.
- Ghosts: Sheets - make sure to cut big holes for eyes.
- Mr. Potato Head: Fill a burlap bag with old shirts or rags. Using felt, cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. Attach Velcro to the backs of these items. Use fiber- fill to stuff the parts. Then attach the Velcro backs to the suit. Use black sweat pants or leotard for legs.
- Magician: Where a black tux jacket, black pants, white dress shirt, Top hat and stuffed bunny for your tricks.
- 1950's Look: Untucked, solid-color button down shirts; jeans rolled up to mid-calf; socks and penny loafers. Girls wear pony tail and boys slick-back ducktail with grease.
- Old Man/Woman: Old looking clothes, glasses, old shoes, and cane. Use a bulky purse and for that added touch, use baby powder for grey hair.
- Mummy: Take white sheets, tear up into long strips and wrap them around the body.
- Rapper: Large jeans, large shirt. Baseball cap worn sideways or backwards.
- Zombies: ALL of these Zombie costumes were practically free. Well, we did pay a few bucks for some of the suits at the Goodwill, but you could also just use something out of your closet. The makeup and fake blood are what really makes these awesome.
- Animaniacs: Black cotton cap for hair, use pipe cleaners and felt for forming ears which can be glued to hat. Use a small slinky (stretched and wrapped in black felt for the tail. Black pants & shirt, white gloves for hands. Use lip stick for nose, white face paint for face, black face paint for neck. (For Dot, add a red polka-dot skirt and yellow silk flower on hat)(For Wacko, Use a baseball cap turned around (ears will be glued to it) with Blue sweat shirt with the sleeves cut 1/4 length) and (for Yacko, Wear white pants).
- Pat (From Saturday Night Live): Get a Western shirt 2 sizes too big. Stuff yourself with rolled up newspaper. Use polyester pants that are brown and 2 sizes too big. For the stuffing on the pants, use multiple layers of foam. Use military style glasses. Black curly wig.
- Zorro: Black clothing, black hat, mask (for the cape - dye an old sheet black) and a red scarf wrapped around the waist.
- I Dream of Jeannie: Use a tube top for the top, and cut off a red vest for the jacket. Use baggie pants that can be dyed pink and an old pair of ballet shoes.
- Nerd: High-water pants (FLOODS), white shirt, bow tie, white socks, black shoes and dark-frame glasses with masking tape around the nose piece. For that extra touch, use a pocket protector.
- Hippie: Bell-bottom jeans, long jeans, or peasant dress, love beads (long necklace, bead band, peace button and pink-tinted glasses. Tie-dyed shirt optional.)
- Grape Vine: Use a brown body suit and shoes. Cover your body with double sided sticky tape. Then fill up purple balloons and attach the balloons to the double sided tape. You may use a garbage bag tie to attach the balloon to the double sided tape. This is preferred if you are going outside in the wind.
Click HERE to see the rest of the list.
Have fun, don't spend too much, and take lots of pictures!
Happy Haunting :)
