DIY Costume Ideas for Halloween – Easy & Low-Cost

Let’s face it, not everybody can afford to spend lots of money on elaborate Halloween costumes, especially if you’re living on a fixed income. As well as not everybody can afford to spend lots of time making them either, especially those without sewing abilities. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could create your own costumes with little time or money invested? Well you can. In fact, there are many costume ideas that can be produced by you for next to nothing. Better still, there’s little or no sewing involved. All you need is an imagination and creativity, something most of us already have tucked away somewhere inside us. And if for some reason you don’t have it, I’m sure the kids do.

An exciting way to come up with ideas for costumes is to keep a box or trunk somewhere handy and fill it with assorted items. This can help spark the imagination. For instance, load it up with old clothing, fabric of varying lengths, pantyhose, fashion accessories, artificial flowers, pipe cleaners and other craft supplies, aluminum foil, yarn, old sheets or curtains, etc. Nearly anything can be used. As a replacement for of traditional Halloween bags for candy, use other items related to your costume and store them in the ‘imagination box.’ For example, you can implement items such as pillowcases, old pocketbooks, garbage bags, baskets, small backpacks, doctor’s bags, or even diaper bags.

Ever since my kids were old enough to take part in trick-or-treating activities, I have made their costumes. Once Halloween approaches, I start on asking them what they would like to be. Then I scour the house and our box of goodies to find whatever I might already have on hand, making a list of the items with which I need. Generally, these few items can be bought at the local thrift shop or dollar store so there usually isn’t extra money invested in the project.

For safety reasons, I prefer to use make-up or face paint as opposed to masks. You can simply make your own out of corn starch and food coloring. This is not only safer than using masks, but it’s also cheaper, easier to apply, and comes off just as easily with mild soap and water. A simple cream can be made with one part corn starch and two parts food coloring to create the desired shade for your costume. Apply to the face with your fingers just like foundation. And with a little corn syrup and a few drops of red food coloring, you have homemade blood for those ghoulish costumes. Read more…