13 Budget-Friendly Halloween Costumes That You Can Get Last-Minute
We are less than a week away from Halloween, which means it’s go-time to get your holiday plans in order. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual study, it’s estimated that Americans will spend a record $10.6 billion on Halloween this year, with $3.6 billion of that share going towards costumes for adults, kids and even pets.
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But that doesn’t mean you have to put a lot of your own money or time into perfecting the right look. There are plenty of ways to get into character on a budget, even at the last minute.
As CNN notes, with data gathered from Google’s Frightgeist (a metric analyzing the most popular searched terms for costume ideas), this year’s top 10 picks include witches, superheroes, dinosaurs, characters from “Stranger Things,” fairies, pirates, rabbits, cheerleaders, cowboys and Harley Quinn. And many of these can be done on the cheap.
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Here are 13 spooky ideas that won’t blow your budget.
Wednesday Addams: The buzz is building for Netflix’s new series “Wednesday,” debuting Nov. 23 on the streaming platform, making the iconic Addams daughter a perfect pick for a costume this Halloween. And it’s super easy — put your hair in braided pigtails, wear any black dress and tights and buy a pointed “Peter Pan” collar like this one on Amazon for $9.99.
Day of the Dead Sugar Skull: America has Halloween on Oct. 31, but Mexico has Day of the Dead on Nov. 1 and there’s a lot of crossover between the two holidays. A sugar skull face is one of the simplest costumes — it’s all just about the makeup, as you could wear any outfit to go with it. Get a creamy, colorful palette like this one from Ulta for $8.99 and follow directions like this step-by-step on Wiki How to perfect the look. Buy a few fake flowers from the dollar store for a few bucks, cut and add to your hair to complete the look. This one works just as well for ghoulish guys and girls.
M&Ms: It’s a holiday where candy is a big focus, so go with the trend and rock an easy look by dressing as this popular sweet treat. This idea is also great for the whole family or a large group. Buy some plain t-shirts in every color shade (blue, red, brown, green, yellow and orange) and use some fabric paint to draw giant white M’s on the front of each. Both of these costume pieces can be found at a craft store like Michaels with shirts under $5 a pop. Just leave time to let the fabric dry before wearing.
Cowboy or cowgirl: Take a trip to the thrift store and you can likely find everything you need for this costume (in addition to a pair of jeans you have laying around at home). Pick up a flannel shirt, bandana, cowboy hat and some rope to make a lasso. If you can’t find true cowboy boots, you can always pick up a pair of decorated “boot covers” like these from Party City for $15.
Vampire: Nothing shocks on Halloween night like seeing a blood-thirsty vampire. The essential costume piece for this look is a cape, which thrift stores or even drugstores like Walgreens are good for getting on the cheap. While there, buy some hair gel to get that greased-back look and pick up some pointy teeth and fake blood, and you’ll be good to go for about $25. Just watch out for any garlic at Halloween dinner.
Cat with Yarn: If you have a good all-black ensemble you’re already halfway there (and bonus: You can bundle up in something like black sweatpants and sweatshirt if you live in a place where it gets cold this time of year). In addition to dressing in monochrome, buy a pair of pointy ears and then use black eyeliner for drawing a cute cat nose and whiskers. To add an extra detail buy a spool of yarn like this one for around $8 at Amazon, unspool it and wrap it around your body.
Bubble Bath: When you’re picking up your Halloween candy at Target or Walmart, add in a pack of white balloons, safety pins and a shower cap for this easy but creative look, courtesy of Good Housekeeping. Blow up the balloons, safety pin to a white t-shirt, add on the cap and voila! Your costume is done so fast that you might have time to relax with an actual bubble bath.
Superman (Clark Kent version): Superman’s regular guy guise is a super easy way to pull off this look using staples already in your closet. Dig out a pair of khakis, button down shirt, blazer and a pair of glasses for the base. All you need to purchase (if you don’t own one yet) is the iconic Superman t-shirt like this one for $9.99 from Kohl’s to wear underneath the button-down shirt. Pop open the buttons to reveal the Superman logo underneath, and you’ll have saved the day for Halloween.
Witch: If you have a little extra time, you might be able to score a good Renn-Faire-inspired dress at goodwill, and with the right wig, you can easily be one of the three Sanderson sisters from “Hocus Pocus.” But a regular old witch will do too. Just get your hands on a pointy hat and some striped tights like these on sale for $14.99 at Amazon. Then, pick up that old broom in the closet and you’re ready to scare the neighborhood.
Top Gun’s Maverick: This year’s blockbuster sequel is great fodder for a Halloween costume. A good pair of aviators are key as is a good leather jacket. If you have a one-piece work suit, you’re golden, but otherwise, find a monochrome pair of pants and a collared shirt — pop the collar and you’ll create the same effect. Or you can be Tom Cruise’s other iconic character in “Risky Business” and just wear a long oxford shirt, boxers and tube socks.
French Kiss: Who doesn’t love a good pun — and this is a great one from Woman’s Day that combines two cultural cornerstones and is sure to get a reaction. First, put on your best rockstar makeup with one of the iconic looks of ’70s hitmakers KISS and then add a beret and striped black-and-white shirt for the ultimate finish. Here’s a great makeup tutorial for creating each look.
Mummy: There’s no easier Halloween costume for a money and time crunch than a mummy. All you need is a good amount of gauze and wrap yourself from head to toe (just do each leg separately so you can be mobile!). Walgreens sells a box of five gauze rolls measuring 2.5 yards (aka 7.5 feet) for under $5. Pick up a couple of boxes and you’re good for a thriller of a night.
Eddie Munson from “Stranger Things”: One of the most popular characters from the latest season of the hit show is no doubt rebel Eddie Munson who’s a big fan of ’80s metal. For this look, all you need is a Hellfire club t-shirt (like this one at Party City for $18) or just a regular Metallica T-shirt, denim jacket, long-haired wig and make plenty of devil horns with your fingers over your head.
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