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cheap halloween costumesHave you ever made your own cheap Halloween costumes before?

When I was growing up the concept of buying a Halloween costume was almost unheard of.

To my parents, the thought of buying an outfit which would be used on just one night of the year was ridiculous.

As a family, we would always rely on our imagination and any old clothes which were in the closet to create cheap and effective costumes.

Planning was never our strong point and it was usually following a brain-storming session over breakfast that we would come up with ideas for that evening’s festivities.

We always got there in the end though and it was always at little or no cost.

That’s why I wanted to share these DIY quick & easy costumes last minute ideas with you! Because I know we can’t be the only ones who wait till the last minute to figure these things out.

With just a smidge of imagination, brainstorming, and planning, you too can create these DIY homemade costume ideas made entirely from things found around the home.

And we guarantee there won’t be a bed sheet with eye-holes in sight. That’s what makes these last minute easy DIY costume ideas for kids so great!

So are you ready for some ideas for your own cheap Halloween costumes? Let’s get busy!

cheap halloween costumes

Cheap Halloween Costumes Ideas For Boys:

1) Modern Day Mummy

Every boy loves to play a scaaaaaaaaary mummy! Pull out some dark eye shadow, one roll of toilet paper to wrap his arms and head and in less than 5 minutes, you can mummify your own! They get to wear their own clothing in order to look like they have truly come back to life. And since we never pay full price for TP, there’s no empty roll shock here!

This is one DIY quick & easy costumes last minute idea!

**Double Use** Use the empty rolls to make scary eyes peeking in your bushes!

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Download this FREE Guide to find 25 Ways to save money when you buy craft supplies so that your beautiful creations cost less.

2) The Incredible Hulk

My boys all love superheroes and what boy wouldn’t want to dress up as the meanest superhero of them all? A great Hulk costume is one of the remarkably simple DIY homemade costume ideas. All you need is some old clothes and a bit of green finger paint. First of all, take an old shirt (preferably white) and cut/rip tears up along the sleeves and at the hem. For the trousers, a pair of old sweatpants will work perfectly. Finally, use some water based paints to color your child’s face, neck, forearms and feet, green. If you want to be extra inventive, some partially inflated green balloons stuffed down the sleeves of the shirt will give that muscular look. After that, it’s all down to your little one to channel their inner Hulk!

(That’s my daughter, Annabelle (15 yo), dressed up as a Black Cat and my son, Campbell (11 yo), dressed up as a Shark!)

3) Shark

If you have a grey hoodie and grey sweatpants then a shark costume is what you need to make and one of the cheap Halloween Costumes around! You already have the shark’s body (with the grey clothing) so all you need to make is a fin, some eyes and teeth. First cut a fin shape from some grey card stock and attach it to your child’s back (use duck tape or a simple safety pin). Then take a long strip of white card stock, cut triangles along the length of it and stick it to the inner rim of the hood and, presto, you have a row of shark’s teeth! We stapled the two rows of teeth together in the corner (where the jaw would meet) in order for them to stay put inside the hoodie) For the eyes, simply cut two black circles from some card stock and attach to each side of the hood (again, use duck tape, or safety pins). What an easy last minute easy DIY costume ideas for kids, right?!

4) Robot (will require a little more time if you paint the boxes)

This costume was a perennial favorite when my husband was a kid, if you have two large cardboard boxes and some silver paint you have an easy to make robot. First find two boxes, one slightly larger than your child’s head, one larger than his or her body width (not height). Remove the lid from the larger box and cut a hole at the opposite side large enough for your child’s head to go through. Next cut two arm holes opposite each other making sure they are large enough to be comfortable. On the smaller (head) box, remove the lid and cut a hole for your child to see and breath out of. Next, paint the boxes silver (or cover with duck tape or other materials you have on hand) and add any number of futuristic looking buttons and switches (stickers and painted pasta work good for this).

Wilson Home Improvement Costume5) Wilson from Home Improvement

Remember that funny family-friendly show? Wilson is an easy character to duplicate because you only need a fishing hat, plaid shirt and a fence to hide behind. We used foam board from the dollar store but you could also make a small fence out of Popsicle sticks. And such a cheap Halloween costumes for all the ages!

cheap halloween costumes

Cheap Halloween Costumes Ideas for Girls:

1) Marge Simpson Hair (or Who-ville if you add a Christmas bow)

This is the easiest costume ever. People honestly think it is so hard to do, but all you need is an empty water bottle, a hair elastic and a bow! Just put the water bottle on the top of your head, then bend over so your hair covers the bottle and secure hair around the neck of the bottle with the elastic. I like to finish it off with a bow and I use some hairspray to make it feel more secure. If my hair is cut shorter, then I have to use a couple of bobby pins. If you were really gonna get fancy (and had some extra cash to spend), you could get some spray color or glitter. That really puts a fun final touch on top 😉

2) Pop Star

Want a really easy costume needing just about no craft skills? Then these “Pop Star” DIY homemade costume ideas are for you! You’ll need to raid Mom’s wardrobe for some of her previous fashion faux-pas for this one. All that’s needed is a jean jacket, big belt, boots and a microphone. A brightly colored wig would make a great addition also.

3) Zombie

You can really let your imagination run wild with this one. All you need is some old clothes and face paints. Tear the clothes up to make them look tattered and apply some red paint to give them a bloody look. Next is the fun part as you paint your little darlings up to look like zombies! A little red face paint and some oatmeal is really effective for giving the impression of sores and wounds. This costume is perhaps best for older kids!

Ready for more cheap Halloween costumes? Keep reading!

BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD

Save Money On Your Craft Supplies

 

Download this FREE Guide to find 25 Ways to save money when you buy craft supplies so that your beautiful creations cost less.

Save Money On Your Craft Supplies

 

Download this FREE Guide to find 25 Ways to save money when you buy craft supplies so that your beautiful creations cost less.

4) Black Cat

This would be a great accompaniment to a witch, especially if you have more than one little girl. SUPER simple to make too. Black tights (or slacks) and a black top serve as the cat’s fur while a black tie or scarf can act as the tail. Black card stock or construction paper triangles attached to a hair band provide the ears and you can paint (or use eyeliner like we did in the photo) on a nose and whiskers. Simple.

Facebook Face Profile Pic Costume5) Facebook Profile

This one is way too current for my classic 80’s style, but the kids loved it. Take a poster board (available 3/$1 at Dollar Stores) or foam board (also only $1 each at Dollar Tree) and assemble as seen. I cut out the words Facebook and copied my friend’s profile images to include for a personal touch. I bet your friends will “Like” it!

Here are a couple of other ideas for cheap Halloween costumes:

  • Missing puzzle piece
  • Superhero: table cloth, swimming goggles or easy super hero mask
  • Crazy Cat Lady: robe, slippers, stuffed cats, hair in curlers,
  • Burgler/Bandit: black clothes, ski mask
  • Pinterest Board: Board with pictures
  • Skeleton: Black sweats with white duck tape
  • Jake from State Farm: Red Polo, Khaki pants, name tag
  • Brawny Guy: jeans and red and black plaid shirt
  • Shooting Star: black shirt and star with streamers coming from the star
  • Fork In The Road: Black t-shirt with white duct tape and fork
  • Charlie Brown: Yellow shirt with black duct tape and black shorts

All of these DIY quick & easy costumes last minute can be made for almost nothing using clothes and materials you already have around the house.

All it takes is a little imagination and most like a trip to the dollar store for these DIY homemade costume ideas!

But finding that last minute easy DIY costume ideas for kids for less, and having fun making it is the best!

Your Turn: Did you get any ideas from these cheap Halloween costumes? What other last-minute costumes have you made? Let me know in the comments below!

cheap halloween costumes
Cheap Halloween Costumes You Can Make In Minutes
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