Last Minute Costume Ideas on a Budget
Posted on October 31, 2008 3 Comments
The other week in Boston, a friend and I were discussing whether or not she would dress up for Halloween. I was all for her dressing up, and offered easy and fun, yet fully covered suggestions ranging from the classic nerd outfit to marathoner to ninja.
And then it hit me: I didn’t have a costume or plans!
When I got back to Chicago, I quickly found a hotspot to hit up (the Yelp party) and chose a costume (rhythmic gymnast, as part of a team). And since then, I’ve been spending my nights shopping for and making my costume – freehanding glitter designs with fabric paint and firing up the glue gun to bedazzle my leotard and velour track pants.
Why spend money on something as frivilous as a Halloween costume this year? Why go to the effort to create and decorate a costume? Because for one night, one weekend, you have the chance to leave behind your worries, step into a character and create memories that last a lifetime.
I was reading in the Tribune today a story about the guys who play ghouls in local haunted houses and a Halloween memory came rushing back. When I was in college, a close friend and I volunteered to be ghouls at the Jaycee’s haunted house. We spent the day together, scaring young teens and laughing hysterically. I think I was a girl who shouted “I see dead people” (it was when the Sixth Sense came out) and then he’d come up behind them and scare the pants off them. My friend has since passed away, but I will always have that powerful and happy memory every Halloween. It’s so out of the ordinary that it’s crystal clear in my mind.
As is the time when I visited my first haunted house in grade school with my mom, where I had to reach in a box and touch something spooky. It was cold cooked spaghetti noodles, lumped together, but I thought it was a brain. I was pretty freaked out, but once my mom (and a volunteer) convinced me that it was spaghetti noodles, this former scaredy cat and perrenial “glenda the good witch” I got over it and eventually made visiting haunted houses an annual tradition that would last through college.
More recently, in my adult life, my friends and I have used the evening as a way to bond. While we love to gather and tell stories about the crazy times we had, the opportunity to wear a group costume (whether a basketball team or a table tennis team) is a great way to make new memories. After all, how many nights with your girlfriends can you really say something like, “There I was, singing Bon Jovi karioke dressed as a ninja next to an NFL Ref, when this huge banana walked into the bar …” now THAT’S a story.
So take my advice to heart: grab a friend, make a cheap costume and dress up tonight. Put all your economic fears aside and live on the edge for one night. Burn that costume and everything you embody in it, into your memories. Make it a night that counts, make it a night that lasts and most of all, enjoy yourself!
Tips for making a last minute Halloween costume:
1) Avoid costume stores. Last-minute shopping is no time to waste at a costume store. Go for something easy – grab a plaid shirt at Marshall’s and some snug pants or floor length skirt, pick up some “reading glasses” at Walgreens, affix some tape to the bridge, throw in a pocket-protector and voila! Nerd costume! Or, pick up some short shorts and a head band at Target, grab a running shirt, use magic markers to make number on a white piece of paper and Poof!, you’re a marathoner. How about a poncho from CVS, and some hair gel to mess up your locks? Now you’re a weather forecaster in a hurricane.
2) Don’t spend a lot. The trick is to be creative, but not to spend a lot. I once went to a family party dressed as my uncle (who happens to look like a superfan). It was awesome and all I bought was a Bears t-shirt and a flat-brimmed baseball cap. The rest (including mustache) was made from materials at home. I think I spent about $10 on that costume.
3) Don’t forget the make-up. Make up can increase a costume’s awesomeness in a second. It’s easy, cheap and if you mess up, who cares? It’s washable. My rhythmic gymnast costume, for instance, wouldn’t be nearly as believeable or funny without glitter, bronzer, red lipstick and heavy eyeshadow. Committ to it!
4) Don’t go trashy. I once saw a bartender who was wearing a bra and some body paint. Eww. Don’t stoop that low. Even on halloween, it’s not OK. I don’t even know what her costume was supposed to be, I think she was trying to be a vampire victim. They need shirts, too, you know.
5) Don’t go creepy. We once saw a group of grown men wearing diapers, pacifiers and baby bonnets. Were they hoping to meet women? I hope not. Nothing screams “stay away” like a guy who can’t grow up. Plus it’s just creepy to see grown men in diapers.
6) Use those old bridesmaid dresses! 80′s prom queen! Miss America! Carrie! Drag queen! The possibilities are really endless. Trust me on this one.
Category: Life
Tags: holidays
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3 Responses to “Last Minute Costume Ideas on a Budget”
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October 31st, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
Love your site, how do I find out more
November 1st, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
Yay! I was trying to reconcile my love of costume with my need-for-cheap, and your post says it all. I have a tip- borrow borrow borrow! I actually got my entire costume for zero dollars- a girlfriend of mine from out of town has generously donated her awesome superhero getup from last year. (hey, I loaned her my wedding veil for her wedding) We are making my husband’s superhero suit on the cheap- $6.00 red longjohns from the local second hander plus $2.00 worth of felt plus glue gun equals awesome. thanks for your great blog- I am constantly on the lookout for a balance of budgeting and still having tons of fun- Happy Halloween!
November 1st, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
Fun! When will you be posting photos? Ha!
Also – couldn’t find your contact info but I started the gift card giveaway today Today’s Budget Gift Card Giveaway