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7 Halloween Costumes on a College Budget

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at F and M chapter.

Unfortunately, we all know the struggle of finding a great costume for Halloween, but also having to carefully balance spending money on food, fun, and necessities. Most collegiates can’t drop $50 on some awesome costume they found on the internet. But, the good news is, there are many costumes you can create yourself that are awesome!

1. A Can of Soda

This one’s simple! Just buy a case of your favorite soda, cut off the label, and tape it to a shirt or dress of the same color. While this may be a costume for you ladies who are short on time or don’t want to put the effort into making something more elaborate, it’s still a classic costume.

2. A cat or some other kind of animal

This is a costume you’ll see every single Halloween, but it’s still timeless. There’s a reason it’s so popular! All you need to do is buy some kind of headband with a pair of ears on the top and then wear something you already own (most likely something black). You can make the costume as cute or sexy as you want, which is part of the appeal of it.

3. An athlete

All you need for this is a jersey of some kind (easily borrowed from that cute guy on your hall! Or your own, if you play sports), some yoga pants, and a pair of athletic shoes. Most likely, you won’t have to spend ANY money on this costume. And it’s still cute!

4. A present

For this costume, just buy a giant bow to stick on your head and some smaller bows. You can even add wrapping paper into the mix. If you’re feeling really creative, get an old box from a store or a friend and wear it.

5. Little Red Riding Hood

All you’ll need to do is go out and buy a cheap red cape (available at many locations around Halloween time). Underneath, just wear some normal clothes you have and a pair of boots. Carry around a picnic basket to complete the look!

6. A crayon

Wear a solid color dress and make an oval that says “Crayon” and tape it to the front. If you want to make the costume more realistic, get paper the color of your dress and make a small cone you can wear on your head for the point of your crayon. You can even make this a group costume with your friends!

7. A Cereal Killer

This one is for those of you who like puns! Buy a cheap white shirt and then color it with red. Next, tape some small boxes of cereal onto the front and you have a pretty funny (or punny) costume.

I attend Franklin & Marshall College and am the campus correspondent of the Her Campus chapter here. I also play flute with the Pep Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. I am an editor for the Patsy Post, am involved with F&M Unleashed, a member of Mu Upsilon Sigma, and a Brother of Phi Sigma Pi, a co-ed honors fraternity.
Along with being the Her Campus Franklin and Marshall Campus Correspondent, I am also the editor-in-chief of Epilogue, F&M's literary Magazine, Staff Writer for The College Reporter, F&M's student newspaper, and a very active member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. When not hard at work, you can find me writing, reading, geeking out over Disney movies with my friends, or doing art projects.