College entails late nights, living with your best friends, and a plummeting bank account. So with our busy schedules and constant penny-pinching, how are we expected to buy not one… not two… but three or more different Halloween costumes for Halloween and Halloweekend? Coming up with a creative and cute Halloween costume is something I continue to struggle with every year. Yet, coming to college has posed an even bigger problem because we now have a very small budget to work with and very little time to look for costumes.
My first and biggest piece of advice is to look through your closet before you even start to brainstorm ideas and pick out pieces that can be the centerpiece of a costume. For example, pictured in the header is a photo of my friend Steph and I last year.
On the day of Halloween, we didn’t have a costume but ended up finding camo skirts in our closet. Along with those skirts and a random long sleeve we both had, we drew on some eye black. Just like that, we had an army costume without any extra costs.
Take it from us and first check your closet to see what you can create without having to pay for something. But, if you have a minimal budget and need some costume ideas for this spooky season, here are some that I recommend. These may not be very original but they definitely treat your bank account nicely and do the trick!
1. Risky Business
This first Halloween costume, based on the Tom Cruise movie Risky Business, is extremely easy because most of it you will already have in your closet! The most important component is the big white dress shirt, which some people might already own. If not, you can go to your local Goodwill or thrift store and buy one for super cheap! They usually cost less than $5.00 and you can always crop it and reuse! Next, under the white shirt, you can wear spandex (which everyone seems to own nowadays because of the biker short trend). Then, you just need tall white socks and sunglasses, both of which are most likely in your closet already. This costume is not only super effortless and inexpensive but also very comfortable because it’s light and breezy… which is perfect at a hot, sweaty party!
2. Prisoner
My second costume idea is to dress up as a prisoner or jailbird. For this simple Halloween costume, the main piece of clothing that you need is any form of striped bottoms. This can be a skirt or pair of shorts like what is posted in the picture, or even a striped dress or pants. If you don’t have any of these, they have cute options for really cheap at Forever 21 or Amazon. Next, pair those bottoms with a black shirt and black shoes and you are good to go out! If you’re feeling crafty, you can make a sign for your mugshot that says when you were arrested and why. This can be made with a piece of paper and a pen and takes only a couple of minutes of your time. Another element of the outfit that you can always add is handcuffs. If you don’t have them, don’t stress, but they can really take the outfit up a notch and you can buy them for cheap.
3. Boxer
The next costume idea I have might be one of my favorites because of how comfortable it is! All you need for this costume is a sports bra, running shorts or spandex, and sneakers. Next, put your hair in two french braids and just like that, without any extra cost, you’re done. If you’re feeling it, you could add is a thin robe you or a friend might have lying around. I have a silk one from Victoria Secret that would be perfect but really any would do. Wraps for your hands can also help add a lot to the costume, but either way, this outfit is incredibly easy and has little to no cost. Plus you get to go out in workout clothes, which sounds pretty comfortable and amazing to me!
4. Cop
For this simple costume, all you need is all black clothing and shoes, which everyone should have already lying around. The only thing that you’ll need to buy for this costume is a police hat because it makes the costume what it is. The hat is the centerpiece of the costume so it’s worth the little added cost. If you have a little extra time on your hands, you can also print out a badge online and tape it onto your shirt. As long as you buy the hat from Party City or literally anywhere else, you should be all good to go. You can even have one person wear this costume and another wear the prisoner one for a cute couples costume!
5. Cat
Lastly, I recommend the most basic college costume of them all: the cat. For this costume, similar to the cop costume, all you need is an all-black outfit. The only item you need to buy for the main piece of the costume are cat ears, which some of you may already have in your wardrobe. Next, using black eyeliner and a good Youtube tutorial, paint on some whiskers and a black nose and your costume is complete! This costume may be the most common, but it is too easy and cheap to not bring up. Plus, when you are the same costume as someone else it can be a great conversation starter at parties and help you meet new people!