This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MMM chapter.
Halloween’s just around the corner. This is the time when many of us will struggle to find the perfect costume—correction—the perfect costume on a budget. You can very easily wear all black, paint whiskers on your face, and call yourself a cat; but where’s the fun in that. Here’s is my guide to the perfect DIY costume on a budget!
- The thrift store is your holy grail. Among all the vintage clothing that can easily be converted into a decade costume, the thrift store is super cheap. This means it won’t hurt your wallet.
- Use the cost of the thrift store to your advantage. Literally buy anything that fits your budget and rub some dirt and fake blood on it. This instantly creates a zombie costume. Bonus—you also don’t have to worry about destroying a nice outfit.
- Buy a black dress and a white blouse. The most accessible of the DIY bunch is Wednesday Addams. Buying a cheap black dress or even an oversized t-shirt will be the base of the costume. Then, take an old white blouse, cut the collar off and attach to the black dress either by stitching, hot gluing, Velcro, or even double sided tape will do. Put two braids in your hair and ta-da—Wednesday Addams.
- Do you ever have socks come out of the laundry and it seems impossible to find a match? Take all those mismatched socks and hot glue them to an old shirt or even an old pair of pants. Then tease your hair and you are now Static Cling. Not only is this a funny costume, I doubt you’ll have the problem of someone wearing the same costume as you.
- The DIY Disney Princess. It’s hard to find a Disney princess costume on a budget, unless you make it yourself. However, you can create the effect of a princess with just everyday clothing. To be Ariel all you need is a purple t-shirt, cut it into a crop top, and some green pants, sweatpants will even do. To be Cinderella just find an inexpensive blue dress at any store or even your own closet. Pair this dress with a plastic crown and some cute heels, making the effect of a princess without having an effect on your wallet.
If all these ideas are still over your head don’t worry, you can always wear all black and paint whiskers on your face—the cat costume never fails.