As Halloween gets closer and closer, students begin to feel the stress of finding the perfect costume. Many people immediately flock to the internet, looking to find the trendiest costumes for the year. However, these costumes can be pretty pricey, and as most of us know, on a college budget that can be hard to manage. While people may believe the best costumes are found online, a homemade costume is often times more creative and unique, and may just be the most talked about costume of the night!
Don’t want to blow all of your money on a costume that you’ll likely never wear again? Here are some tips to finding the perfect budget-friendly costume!
Search Your Dorm
Before you get your heart set on buying that $60 cat-woman costume, look around your dorm and see what you already have. One of the best ways to a good costume is finding the perfect stand-out accessories. Who knows, you may find that that tiara lying around from your birthday would be the perfect start to a “Toddler in Tiaras” costume. Or those hiking boots your parents made you buy would be great for a safari girl costume. Whatever it may be, you’re bound to find something in your room to kick off a cool costume.
Ask your friends
If you can’t find anything in your room that could be turned into a costume, or you just need that one extra element to complete it, ask your friends! Chances are they have something you could use as well. Whether it be a dress, a sword, or the perfect boots, they probably won’t mind lending it to you for the night. Just make sure you don’t spill punch on your friends’ favorite skirt!
Make it Yourself.
Another way to create a cheap costume is to make it! As long as you have some staple arts and craft supplies, you should be good to go. Scavenge the recycling bin for cardboard boxes that you could use to make a go-cart for a Mario Kart costume. Use paper and markers to create a mask. Or even spend $10 at a craft store to buy any supplies that you could use to make a costume: purple balloons for a grapes costume, or streamers that you could use to be a piñata. As long as you have somewhat of an imagination, you can easily create a wow-worthy outfit!
Check out Thrift Shops
If all else fails and you can’t find any materials that you already own to create your Halloween costume, go to a local thrift store. In Burlington alone, there are dozens of thrift stores where you can find reasonably priced items that could help you create a cheap costume. Check out Good Will or Plato’s Closet to start. Even if you don’t have a specific costume in mind going in, you can most likely find a unique article of clothing to base your costume off of. Use an old flannel shirt to be a scarecrow, a white dress to be a Greek goddess, or even a red robe to be a queen. It’s all about finding the perfect accessories that no one else will have!
Keep these tips in mind when picking out your costume and you’ll be sure to have a unique budget-friendly costume that everyone will be talking about!