Spooky season is upon us… which means that you’d better sort out your Halloween costume pronto. If you’ve got big plans for 31st October but little cash, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at ten low-cost costumes you could try.
1. Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction
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Fancy yourself as a Tarantino super-fan? You’ll love this low-cost Halloween costume idea. Why not dress up as Mia Wallace from the ever-iconic Pulp Fiction?
All you need is short black hair or a wig, a white shirt (an old school shirt will do the trick) and some fake blood which you can pick up for around a quid or—if you want to go ultra cheap—some ketchup. Steal. Oh and, of course, the cigarette and holder are optional.
2. Ned Flanders from The Simpsons
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Let’s be honest, there are few people on the planet who dislike The Simpsons. There. I said it. Someone had to. If you want to dress up as everyone’s favourite neighbour, why not give this costume idea a whirl. It couldn’t be cheaper or easier.
Simply wear a green jumper and cover yourself in yellow face and/or body paint. Of course, it helps if you already happen to have a mustache… but you can always draw one on if you need to. Howdy diddly ho neighbourino?
3. Netflix and Chill
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Here’s a sweet couples’ costume idea. Why not go as Netflix and chill? Yes, you read that correctly. These costumes take minimal effort. Go to a local charity shop (or cheap clothes shop) and buy one red top and one white top. Take a marker and write ‘Netflix’ on the red top and ‘Chill’ on the white top. Voila – you’re done.
4. Donald Trump
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Dressing up as Donald Trump takes zero creativity. All you need to do is buy a cheap cardboard mask (you can get one for around £3 here on Amazon!) and wear some type of suit or even simply dark clothing. When you’ve got the mask on, be sure to go around randomly shouting ‘Make Halloween great again!’ at people in the street.
5. Ghost
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Of course, if you need a super last-minute costume on the cheap, there’s only one way to go. You guessed it — it’s time to dress up as a ghost. Grab yourself an old white sheet, check it for any stains, and get to work on making your DIY costume.
The bare minimum you can do here is cut two holes for your eyes. If you want to take things a step further, use a marker pen to draw on a scary mouth, put black circles around the eye holes and then cut some jagged edges at the bottom of the sheet. Boo!
6. Error 404
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There’s nothing worse than seeing an ‘Error’ page appear on your computer. Nightmare. So, if you want to put absolutely no effort into your costume, here’s one that you should consider. For this funny and ridiculously cheap idea, you will just need a white t-shirt and a marker pen. It’s sure to be a real conversation-starter.
7. Jigsaw from Saw
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Wanna play a game? Next up, we’ve got a cheap Halloween costume that’s all about the makeup. You can do most of the face with eyeliner and lipstick. You can start by using white powder or face paint as the base here. Then draw a couple of lines down the side of your jaw and use lipstick to make spirals on your cheeks. Simple.
To take the Jigsaw costume up a notch, you can get a low-cost red bow-tie online. Get a clip-on version so it’s zero hassle. Of course, you can also ride around on a tricycle if you truly want to spook people… but I wouldn’t recommend it.
8. Cereal Killer
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Remember when you were a kid and you saved cereal boxes for craft projects? Well, you can relive the fun of your youth with this next costume. The ultimate play on words — a cereal killer costume is clever and cheap. Stick a few empty boxes of multipack cereal to your t-shirt and then add some fake blood. You’re good to go!
9. Men (or Women) in Black
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If you happen to have a black suit in your wardrobe, there’s only one low-cost Halloween costume you should consider. Yes, become a Man or Woman in Black. Just wear the suit as it is and then add some dark shades to complete the look. Pick one of the characters from Men in Black: International and say you’re them. Sorted.
10. 50 Shades of Grey
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Finally, here’s a funny costume you can make for free by heading to your local DIY or paint shop. Tell the staff that you’re thinking about painting your walls grey… but you’re not sure which shade to go with. They will give you a colour chart book for you to take home.
Then, cut out all the different shades of gray and stick them to an old-t-shirt. For extra points, you can also paint your face different shades of gray and spray paint your hair.
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Main images courtesy of emilyydavis & thestephenmurphy
