Halloween is almost here and more than likely your kids are already trying to come up with a great costume. Sure, you could go to the store and buy one, but often the costumes available aren’t very original, not to mention all the money you spend on something your kids only wear once. One great idea is to make your own homemade Halloween costumes for your kids this year. You’ll ensure your kids have a unique costume that no one else is wearing and you’ll save a lot of money too. Maybe you think you have to be a master seamstress to accomplish this – that’s not true. There are actually many simple ideas you can find that won’t require sewing skills. To help you out, here are some great ideas that you can easily make at home and some great money-saving tips you can use this Halloween as well.
Great Costume Ideas You Can Make at Home
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From classic costumes, to box costumes, to character costumes, you’ll find that you can easily make most of them yourself. Here are several great costume ideas and instructions on how to make them. Follow the instructions, add in a bit of creativity, and you’ll be sure to create some great costumes for this Halloween.
Cowboy or Cowgirl Costume
One easy and classic costume idea is a cowboy or cowgirl costume. All you’ll need is a western shirt, a pair of jeans, boots, and a brightly colored bandana. If you can find one, a good cowboy hat will complete the costume.
Mummy Costume
Designing a mummy costume is pretty simple. You’ll need white clothing underneath, and then strips of white sheets or some gauze can be used to wrap around your child. You may need some safety pins to hold the strips in place. Make sure you leave ample room for their mouth, nose, and eyes.
Scarecrow Costume
A scarecrow is definitely appropriate at this time of year. You’ll need a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans. Patches on the jeans make it even better. Use some duct tape on the inside of pants and sleeps to attach some straw so it sticks out. Add a straw hat. You can take an eyebrow pencil and use it to draw triangles around each eye and a bit smile on your child’s face.
Soldier Costume
It’s easy to dress up your child as a soldier. You’ll need some camouflage clothing, camouflage makeup, and perhaps a homemade compass, canteen, and other accessories to make the character believable.
Elvis Costume
Maybe you’d like to dress up your boy like a little Elvis. If he already has dark hair, you won’t need a wig, you’ll just need to tease it up for hair that looks like Elvis. Otherwise you may need a black wig to pull off this costume. Then add some sequins to black pants and a black shirt, along with a brightly colored ascot. Don’t forget the microphone (you can make one yourself).
Quasimodo Costume
Quasimodo, the character from the Hunchback of Notre Dame is an excellent choice for a Halloween costume. You can use cardboard or foam to make the hunch back. Then find a coat that is a couple sizes large for your child along with some old ragged clothing. Wear the hunch back under the coat and tousle the hair for a Quasimodo look.
Dice Costume
If you have some large cardboard boxes around, a dice costume is easy to make. Paint the entire box white. Put a hole on top for your head and holes in each side for your arms. Paint large black dots on each side and you have an easy costume that didn’t cost a thing. If you happen to have twins, dressing them both up like dice is an excellent idea.
Television Costume
Another fun costume you can make with a large box is a television costume. Again you need holes for the head and arms. Draw a screen on the front and then draw controls on the front. Milk jug lids can be used for the knobs on the television as well. Consider drawing static on the screen or a scene from a favorite show. You can use a metal hanger or some pipe cleaners to make an antennae for the television.
Old Man or Woman
It’s fairly simple to come up with an old man or old woman costume. For the old man you just need a button down shirt, a jacket, dark colored pants, and a hat. Add a cane and a limp to add effect. Use a bit of flour in the hair to give it a gray look.
For the old woman costume, you’ll need a dress in a old style. Wear knee highs with the dress and carry a big purse. Again you can add flour to the hair to make the hair look gray.
Playing Cards
To make a player cards costume, you’ll need some poster board, markers or paint, some rope or clothes line, and a staple gun. Take two pieces of poster board and decorate them like a playing card. Punch holes in the top of both of your cards and tie with clothesline or rope. Then the costume can merely slip over the head and settle on the shoulders.
Harry Potter Costume
Harry Potter is a popular choice for costumes, and you can make one at home with just a few items. You’ll need a black robe, such as a graduation gown. You can make your own wizard hat and a magic want. Make or find some fake glasses as well.
Great Costume Money-saving Tips
Sometimes even making your own Halloween costumes can cost you. After all, you have to come up with the supplies to make the costumes. To keep the costumes cost effective, here are some great money-saving tips that you can use.
Tip #1 – Make Items Out of Cardboard – There are many accessories that you can easily make yourself instead of paying a lot for them at the store. For example, it’s easy to make weapons and many other types of props with cardboard. Use tin foil to cover them or paint the items and you have simple and cheap accessories for your costumes.
Tip #2 – Shop at Goodwill for Used Items – If you need specific clothing items or even accessories for a costume, check at a local Goodwill or other thrift shop. Often you can find what you need without spending much money.
Tip #3 – Check What You Have – Before you go shopping for items, check what you have at home. Go through closets and find old clothing that may be used for costumes. You’ll be surprised at how you can reuse clothing and other old items to make great costumes.
Tip #4 – Don’t Make it Too Complicated – These costumes don’t have to be works of art. No need to hem up costumes to make them look perfect. They’ll be worn for one night, so while you want them to look good, don’t waste your time making it too complicated.
Tip #5 – Use Old Makeup – Instead of purchasing special costume makeup, why not go looking through all the old makeup you don’t use often anyway. You’ll probably find about everything you need to get kids painted up for Halloween and you won’t have to spend a lot of money.
Halloween can be a lot of fun without having to cost a lot of money. Get your kids involved and make it fun. Let them help come up with ideas and then make the costumes. Use these costume ideas and these money saving tips and you and your kids will have a wonderful time.
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