Here are some DIY Halloween costumes and ideas on how to find costumes for next to nothing. You CAN have fun and dress cute on a budget!
Halloween is a time to use your imagination and have fun but some costumes can be a bit expensive when you search the internet or stores for just that perfect look! For something that will be worn for maybe an hr. or two is not in our budget, nor in others, so here are some DIY Halloween costumes you can put together but still stay on a budget! (originally published 9/16)
DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids
- Shop Thrift Stores at the beginning to middle of October or earlier – Here are many tips on finding name brand clothing at next to nothing at thrift store shopping I posted this month.
- Many times you can find fantastic costumes for $10 or less here & there’s a much broader selection than in retail stores because they were bought from all around.
- There are costumes for adults, kids and even pets!
If you are really on a tight budget, take an inventory of what they might have, & if there are a few options but they are still out of range, wait and come back the week before Halloween, they are sure to be marked 50% or more off that!
How can I make a costume at home
Start with what you already have in your closet. One year I found a fake ax in my kids’ room, strung small boxes of cereal on a string, hung it around my neck so I was a “cereal killer”.
- Create a “Halloween Shopping Day” & swap with friends –You surely have many friends who have children around your kids’ same ages/sizes. Everyone seems to have a few “old” Halloween costumes that are now shoved into the dress up bin, or stored away in a closet and forgotten about.
- Get a few friends together for an afternoon & create a fun “shopping day” out of it. It will be “new” to them, and the old owner probably won’t miss it since it was probably forgotten about the day after Halloween last year!
- You may be able to find group Halloween costumes too.
- Use items you have at home – One year I decided to get crafty and design an original costume from home for my then 2 year old (seen above).
- I took one of her black shirts & found these camo jeans at a local resale shop for $3.
- I headed to Michael’s (craft store) & spent less than $5 on camo ribbon (affiliate link) Using a hair bow, and cut pieces of ribbon for the emblems on her shirt it came out cute.
- Puffy painted was used around the emblems, and to “glue” the gems on her shirt. It spelled out MJR. PAYNE. She was quite difficult at that age so it fit perfectly.
In total I spent $8, got TONS of compliments since nobody else had one like it, and had a pair of cute camo pants she could wear for the next few months too!
DIY Halloween costumes
- Shop your local kid’s resale shops –If you’ve never been to a kid’s resale shop, you should!
- There may be one right around the corner & you may not even know it.
- Yes it is somewhat like a thrift shop, but they only typically carry higher end brands without any damage to them but at less than 50% of what you’d pay in a retail store.
- Google kid’s resale + the city you live in to find one near you. Ask when they will be putting the Halloween costumes out & try to get there that day right when they open to get the best selection!
Such a nice post, keep providing good resources.