Frugal and Fun Halloween Costumes from the Closet

That’s right, no skeletons, but lots of potential costumes are sitting in your closet. Get in that closet and start crafting, inventing, bedazzling or cutting. You have tons of materials and props in your house right now for original ideas for kids and adults. Plus add “green” to your Halloween this year. It’s not all about orange and black anymore! And hey, you may even clean out your closet and get rid of some clutter. It’s a win-win.

Old Prom or Bridesmaid Dresses = Brides Maids (the movie!)

Recycle your old prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses and create your own take on the movie Bridesmaids. Get the girls together and even if your friends don’t have a pink dress, find a common color, use other accessories and get creative.

For the kids: One of my favorite Halloween costumes as a kid involved a puffy white prom dress that we found marked way down on clearance. The material cut off the bottom of the dress became my veil and wahlah, I was a beaming (young) bride! Cut up one of your old dresses and create an outfit for your child, from a bride to rockstar to the red carpet.

Shoes, Boots and Music = Footloose

Bring back the classic movie Footloose with anticipation of the new re-make coming out October 14. Choose from one of the looks: the school uniform or black leather jacket and classic kicks or a white tee, stonewashed jeans and white nikes or flannel and cowboy boots. The key prop is the iPod (or an old cassette player) with ear buds in your ears. You can walk around dancing, ignoring people or you could even have a group costume and create your own flash mob!

For the kids: High School Musical is still a popular choice. Have them dress in athletic clothing, create your own Wolverines jersey or recycle your old cap and gown for a musical graduation. It may be a different color, but you could create a “Class of” sash or your own High School Musical sash.

Old Tees, Office Supplies and Coffee Mugs = The Office

This is an easy, low maintenance costume. Take old plain tees and make a Dunder Mifflin shirt or Schrute Farms Beets shirt. Dress accordingly, carry around office products and get creative. Paint a “world’s best boss” mug or use your own if you’re lucky enough! Carry your mug around and fill with beverage of choice.

Image Credit: Tanga

Sheets = Pac-Man and Ghosts

A landmark in video game history meets the classic ghost costume. Get a group of friends together and use red, blue, orange or pink colored sheets for the ghosts, referred to as pac-dots. You can brand your sheets with the correct names, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. Use a golden or yellow sheet for Pac-Man, paint big black ovals for the eyes and a mouth for gobbling up those ghosts.

Paint, Bucket and brush = Painter

More of this outfit will come from the garage. Use old clothes or buy a plain white painting coverall for cheap. This was a fun costume to make when I was younger. I splattered multiple paint colors all over the coverall and branded it with my self-made painting company on the coverall and a hat. Carry a paintbrush and a paint bucket for your candy.

Twister Board Game = Twister

What’s the easiest game to wear in your house? Twister! Wrap the game around you and make a dress or shirt. Make a headband or hat with the spinner. Or keep the game functional, and make a removable cape and craft a shirt with the spinner for on-the-go Twister.

Tutus & Dress-Up Clothes = Ballerinas and Princesses

My daughter wants to wear a pink ballerina tutu from her dress clothes. We also have jewelry, shoes and wands in our dress-up collection. Create your own princess or dancer, and make it more exciting with hair and accessories. My son has a ton of ninja, army and pirate toys and costumes. He still wants to pick out a “new” camo ninja costume, and I found some great deals at Costume Discounters. They offer a lowest price guarantee, free shipping on exchanges plus 12.5% FatWallet cash back.

Recycle Old Costumes

Look at old costumes, maybe passed down from siblings or friends, and look for a fresh twist. There’s a good chance you own one of the costumes on the list below. Stick to tradition or see what else you can come up with this year.

Ten Most Popular Children's Halloween Costumes of 2010

1. Princess
   
2. Spider-Man
   
3. Witch
   
4. Pirate
   
5. Disney Princess
   
6. Action/Super Hero
   
7. Ghost
   
8. Pumpkin/Vampire (Tie)
   
9. Batman
   
10. Star Wars Character

Don’t get me wrong, I understand children want to pick out that perfect store-made costume. I also think it’s fun to stretch your imagination and get creative with what’s around you. You could also change up an old costume and buy fun accessories to make it more exciting. Either way you go, Halloween is sure to be filled with too many treats with lots-o-fun decorations and spooktacular and boo-tiful costumes.

Do you have any must-share costumes ideas, or are you keeping it a secret until Halloween?