Halloween costumes don’t have to cost a ton of money. (Photo by Jack Duffy)

By Jack Duffy | Staff Writer

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, Halloween was always my favorite holiday to celebrate. The air was crisp, and the leaves started turning orange. It was amazing.

The weeks leading up to Halloween, my brain would already be working in overdrive thinking of the next costume I could come up with. One year, I decided to go as a mob boss. I burned the end of a cork and rubbed it on my face to create a fake beard. I borrowed my cousin’s old suit and pants and slicked my hair back. I even made a fake cigar using folded up printer paper and some markers. It cost next to nothing. But it made me feel like I had just stepped out of a movie scene.

That is the boo-tiful thing about DIY, turning stuff you already have into something unforgettable.

Halloween doesn’t have to be expensive. Sure, you can go to your local Halloween store and buy the exact costume you really want for an expensive price, or you can use your creativity and save a lot of money doing so! Halloween is coming up scary fast. Here are 5 of my favorite DIY costumes to make in a flash. 

1. Mummy – An absolute classic DIY costume that is so cheap and easy. Just wrap yourself in toilet paper or gauze; and maybe get some dark eye makeup to make your eyes look sunken.

2. Rock star – This one is also very adaptable. But you can just get a black shirt, some jeans, sunglasses and get a piece of cardboard and make a guitar with it. You can also get some cheap fake tattoos to really sell the look. Then all you need is some rope to make the “guitar strap” and you are good to go.

3. Cowboy or Cowgirl – This one is really simple and cheap. All you need are some jeans, a flannel shirt and maybe a cowboy hat if you can find one. You can also make yourself a toy lasso from an old piece of rope.

4. Pop Tart – This one can be great solo, but it also works as a great group costume. You just need some pieces of cardboard. Cut some holes for the face and add some artistic creativity. You can draw whatever flavor you want on the cardboard.

5. Grim reaper – I did this one a few years ago. I got a long sleeve, plain black hoodie with long pants. I got some black gloves and painted my face white. Then, I rolled up a long piece of cardboard really tight and taped it all around to make a fake scythe blade. I finished with aluminum foil where the “blade” is to make it look more realistic.

Those are just some ideas I thought of that take a short amount of time to craft and cost next to nothing. The most important part is to make it unique to you. Having someone tell you how cool your costume looks when you made it completely from scratch feels so rewarding.

Happy Halloween KCC!