No Cost Halloween Costumes?

[transformed]

We are hurting really bad this year. I have a 5 yr old boy who wants to be something scary or gross, a 3 yr old girl who is in to princesses and dora and mermaids, and a 9 month old who is just a happy little chunk. It is Colorado so its possibly to be really really cold. Or not.

Any ideas for no cost costumes?

[wombatclay]

Hugs to you.

There are a lot of websites out there with ideas for low or no cost costumes... but the cost often depends on what you have around the house or can find free locally.

One option is freecycle if you have a local group. Even if you can't find a costume on freecycle you may be able to get the "pieces" to put together a creative costume.

Some things I've done:

litter bug... make "wings" out of recycled cardboard (we used a pizza box lid), a "jumper" out of a trash bag (cut arm and leg holes, head came out the top) and plumped it out with crumpled paper. Made a headband out of aluminum foil and foil "antennas". My SIL wore this over a sweat suit, carried a cloth candy bag, and handed out recycling info bookmarks as she collected candy.

DD1 is going as a cat this year... black sweat suit, ears cut out of cardboard and held in place with clips, nose/whiskers drawn on with eye liner, and a tail made from an old black stocking with the end painted white (we have some white house paint in the shed for that "detail"). Any animal costume is about that easy... a top and bottom in the general color, cardboard or felt or crepe paper ears/tail/trunk, drawn on facial details.

Dollar stores and craft stores often sell crepe paper in big long rolls for a dollar or less. White crepe paper wrapped around his body and a little red whatever (paint, jelly, ketchup, fake blood) could make a scary/gross mummy.

Or dress in green/brown, make some "oobleck" (mostly corn starch if I recall) and smear it on his clothing/face/hair and use a big white pillow case for a candy bag... he could be a booger/mucus (which is nicely gross )

A thrift store might have old prom dresses you could cut down for a princess dress (or freecycle a request for fancy dresses/bridesmaid dress/communion dress). Or more of that crepe paper could be stuck on a piece of duct tape (looks kind of like a "hula grass skirt") to make a full, flowing, funky skirt. Add a tiara (twist the crepe paper into a crown shape, or use aluminum foil) and scepter.

And two "baby" costumes I love are dressing the babe in black sweats and adding extra legs using knee high panty hose (25 cents a pair at walmart) to make a "spider". Mama or the care giver then dresses in black as well but paints spiderwebbing on their outfit (or use that fake spider web stuff) so that the baby spider has a web. The other was a baby in a green onsie/jumper with three big green "balls" attached to the front of the jumper (I think she used green tulle but anything green would work) to make a "pea in the pod"... Mama dressed as a plant (green outfit, big cardboard leaves and pipe cleaner "vines") and the Dada was a scarecrow.

Anyway, have fun! Growing up we always made costumes using whatever we had and we come up with some really neat stuff!

[transformed]

those are so great! I am going to the thrift store today. My dd is obsessed with Dora and so she wants to be a cat like Dora too. Which is awesomely easy.

My ds would love the ooblek. LOL. We'll see what we can figure out for him.

Thank you!

[rere]

You could make a dracula pretty inexpensively.White shirt black pants and for a cape an adult size black button up shirt with the sleeves cut off and the holes sewn shut(or if you have a shirt and don't want to ruin it just tuck the sleeves in and safety pin the inside to look like it's sewn up.).Just button the top button and flip up the collar.If the white shirt is big enough you should be able to fit long johns or a sweater under it if it's cold.You can make an amulet out of card board covered in tinfoil.A little lipstick for blood around the mouth.

[NoliMum]

You could use your makeup to paint your son's face into a really scary/gross zombie or vampire or whatever, and then just dress him in junky clothes with rips and tears and maybe a little fake blood.

This year DD wants to be a ghost, so I am going to use an old pillowcase and cut holes for her eyes and arms, and that's it.

[kay4]

i bought 2 of my children's at the thrift store this year for $5 total.

The only no cost one I recall is when my oldest was about 2...She was a bunny and I made ears and a tail out of an old baby blanket and stiched it onto a pair of pjs. It looked cute

[milehighmonkeys]

Do you have any friends with older kids that might let you root through their previous costumes? For your DD, maybe she has a friend that has a dress up box with everything she needs. What region of Colorado are you in?

[RollerCoasterMama]

I was going to suggest vampire or zombie...sounds like you've got that covered already. One we're going to do once DS is a little older is rodeo clown! DH used to be a pro rodeo clown so as soon as DS is old enough to tolerate face paint, we'll have DH paint him in his old make up style and take a bunch of pics.

All you really NEED to do rodeo clown is a cowboy hat and face paint--ought to be able to do that at the dollar store. To embellish, you could make some baggy jean shorts (with suspenders) out of thrift or ripped jeans...or just use some regular jeans or overalls and tie a couple of colorful bandanas from the belt loops.

[littlemizflava]

do you have a shorter fancy dress or a shirt works well as princess can put a belt on it if it is to poofy.

any fancy dresses in her closet? adding necklaces and accessories if no crown can paint on on forhead or she could decorate a paper one.

dora look in stores they have dora pj's i got one that was her shirt with a printed backpack and map on it.

cardboard wings open up any bug, fairy or butterfly.

angel...white dress, white cardboard wings, cardboard wand, pipecleaner halo or just something pinned in to her hair.

you can do a craft day and cut bristal board masks for them do design in to what they want and have matching clothing.

vampire... black clothing shirt with hood, anything black used for cape and lipsick red blood on chin.

baby dressed in a cat color and painted nose, wiskers and ears on forhead. can add a tail stuffed sock pinned on no reason to waste a sock or a outfit.

devil...red outfit with horns panted on adding the tail. (older son could do this also adding cardboard pitchfork)

[KristyDi]

My 1st thought for your dh is that he could go as a trash bag. It's gross.

Get a trash bag and cut leg holes in the bottom and arm holes near the top. Tie it just tight enough to stay up on his shoulders. Dress him in black or white (depending on the color of the trash bag) and glue various pieces of trash on the bag like they're coming out of the top. You could also use lightly balled up newspaper (or junk mail) inside the bag to make it look full. Splattered paint or goo of some variety on the outside of the bag would up the gross factor.

[mama_mich]

You could empty your cereal boxes into jars or ask neighbors or freecycle for empty cereal boxed and then just attach them to an outfit. Instant cereal killer!! he he.

One year I took a white sweat suit and filled with plenty of blankets and pillows and was the pilsbury dough boy. I actually got sent home from school bc of this costume!!

Another year I took a black garbage bag cut leg and arm holes wore purple brown or black tights then padded the inside of the bag. Then you tie the bag at the neck. I used felt to make the leaves around the bag at my neck and some on top of my head and painted my neck and face brown. Hello eggplant!!

I also made my award winning costume from paper mache. I was ganesh and made a head piece using a head band base. I then just made big elephant ears out of the paper mache and attached to the headband. Then I made a trunk pointing towards the sky to the left out of the mache and used beaded string to attach to the middle top of the headband from the 2 upper sides of the trunk and then a beaded string from each side of the trunk to the sides of the headband. So I would put the headband on and then bring the trunk over my nose. I had beaded string 2 going from my nose across my forehead and 1 going across each cheek to the headband from the trunk. I wore some purple silk pants from my renn faire days and made an apron shirt out of some shiny extra material I had. I then took a pair of panty hose and used each leg to make an arm. I sewed one end of the arm to my shirt just below my real one and then wore a bracelet on my wrist tied a beaded string to it placed the other bracelet to the fake arm and tied the beaded string to it. So I had 4 arms the 2 fake ones moved with the real ones. Sorry but I don't remember what I did for the hands! Then I just used a gold shimmer all over any exposed skin and added some blue tints. It was the luckiest year!! I used gold paint and glitter to pant the mache.

This year I am putting my son in a khaki pant and blazer out fit with a navy turtle neck underneath. Putting his sun glasses on and putting mirrors on his shoes. I know its really wrong ( that's the point!) but he is going to be a 1 year old pervert. I think this is hilarious. My sisters are upset and want to know how I will explain this to his older cousins. I'm just going to tell them he's chester. I have a back up monkey costume I got on clearance too

I am going to put some wire in my dreads and the heads of fake snakes I got through freecycle and where my rasta dress. Rasta Medusa!!

[littlemizflava]

Originally Posted by mama_mich

This year I am putting my son in a khaki pant and blazer out fit with a navy turtle neck underneath. Putting his sun glasses on and putting mirrors on his shoes. I know its really wrong ( that's the point!) but he is going to be a 1 year old pervert. I think this is hilarious. My sisters are upset and want to know how I will explain this to his older cousins. I'm just going to tell them he's chester. I have a back up monkey costume I got on clearance too

I am going to put some wire in my dreads and the heads of fake snakes I got through freecycle and where my rasta dress. Rasta Medusa!!

im early but pictures pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee::

[SleepyMamaBear]

freecycle and craigslist rock for next to nothing costumes.
this year someone in our family will be a cloud. we have an abundance of bubblewrap DHs company was going to toss, he brought it home for the girls to pop. they had their popping fun, and i saved it to make a cloud costume. it will either be me, or dd2, cause dd1 has her mind masde up she WILL be a pink princess, or nothing. (her words, not mine)

[AlbertaJes]

Not no-cost, but I got 5 yards of felt fabric at Joanne's for $6 last month. DD is getting a candy corn costume out of it.

[mama_mich]

Originally Posted by AlbertaJes

Not no-cost, but I got 5 yards of felt fabric at Joanne's for $6 last month. DD is getting a candy corn costume out of it.

We should start a thread for the heads up on deals like that!!!! $6 !!!!!!!

[AlbertaJes]

Originally Posted by mama_mich

We should start a thread for the heads up on deals like that!!!! $6 !!!!!!!

Well, felt is fairly inexpensive anyway, and there was a sale. Didn't think to post it at the time.

[transformed]

Originally Posted by SleepyMamaBear

dd1 has her mind masde up she WILL be a pink princess, or nothing. (her words, not mine)

we found a $5 costume at a schools used costume fundraiser, and some fairy wings.

its "the think" and its a marvel comic guy, and its easy, and has muscles.

:

[Ruthla]

I'm glad you found what you needed transformed!

Another free costume idea is for family members (and/or friends) to go as each other.

[mazajo]

I spent $5 on Halloween costumes this year!

My 3yo DS was a fireman. I found a very nice fireman raincoat at a thrift store for $5, and he already had a plastic fire hat from dress-up.

I had half an hour yesterday to come up with a costume for almost 10yo DSD (we were going to a Halloween parade and she decided to go with us at the last minute). She wore a bathrobe, sweat pants and slippers, I put her hair in rollers and dusted it with baby powder, and she used a walker that my DS got when he had ankle surgery a couple years ago- she was Grandma! She won the prize for the Funniest Costume! And it was free!

I saw a couple GREAT homemade costumes there! One was a headless woman: a small girl wearing an adult sized old-fashioned dress. The dress had a hole cut out around the stomach area and that's where her head went. The top part of the dress was stuffed and held up with something to stand up by itself over her head. The arms and hands- made out of blown up doctor gloves- were positioned to look as if she was carrying her head. I wish I had a picture, I'm sure I did not describe it as awesome as it looked!

Another adorable costume was a little boy wearing a blown up duckie swim tube around his waist with a bunch of little pink balloons stuck all around him- he was a bubble bath!

I love fun, creative costumes