Household Hacks: Cheap Halloween Costumes
Davis, CA is a Halloween Town. We’ve written about how to decorate your your Davis, CA apartment for Halloween, how to host a Halloween party, how to enjoy Halloween on the cheap, and Halloween party eats. But our most popular Halloween post have been about how to make last minute Halloween costumes on the cheap, which we’ve written about here and here.
CollegeFashion.net, has 13 costumes you can make with your little black dress, as well as 15 costumes for girls on a budget. But the best by far are these 12 last-minute Halloween costume ideas. Here are a few of our favorites:
4. Belle
White Button Up, Black Flats, Blue Bow, Blue Dress
Can you tell I have a thing for Disney movies? If you’ve always secretly (or not so secretly) wanted to be a Disney princess, then this might just be the costume for you. Belle’s iconic outfit from Beauty and the Beastis easy to recreate.
Layer a blue dress over a white button-up, tie your hair back with a blue bow, throw on some flats, and carry around a few novels to complete the look. Bonus points if you can find someone to dress up as the Beast with you!
9. Superwoman in Disguise
Superman Crop Top, Black Pencil Skirt, White Button Up, Black Suspenders, Superman Tie Crop Top, Black Glasses, Black Heels
This Halloween you’ll see plenty of Supermans and Superwomans, but a fresh new take on this costume standby can add an air of mystery. Think reporter by day, and Superwoman by night. Pulling off this incognitoSuperwoman look is simple.
Wear your favorite professional attire (think button-ups and pencil skirts) with a Superman shirt peeking out. If you don’t have a Superman shirt in your closet, consider making one with iron-on transfer paper. Finally, you can accessorize with fake glasses and suspenders if you so choose.
10. Despicable Me Minion
Yellow Bandeau, Minion Headband, Minion Plush, Jean Shorts, Black Suspenders, Black Headband
The minions from Despicable Me are irresistibly cute, and thus make the perfect costume for anyone who is a fan of the movie. To transform into a minion, pair a yellow bandeau or top with jean shorts. Add a pair of black suspenders and goggles to complete the look.
If you don’t have goggles, you could fashion your own minion-esque headband, as pictured above, or even cut paper cups in half and attach them to a black knit headband to look like eye goggles. The options for this costume are numerous and all very DIY friendly, so you can use whatever you already have laying around. Get creative!
12. Princess Leia
White Skater Dress, Sleeveless White Dress, Black Belt
Last but not least is the nerdiest (but equally as awesome) costume on this list – Princess Leia. Everyone who’s ever seen Star Wars knows about Princess Leia’s signature double bun hairstyle. It’s already instantly recognizable, and with the help of a white dress and black belt you’ll be the talk of the party.
Check out this hair tutorial by Moda Mama for the low-down on how to create the perfect buns. If you’re feeling extra spirited, you can also carry around a plastic toy gun. And who knows, maybe you’ll even find your Han Solo this Halloween!
Finally, ApartmentTherapy has some tips for how to make costumes on the VERY cheap using one item you can get from the hardware store: Aluminum foil tape. Here’s an excerpt:
Typically used for sealing air ducts, you can use it in costumes to mimic metal (think robots, armor, vehicles, etc.) or to add shine and bling. It comes on a large roll, like shipping tape and usually has a peel-off backing. It goes on smooth, but will crinkle a bit 
over time.
I bought mine at a neighborhood hardware store for around $6/roll. If you have trouble finding it locally, you can buy it online. Silver contact paper will give you a similar result and is a good choice for larger costumes.
(Image credits: Carrie McBride)
