Often the best things in life are free including Halloween costumes...
or, in this case, at least under $10! There is no need to try to outspend your neighbor in the quest for the ultimate costume.
Sure, you could stop by the mall and spend $100 or more on an over-priced ensemble of tulle, glitter and gaudiness or you could use a little creativity and elbow grease to get the job done at a fraction of the cost.
Plus, the end result of putting together a costume for less than $10 dollars will help ensure that you don't show up in the same cookie-cutter outfit that the next guy or girl is wearing.
Here are some great ideas to get you started: Hooded Sweatshirt & Felt: Take an old or new inexpensive sweatshirt and spruce it up with craftily cut felt to make the character of your choice.
This idea works well with farm animal characters.
For example, use a pink hooded sweatshirt and embellish it with pink felt ears and a cheap store-bought snout and, viola, you have a little porker that could be the pig from "Babe" or "Charlotte's Web.
" Add a blonde wig and a fancy dress from your closet and you'll be the one and only Ms.
Piggy from the "Muppets.
" You can easily make cow, dog, skunk and other costumes using this same idea.
Or, go in an entirely opposite direction with a hooded sweatshirt, a rapper.
Pull up the hood, add dark sunglasses, gaudy faux-gold chains and lots of attitude.
Theatrical Makeup: For $10 or less you can stock up on a good deal of theatrical makeup that can create a costume nearly on its own.
One of the most enduring costumes that uses stage makeup as the focal point is a clown costume.
Paint up a white face with exaggerated shapes and colors on the mouth and eyes and you'll be an instant Bozo - add a red squeaky nose and rainbow wig to your own mismatched clothes to finish up the look without a lot of dough.
There are many other distinctive costumes that you can create from theatrical makeup and very little else.
For example, Darth Maul from "Star Wars" with his signature black and red face or any one of the many zombies who appear to be taking over the world.
Cardboard Box: It's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
With a big cardboard box and some poster paint, you can create a cheap costume that is loaded to the max with style and creativity.
When you cut out a place for your head, arms and legs, you can transform an old box into a larger-than-life cereal box with your face sticking through, a gigantic walking Rubix cube, a "Bun in the Oven" for pregnant women and whatever else your imagination conjures up.
Use other discarded items to keep your costume under ten dollars; for example, glue on white Styrofoam packing peanuts to the top of a red-and-white striped box to be popcorn.
On your legs, wear coordinating tights from a costume shop to keep the color scheme going.
or, in this case, at least under $10! There is no need to try to outspend your neighbor in the quest for the ultimate costume.
Sure, you could stop by the mall and spend $100 or more on an over-priced ensemble of tulle, glitter and gaudiness or you could use a little creativity and elbow grease to get the job done at a fraction of the cost.
Plus, the end result of putting together a costume for less than $10 dollars will help ensure that you don't show up in the same cookie-cutter outfit that the next guy or girl is wearing.
Here are some great ideas to get you started: Hooded Sweatshirt & Felt: Take an old or new inexpensive sweatshirt and spruce it up with craftily cut felt to make the character of your choice.
This idea works well with farm animal characters.
For example, use a pink hooded sweatshirt and embellish it with pink felt ears and a cheap store-bought snout and, viola, you have a little porker that could be the pig from "Babe" or "Charlotte's Web.
" Add a blonde wig and a fancy dress from your closet and you'll be the one and only Ms.
Piggy from the "Muppets.
" You can easily make cow, dog, skunk and other costumes using this same idea.
Or, go in an entirely opposite direction with a hooded sweatshirt, a rapper.
Pull up the hood, add dark sunglasses, gaudy faux-gold chains and lots of attitude.
Theatrical Makeup: For $10 or less you can stock up on a good deal of theatrical makeup that can create a costume nearly on its own.
One of the most enduring costumes that uses stage makeup as the focal point is a clown costume.
Paint up a white face with exaggerated shapes and colors on the mouth and eyes and you'll be an instant Bozo - add a red squeaky nose and rainbow wig to your own mismatched clothes to finish up the look without a lot of dough.
There are many other distinctive costumes that you can create from theatrical makeup and very little else.
For example, Darth Maul from "Star Wars" with his signature black and red face or any one of the many zombies who appear to be taking over the world.
Cardboard Box: It's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
With a big cardboard box and some poster paint, you can create a cheap costume that is loaded to the max with style and creativity.
When you cut out a place for your head, arms and legs, you can transform an old box into a larger-than-life cereal box with your face sticking through, a gigantic walking Rubix cube, a "Bun in the Oven" for pregnant women and whatever else your imagination conjures up.
Use other discarded items to keep your costume under ten dollars; for example, glue on white Styrofoam packing peanuts to the top of a red-and-white striped box to be popcorn.
On your legs, wear coordinating tights from a costume shop to keep the color scheme going.
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