Creative Halloween costume ideas

10 do-it-yourself costumes that are easier (and funnier) than they may seem.
Illustration: Alex Stallsworth · The Sentry

Cheap, fun, and safe costumes everyone can enjoy

Although one of the more fun holidays, Halloween can be difficult. College age students are forced to come up with a plethora of costumes for “Halloweekend”, which is basically just an excuse to get absolutely smashed. It’s all about the spirits in more ways than one.

The pressure that comes with finding a great costume for each party can be a lot. No one wants show up in the same costume as a million other people. And it can also be difficult to acquire all of the necessary bits and pieces to make a costume work without breaking the bank.

So here are ten budget-friendly options for Halloweekend.

A piece of gum that his been stuck to the street for so long it has turned black.

All you need for this is to just wear all black and stand as still as a board the whole night! Don’t say hi to people when they come up and greet you, just stand there as though you fell out of someone’s mouth and have been lying in the middle of a city crosswalk for at least a year. People will love it!

That thing you find in the ocean that could either be seaweed or trash but no one will ever know.

Buy some yarn from the local craft store and just completely cover yourself in it. You could also douse yourself in saltwater or garbage juice to create some extra mystery surrounded what you are and why you have been invited to this party!

A Victorian-era street lamp

Being a regular, modern lamp is so overrated! Instead, try going on Craigslist to see if anyone is giving away a free lamp from 1800’s England that you can attach to your body with ropes or chains! Craigslist has a lot of weird stuff, so your odds should be pretty good.

One of those wicker baskets you grandma just has laying around that are too small to actually put anything in.

For this one, just force your grandma to surrender her wicker baskets and tape them to your person. So fun!

The mug that you ash your cigarettes in when you don’t have an ashtray.

This is fun and also super helpful if the party host doesn’t have an ashtray. You can volunteer to catch ashes! Which is almost like having friends.

That clip you use to close a bag of chips.

Go around biting people all night. People love being bit by strangers!

A clock that doesn’t tell time and is just for decoration.

Find a broken clock of even break your own, tape it to your forehead, and go around the party telling people, unprompted, that you do not know what time it is.

The void between sofa cushions that the TV remote falls into every goddamn time.

This is also called stealing remotes from a party, burying them in the woods, and then going home to watch a nice, spooky movie!

Singer/Songwriter Randy Newman.

Get a boombox or large speaker and walk around the party blaring “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” at full volume. If people want you to turn it off, don’t listen! They just want to rain on your parade.

An anthill

Dress in all tan and cover yourself in ants.

Any of these carefully selected ideas are sure to make you stand out at any party you attend! Have fun, be safe, and Happy Halloween!