The Scariest Part of Your Halloween Costume Shouldn’t Be The Price Tag

Graphic by Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez

Halloweekend is almost here, and with three costumes being the norm, the college student budget is likely to be sacrificed. We’ve all been there: adding and adding and adding to the cart because it's SO cute and justifying your way into the checkout until the bank balance hits zero. 

Before you place your order, here’s some tips and ideas to keep in mind:

Go For a Monochrome Dress

With a monochrome dress, the possibilities are endless, and more importantly, all you need is one accessory. Everyone owns some sort of monochrome outfit, so depending on what color you have, let’s go through the rainbow here, and you’ll find out the necessary accessory:

Red: Just add some devil’s horns for a timeless look, a cupid’s arrow for a cute classic, or wings to become a ladybug. You could even get creative with a DIY card crown for a Queen of Hearts costume. 

Orange: Add some black accessories and wings for a monarch butterfly look or add an ears headband to be a fox. For an even cheaper costume, just print out an inmate number, and you’re a prisoner.

Yellow: For the brunettes, all you need is a princess crown and a rose to be Belle. Or get wings to be either a fairy or a bee. 

Green: If you’re a blond, all you need is some wings to be Tinkerbell. Or you could go in a darker direction by adding a witch hat and some black accessories, and go as Elphaba. If you want something more unique, you can even go as poison ivy. There are surprisingly cute poison ivy gloves on Amazon, or you could get creative and DIY it.

Blue: For the glitter enthusiasts, a blue dress is perfect for a mermaid look. You could get a mermaid headband or just add enough body glitter to make it obvious. You could also get wings to be a fairy, a hat to be a sailor, red shoes to be Dorothy, or a crown to be Cinderella.

Purple: For those with long blond hair, a crown could easily turn you into Rapunzel, and you could even go for the optional pan and Pascal to go with it. Otherwise, some simple wings turn you into a fairy, or if your outfit is dark purple, all you need is a witch hat.

Pink: Toss on a pink boa and go as a flamingo. Get an ears headband and be a bunny. Or you could opt for wings to be a fairy. Pink is especially perfect for the blonds to easily turn yourself into Glinda, Elle Woods, or Barbie. Bonus points if you dress up as Elle Woods in the bunny costume.

Silver: For an especially cheap look, just add some glitter and be a mirrorball, or print out a red heart to be Tin Man. Silver is also perfect for a space theme, and with a headband, you could be an alien or an astronaut.

Gold: Add wings and some shimmer and go as a golden fairy. Or you could get a shovel and a hard hat and go as a gold digger.

White: For a classic, add some wings or a halo to be an angel. Add ears and be a bunny or a veil to be a bride. You could go for elegance, get some wings, and be a swan.

Or, try a LBD:

I know this should fall under monochrome, but the little black dress is the true hero of Halloween, and it therefore deserves its own section. All you need to add is a simple (cheap!) accessory. Cheetah ears, cat ears, witch hat, black angel wings, devil horns. Toss on a pearl necklace and sunglasses and you’re Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Add a silver ribbon and mouse ears and you’re Karen from Mean Girls (duh). Some makeup art and you’re a vampire. Whatever you choose to go with your LBD, you can do it for under $10.

Only Buy Clothing You’ll Wear Again:

With so many costume options, there’s no point in spending money on one that is impractical for any future occasion. So if you do buy an article of clothing, make sure you’ll get your money’s worth out of it and have realistic reasons to wear it again. 

Consider Makeup Art:

Makeup is the cheapest way to turn just clothes into a costume, and not enough people take advantage of it. Fun makeup art can really elevate an otherwise basic Halloween costume, and it isn’t as hard as it looks. Countless tutorials on TikTok and YouTube can easily teach you how to do some costume makeup, and this is also a great time to call on your makeup-enthusiast friends. 

Buy Secondhand:

Secondhand is perfect for Halloween because you can find the most niche things for cheap while being sustainable! When it comes down to lowest cost, Depop is my favorite (personally, I always try to lowball the seller first). Or you can go thrifting in-store and see what you happen upon!

Share with Friends:

This note is more so something to consider for the future, but with multiple costumes a year over multiple years, the costs are bound to add up. Make sure to save the many accessories you’re likely to acquire for friends to use in future years. By trading, you will collectively save a lot of money.

*All photos courtesy of Pinterest.com*