Ten Ideas for Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes

Are you lazy? Cheap? Prone to procrastination? All of the above? If so, one or these easy and inexpensive costume ideas may be right for you or your kids.

1. "Jay Crew." One of eight last-minute ideas from Real Simple. For Jay, you simply wear a polo shirt and khakis, and stick a name tag on that reads "Jay Crew."

2. A Grandma. Becoming an old person: Now that's scary.

3. Construction Worker, one of FamilyFun's Last Minute Kids Costumes. Easy so long as you already have the plastic hard hat in your toy box or basement somewhere. This is easily the easiest and cheapest outfits of all the members of the Village People.

4. Fireman. Again, you probably have this stuff in your house already. From a list of Storybook Costumes from Scholastic Parent.

5. A Recyclable. Wear a trash bag and adorn with empty bottles and cans—which you can later turn in for money.

6. Just about anything from Savers, or any secondhand store, really.

7. The Nerd. Some of us require less "dressing up" than others. A just-as-easy, just-as-dorky alternative here: the tourist. Hawaiian shirt, camera, sunglasses, and you're there—fanny pack optional.

8. Ghost, '50s Character, and the Joker are among WiseBread's Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes.

9. Backwards Man. I haven't seen this one anywhere, so I'll offer it up. It's my idea—or rather, I stole it from a college roommate who came up with it in a stroke of last-minute brilliance as we were on our way out the door to a party. It's free too: You simply put on a shirt and a pair of pants backwards, then put a couple of T-shirts or other padding into the pant's butt, to give yourself some "back." Presto! You're done. To impress partygoers and trick-or-treaters with your cleverness, tell everyone you're "ass-backwards."

10. Cheap Store-Bought Costume. Cheating? Perhaps, but you do what you gotta do. Use the coupon code PUMPKIN to get 20% off costumes at Walgreens.

Read more:

"Or Perhaps It's Wiser to Spend More on Halloween Costumes"

"Or Let the Recession Be Your Halloween Costume Inspiration"