With just a few days left before Halloween, you may find yourself short on time and the best costumes already snapped up at local party stores. Don’t worry — here are several simple, budget-friendly costume ideas you can assemble quickly that still make a big impression for both kids and adults.
These DIY projects use common household items or inexpensive supplies and require minimal sewing or crafting skills. Follow the step-by-step directions for each look, and feel free to adapt colors, sizes, or materials to suit your needs.
Salt and Pepper Shakers
Materials
Clear garment bags (large enough for heads)
Black construction paper
Styrofoam peanuts (or similar white filler)
Black pompoms (or black cotton balls)
Stainless-steel colanders or small strainers
Black and white shoelaces or ribbon
Directions
1. Enlarge the opening at the top of two clear garment bags so each child’s head can fit through comfortably.
2. Cut holes on the sides and bottom for arms and legs. Use double-sided tape or fabric glue to attach a black “S” to one bag and a black “P” to the other, cut from construction paper.
3. After the children step into the bags, gently fill the “S” bag with Styrofoam peanuts and the “P” bag with black pompoms to create the visual of salt and pepper.
4. Finish each costume by placing a colander over the head as the shaker lid and secure it with shoelaces or ribbon tied under the chin.
Sushi Rolls
Materials
4 soft pillows (to create the roll shape)
Packing tape or wide adhesive tape
4 large trash bags (lawn-size)
Styrofoam peanuts or crumpled white paper (to mimic rice)
Orange balloons (for fish roe) or orange felt pieces
Green T-shirt or green felt (for cucumber/avocado)
Directions
1. Place two pillows around the front and back of each child’s midsection and secure them together by wrapping packing tape snugly around the pillows so they stay put but remain comfortable.
2. For each costume, fold two lawn-sized trash bags in half and tape them over the pillows—one panel in front and one behind—so the black exterior mimics the nori (seaweed) wrap. Seal seams with packing tape for a clean finish.
3. Use Styrofoam peanuts, crumpled white tissue, blown-up orange balloons, or pieces of orange felt to represent rice and roe. Attach a rolled green T-shirt or green felt slice on top as cucumber or avocado using double-sided tape.
Goldfish
Materials
Orange or gold hooded sweatshirt (oversized)
Orange cupcake liners (about 40 for a toddler-size hoodie; adjust for larger sizes)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Ping-pong ball
Permanent marker
Directions
1. Cut orange cupcake liners in half and layer them along the body of the hoodie, hot-gluing the liners in overlapping rows with the rounded edges facing down to create scales. Continue until you’ve covered the torso and sleeves as desired.
2. Cut a ping-pong ball in half carefully with sharp scissors. Use a permanent marker to draw and fill in the eye centers on each half.
3. Hot-glue the ping-pong halves to the seam of the hood to form the fish’s eyes. Add any extra felt fins or tail pieces from scrap fabric if desired.
Hula Dancers
These quick hula costumes were created in an afternoon using surprisingly inexpensive items. Leis are made from colorful gift bows, skirts from rope-style mop heads, and a toy ukulele from recycled cardboard. The look is festive, lightweight, and perfect for kids.
Tools and Materials
2 rope-style mop heads
1 pack of self-adhesive gift bows in assorted colors
1 pair of flip-flops
2 cereal boxes (one small, one mini)
1 cardboard paper-towel tube
Brass paper fasteners and rubber bands
Hot glue gun, tape, scissors
Skirt How-To
1. Cut each rope-style mop head down its center seam to create four long panels. Lay the panels side by side to form the skirt body.
2. Cut a 2-inch-wide cloth or ribbon long enough to span the panels, plus about 12 inches of extra length on each end for tying around the waist.
3. Apply hot glue along the top edges of the panels and fold the ribbon over, securing the panels to the ribbon to create a tied skirt.
Lei, Headpiece, and Bracelets How-To
1. Cut lengths of ribbon for leis, headpieces, and bracelets. For a lei, create gentle crimps or folds along the ribbon at even intervals and secure each with transparent tape so it sits nicely around the neck.
2. Attach the self-adhesive gift bows in assorted sizes and colors along the ribbon. Loop the ribbon ends and secure them with double-sided tape to form a finished lei or headpiece.
3. Decorate flip-flops by attaching a large gift bow to the top of each strap using hot glue or strong double-sided adhesive.
Ukulele How-To
1. Flatten a small cereal box and a mini cereal box, then cut and reassemble them inside-out with tape to create the body pieces.
2. Trace a circle using a foam cup on the small box and cut it out to form the sound hole. Attach three brass fasteners about 1 1/2 inches below the hole to hold the string ends.
3. Cut 2 inches off one end of a paper-towel tube and trace circles on the top of the small box and the bottom of the mini box; cut these holes to accept the tube ends.
4. Glue the tube ends inside the holes to join the boxes, then stretch three long rubber bands from the fasteners on one end to the fasteners on the other to serve as strings.
Milk Jug Stormtrooper Helmet
A simple, eco-friendly helmet can be made from a clean plastic milk jug by cutting and shaping it into a helmet form and decorating with black marker or paint to mimic classic Stormtrooper features. This is a fun, budget-conscious option—great for a quick costume piece.