As summer ends and fall starts, Halloween seems to come quicker than we realize. Costumes can range from $30 to $75, which is a lot to students who are jobless or don’t want to spend that kind of money on Halloween.

For years I’ve made my own costumes, and I haven’t spent more than $10 on costumes since. Pinterest has been my go-to app for crafts like these. The following ideas can help jump start your Halloween costume.

If you want to go basic and not have to put much work into it, you can be a cat, with a painted nose, whiskers, etc. Here’s how you can do it (if you don’t know already):

Black Cat (can work as any color):

You will need the following:

• Black (Optional- pink) face paint.
• Paint brush and/or eye liner (liquid or pencil will do)
• Pink or Red lipstick (optional)
• Hot glue gun
• Black clothes  (or whatever color your “cat” is- shirt, pants or skirt)
• Ears (if you’d like to make them you will need a headband matching your hair and black stationery paper or cardboard either colored black or originally black)

Instructions:

1. Put on all black clothes. Attach tail to tag on pants or skirt
2. Using the black or pink face paint, color in the front of your nose and the line travelling from middle divider of your nose down the crevice above your lip.
3. Using the eyeliner or paint brush, make a straight line across each cheek, aim for the cheekbone, then draw a line above that one going upwards and one below going downwards. Apply lipstick (optional) and using the eyeliner trace the top of your lip with a thin black line. Around the sides of your nose and above the lip apply small black dots.

How to: Ears

1. cut two appropriately sized triangles from the paper or cardboard, the bases must be extra long to wrap around the headband (should b e an extra inch/2.5 cm extra) and fold the extra length to make a crease.
2. place each fold under the headband and hot glue them too it, allow it too dry for 10min. Place them as far apart as appropriate on a cat.

Here are some more DIY costume ideas:

Bat/ Bat Vampire

You will need the following:

• Black umbrella you can rip apart
• Black clothing
• Bat ears (see Black Cat, exchange ribbon for felt)
• Black paint of some sort (only a little needed)
• Super glue

Directions:

1. Remove pole from the umbrella and cut entire umbrella in half.
2. Lay out umbrella flat, place shirt on top, lining up the sleeves with the edges of the umbrella and the neck at the top. Line the edge of the umbrella that touches the sleeve up to the middle of each shoulder and along the back. Allow to dry for 20 minutes
3. Paint front of nose with black paint, put on ears (bought or made).
4. Spread arms for the effect of wings.

When life gives you lemons….

You will need the following:

• a plain white shirt
• Black paint and paintbrush
• Bag of lemons
• Jeans

Instructions:

1. Using the black paint, write LIFE across the middle of the shirt in big capital letters
2. keep a few lemons in your hands and tie the rest on your belt loop
3. Go around offering lemons, but don’t actually give them away

Wednesday Addams

You will need the following:

• a short-sleeved, white collared shirt
• a long sleeve black shirt
• dark red lipstick, black pencil eyeliner, and dark eye shadow

Directions:

• trace the top of each eyelid with the eyeliner, then trace the waterline of your bottom eyelid on each eye. Apply eye shadow. Apply lipstick
• Divide your hair in half and braid each side.  Make sure the part is centered
• Get dressed and make sure you have a deadpan face on at ALL times, but make sure to give a creepy, mischievous grin here and there.

Mother Nature *place leaf emoji here*

You will need the following:

• Black dress, or shirt and skirt.
• Wide, stretchy headband
• Fake (or real) leaves, and LOTS of them.
• Large gold necklace (optional)
• Hot glue gun/ super glue

Directions:

• Using the glue, attach leaves to the front of your dress/ shirt and skirt. ALlow it too dry for ten minutes before flipping it over
• While you’re waiting, attach leaves onto the headband horizontally, but one single leaf vertical in the front.
• Flip outfit over, do back and allow to dry for ten minutes. Go control the nature.

Men in Black

You will need the following:

1. Black suit or black blazer and slacks
2. Black tie and Black sunglasses
3. Plastic gun (optional)

Directions:

• Get dressed, keep hands behind your back whenever possible
• Keep a straight face.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

You will need the following:

• Disposable aluminum baking trays
• Color bands/wide ribbon (colors can be orange, red, blue, or purple), and thin white ribbon
• Green shirts (pants of choice)
• Light and dark green spray paint

Directions:

1. Spray paint entire trays light green, apply dark green on the top and around the sides in small portions.
2. poke 4 holes on each 4 corner and tie thin ribbon from the top of the left to the bottom of the left with enough room too put your arms through. Apply on other side.
3. Tie ribbon round forehead and waist and forearms.

Don’t go turning that frown upside down if you’re planning to be Grumpy Cat.

You will need the following:

• White face paint, blending sponge
• Dark brown eye shadow and pink blush
• White outfit and brown cat ears (see Black Cat for directions) and tail.

Directions:

1. Paint your entire face lightly with the white face paint
2. Apply blush to the front of your nose
3. Using the eye shadow, outline a large, upside triangle underneath your eye from the side of your nose too an inch from your hairline/ear. The tip of the triangle should reach your jaw line between your chin and neck. Fill in completely (should be dark, but light enough to be known as brown). Also fill in entire eyelid and up to your eyebrow, connecting it to the triangle at the corners of your eye. Apply on other side.
4. Draw to curved lines from the inside of your eyebrows too 3/4 of your forehead with the eye shadow. shade in the corner where the line and eyebrow meet lightly and along the edge of the line.
5. Frown at all times.

Mime

You will need the following:

• Cheap white face paint, and lipstick
• Black pants and striped shirt, or just full black outfit
• Black suspenders and white gloves (optional)

Directions:

1. Paint entire face white (including eyelid), and using the black lipstick, draw and single line from below your right or left eye (the top should be a little larger, place in the middle)
2. Apply black lipstick and get dressed. Attempt to communicate with movements

Gypsy Fortune Teller

You will need the following:

• a head scarf, or any scarf that is darkly colored
• a shawl
• Gold and flashy jewelry

Directions:

1. Wrap scarf around your head, if not a head scarf, tuck the end of the wrapped scarf into a fold.
2. Put on large earrings and flashy jewelry.
3. Attempt to read people’s palms for their future.

We can definitely do it, Rosie the Riveter.

You will need the following:

• Long sleeve denim or blue top
• Jeans
• Red Bandana
• 1940s makeup (optional)

Directions:

1. Roll the sleeves up past the elbow on the shirt.
2. Put your hair up in a bun or mid-ponytail and tie a bandana around your head (bow at the top)
3. Poof up look-a-like bangs and ruck them under the bandana
4. Apply the makeup, usually red lipstick and eye shadow going shiny white in the corner of the eye too dark shadowing at the outside. Apply mascara.
5. Flex muscles whenever