Are you stressing about the fact that Halloween is only a few days away and you still don’t have costumes for you or your kids? Don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered with these 10 DIY costume ideas that are super cost-effective, and use materials you can find at home, the dollar store, or craft store.
Remember to check your local ads on the Flipp app for materials on sale. We recommend stores like Jo-Ann, Michael’s, and Dollar Tree. Not an avid DIY-er? Don’t worry. We’ve rated each costume by difficulty to help you decide which one to make.
Difficulty: 1 / 5
It can’t get any easier than this. Turn any old garments or Halloween costumes from previous years into a creepy zombie costume by getting creative with paint, scissors, fake blood, and coffee. Anything goes when it comes to creating a zombie costume. The more raggedy, the better! Check out this guide from Halloween Costumes for some inspo.
Materials:
- Old costume or old clothes
- Scissors
- Squirt bottle or sauce bottle
- Coffee
- Spray paint
- Acrylic paint
- Fake blood
- Sandpaper
- Cardboard for your working surface
Difficulty: 1 / 5
This mummy costume takes cheap and easy to the next level. Grab a queen-size white bed sheet, and tear it into 4-inch wide strips. When it’s time to get dressed, wrap the wearer from head to toe. Simple! Check out the original idea from One Good Thing.
Materials:
- Queen-size white bed sheet
- Scissors
- Safety pins to hold fabric in place
Difficulty: 2 / 5
If the cold never bothered you anyway, you’ll love this extremely easy DIY Olaf costume. There’s no sewing required, making this a great project to do with your kids. All you need is a white t-shirt, a white cap, and a few accessories to bring this character to life. Check out the instructions on Dixie Delights Online to learn how to make it.
Materials:
- White, black and orange felt
- Black fabric paint
- Brown pipe cleaners
- White baseball hat
- White t-shirt
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- Picture of Olaf’s face & buttons
Difficulty: 2 / 5
Up for a spooky costume that only takes minutes to make? Use your cutting skills to turn some plain white and black t-shirts into a spooky skeleton. Check out this idea from Martha Stewart to make it yourself.
Materials:
- Front rib cage template
- Back rib cage template
- Tape
- White t-shirt
- Cutting mat
- Repositionable adhesive spray
- Small (18 mm) rotary cutter
- Fabric scissors
- Black t-shirt
Difficulty: 2/5
Feeling like a snack? Celebrate the tons of movies and TV shows we’ve been able to check off our watch list this year with this popcorn costume from Studio DIY.
Materials:
- White crop top
- Red & white striped dress or red dress
- White computer paper
- Yellow paint or spray paint
- Hot glue gun
Difficulty: 3 / 5
Hubba Bubba, Double Bubble…who didn’t love bubble gum as a kid? Grab some pink clothes and pink balloons to make yourself a super easy costume that pops just like real bubble gum. Check out Balloon Time to learn how (minimal sewing required).
Materials:
- Pink dress
- White felt
- Metallic silver ribbon
- Needle and thread
- Temporary hem tape
- Pink balloons in a variety of sizes
- Silver ribbon
Difficulty: 3 / 5
Elevate a Halloween classic with this costume that’s so sleek and elegant, no one will guess it only takes 10 minutes to make. Create this bat costume by crafting bat wings and ears out of fabric. Find the complete instructions on SheKnows. Minimal sewing required.
Materials:
- 1 ½ yards black fabric
- 6 inches of ⅛ – inch elastic
- Headband
- Thick black fabric
- Hot glue
- Needle and thread
Difficulty: 3 / 5
If you have a sewing machine handy, this costume is the perfect way to upcycle an old white button-up shirt into a Halloween costume that celebrates our everyday heroes. Check out this DIY from The Bear & The Fox.
Materials:
- White button-up shirt
- Scissors
- Pins
- Sewing machine
- White and red cotton thread
- White bias binding
- White sew-on velcro
- Red felt
Difficulty: 4 / 5
This costume pretty much sums up the biggest theme of 2020: keep your hands clean! Lighten the mood with this adorable cardboard hand sanitizer costume that you can make for your kids. Check out the original idea from Hello Wonderful.
Materials:
- Large pieces of cardboard (at least 60cm Long)
- Toilet paper roll
- White, pink, and blue paint
- Paint brush and or roller
- Box cutter
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Hot glue gun
- Washi tape or similar
- Glue stick
- Cutting mat (recommended)
- Printer (to print sanitizer brand logo)
Difficulty: 5 / 5
This costume takes a bit more prep and skill to put together, but the effect is completely worth it. Catch your prey with this black widow spider costume that has terrifying spider legs made out of pool noodles. Check out Press Print Party for the instructions.
Materials:
- A flat rectangular piece of scrap wood that fits from the upper back to about the waist, and is not wider than the person’s back
- Thick galvanized wire 4 times the length of your pool noodles
- 4 pool noodles
- 4 sheets of black cardstock or construction paper
- Black electrical tape
- Black fabric, spray paint, or duct tape to cover the pool noodles
- About 1 yard of black stretchy fabric
- Fiberfill stuffing or stuffing from an old pillow
- 3 or 4 black adjustable straps
- Heavy duty staple gun
- Packaging tape
- Wire cutters
- Pliers
- Craft glue
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