Frugal Costume Ideas

I made my g-daughter into a" Bag of Groceries" I used a store's brown bag, cut out the bottom and slit the bag up the back to wrap around her. I didn't do arm holes as the bag hung below the arms and stayed on by hot gluing an old fabric belt cut to size for shoulder straps. Then I filled it with "products", like cutting out the fronts of boxed items (different sizes) and layering them every which way around the body of the bag and glued them together in batches. I found smaller items to glue up and down the straps (empty Jello boxes, pet food treat containers, a toothpaste box, etc). I took a ketchup bottle, cleaned it and inserted a piece of red construction paper to give it color and put the bottle into the body of the bag).

Then I paper-clipped a bunch of coupons to the front of the bag along with a long register receipt that was dangling out. Her head was covered with a white knit cap and an empty bag of sugar placed upside down on her head. Cut the flaps to lay flat for using bobby pins to hold it in place. (Just wear something neutral underneath). Everyone loved her costume! Carrying one of those recycled totes from the store for getting treats completes the outfit. This outfit cost was ZERO, too :D---a little imagination goes a long way!

There are lots of costumes you can make from old clothes. Try a hippie, if you have torn jeans, a vest, lots of love beads, a scarf for a belt.

A tramp, out of whatever ragged things you can devise, use a broomstick and a bag of "something" on a stick so it looks hobo-ish.
A farmer, jeans, plaid shirt, straw hat or cap.
A maid, dress, apron, tray with dishes on it.
Cowboy, if you have the appropriate hat, and boots are a bonus, otherwise jeans, shirt, vest, hanky around neck, maybe a hobby horse.

Ask your kids for ideas, if they are school age. My son once dressed up as the "chensopater". I didn't know what that was (a word he made up) , but we used things we had, big hat, cape, ragged pants and shirt, he put together the costume and was thrilled.

Just a reminder that face paint is always better than a mask for trick or treating (unless you are the Lone Ranger, he has to have a mask! LOL)