Editorial, Fashion DIY

How to dress for Halloween on a budget

by Nicole Mölders

When the costume is on sale, but fails to fit the budget

Did you see the prices on the rack with the Halloween costumes? The sign that made you stir there says sale in big letters and 50% off. Looking at the tags you think it is a joke as they still cost $25 to $40. When being on a budget fashion wise, it is not wise to spend your money on a costume that you wear only for 4 hours. Read on for a solution of the problem having to have a Halloween costume for the party you were invited to, but not having the money for a costume.

Halloween costume for adult woman
Vampire Halloween dress in velvet with mesh accents at the hem, fishnet tights, and L.K. Bennett pumps (all own). This dress is one of these $20 costumes bought on sale. It has a Princess cut, which is rare for cheap Halloween costumes. I wear this for Halloween dances which interestingly are not on Halloween

self-sewn Halloween costume on a budget

Why not to spend money on a costume when you are on a budget

Costumes that look like one-way clothes, badly sewn together, looking like they are the first piece of the new seamstress in training who never had sewn before. Do I have to mention that the fabric is so shiny that it will highlight every lump and bump? The darts for the breasts would not even be a fit for Diana the Goddess of hunting. You are probably right that you could do that for half the price and better when you had the time to look for fabric, and do the sewing.

DIY Halloween costume to save
Front view of DIY Halloween costume. I would wear this costume for a sit-down dinner Halloween party as its skirt is way to heavy for dancing. What I like about this costume is that it is a real costume for me. Me in a bonnet!

How to get a Halloween costume without breaking the budget

Here are some further examples of Halloween costumes that I made by shopping my closet, re-purposing items and DIY. Get inspired and have fun creating your low cost outfit for Halloween.

mature woman in DIY costume from her own closet Gold Rush costume made out of a western style slip, with a peasant blouse under a corsage and a metallic belt with Double HH lace up booties, and a fake pony tail (all own)
#Halloween mature woman in dance hall costume DIY Gold Rush dance hall girl dress (thrift find) with Karl Jäger shoes (all own)
Shop your own closet for a Halloween costume! Click To Tweet
posh chic Old Times costume for midlife woman
Old Times costume shopped from my closet by wearing a Karl Jäger skirt, Hammerschmidt vest, Double HH lace-up booties, western skirt, Russian scarf and self-sewn blouse (all own)
DIY costume with bonnet, lace gloves, and bucket bag
Side view of DIY 19th century Halloween costume that I sew myself

Check thrift stores

Thrift stores often have cool pieces that combined or alone make a cool costume. Ask yourself what could this item be beyond what it was made for.

I hope this post inspired you and gave you some ideas what to wear for Halloween without spending (too much) money for a costume.

Happy Halloween and celebrate responsibly.

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Photos: G. Kramm

© 2013-2018 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved

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