Dear readers,

Allie from Broke 207 shares four basic rules you should always adhere to when planning your Halloween costume. If you have already assembled your costume this year, what are your tips?

Four Easy Tips for Finding YOUR Halloween Costume

In the first grade, I begged and pleaded with my mother for weeks for a store bought Papa Smurf costume.  You know, the kind with the vinyl smock and that plastic vacu-formed mask with the treacherous tongue lacerating mouth hole?

We’re talking round the clock, relentless pestering at a level that can only be maintained by a desperate 6 year old with an uncompromising vision.

Needless to say, she relented. And you know what? It was the worst Halloween costume ever. Cold, uncomfortable, and what kind of terrible Papa Smurf costume just has a picture of Papa Smurf on the front? It was beyond sad. I would never again forsake my mother’s sewing skills for the temptations of the retail costume rack.

I believe that it is was this seminal moment in my costume history that prejudiced me against store bought costumes for good. As a kid, it just opened my eyes to the clear superiority of having a costume tailor made to my specifications. But as an adult (who would eventually learn to sew her own costumes), I would find myself increasingly more repulsed by the options available to me in stores.

For women, it’s nothing but sexy princesses or fairies, and all demeaning and unimaginative points in between. For men, the landscape is equally dismal, with nothing but cheap polyester superhero costumes.

Now, I realize that not everyone was the star of his or her Home Ec class in 1967 (way to go mom!).   However, that doesn’t mean that fantastic costumes can’t be assembled with little or no sewing, and little or no budget. The cornerstone of a truly great homemade costume isn’t cleavage, it’s ingenuity. Follow these 4 simple rules, and look amazing while maintaining your dignity AND your paycheck (Those store bought costumes can run upwards of $60 each!):

Be funny.  If it gives you the giggles when you think about it, then go for it. I was wandering the Forest Ave. Goodwill this weekend trying to generate some costume ideas for this post, when I spotted a majestic peach chiffon pants suit across the room.  “OMG! I can be Golden Girls era Bea Arthur!”

And then I made myself sad for a minute when I realized that the great Ms. Arthur passed away in 2009… AND THEN, I cracked myself up. “OMG! I can be Golden Girls era ZOMBIE Bea Arthur!” I stood there chuckling in the corner for a good 5 minutes while I imagined myself staggering around the party in my pants suit demanding cheesecake instead of brains.

Be surprising.  Every year, there are always those current pop culture homages that make up a good 25-50% of all adult Halloween costumes. Remember that year everyone went as Amy Winehouse? This year, I can see a lot of repurposing of Winehouse wigs into Snooki wigs…

But if you are going to ride on the pop culture bandwagon, why not mix it up a little?  Apparently, Charlie Sheen is a big one this year for costumes. Why not don a business suit and be Wall Street era Charlie Sheen, when he still had a career? You can walk around looking shocked and upset and all specters of your future raving lunatic self.

Or, be something topical, but not too obvious or literal. I have a friend who is thinking about being Sexy Ron Paul this year.  And so far, the best suggestion I’ve seen on any costume ideas website, is to go as Gluten. If you can pull that off, you’re a certified Halloween genius.

Be resourceful. Look around your house and see what you’ve got lying around, or start planning your costume around things that you can ALWAYS find at a thrift store. If you hitch your wagon too tightly to an idea that relies on a very specific item (like pink sweatpants or a yellow sparkly prom dress), you might wind up with your trick or treat bag full of disappointment if when can’t find it.

All you need is a trench coat and some cardboard for this sweet Inspector Gadget costume (take that Charlie Sheen!). Or what about some soda bottles and fabric to make this amazing Jet Pack?

On a slightly darker note, a friend of mine suggested attaching an assortment stuffed animals (preferably woodland creatures or marine life) to a black plastic bag and calling yourself an Oil Spill.  The point being, there are always tons of stuffed animals available second hand.  Be clever with what you know you can get, and you won’t find yourself having to ruin a perfectly good sheet for a last minute ghost costume.

Commit.  No matter how little money you spent on your costume, if you act the part with full gusto all night long, you will be remembered. One of my favorite cheap, easy, and hilarious costume ideas is to be a Department Store Spray Lady. All you need is a nice black dress, a faceload (or two) of makeup (think false eyelashes), and a giant spray bottle of fake perfume (You should probably use water. Too many people have allergies to scents for real perfume to be a viable choice.). You can then strut around the party all night asking everyone if they’d like to try [insert hilarious fake perfume name here], and then hose them down before they have a chance to say no. Aim for the eyes!

You still have almost 2 weeks until Halloween, so if you haven’t started brainstorming & shopping, now is the time. If you’re feeling a little stuck, there are a ton of great resources out there to help you out.  Some of my favorites are: Coolest Homemade Costumes, CostumePop, and (of course) Martha Stewart always knocks it out of the park.

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