For many Americans, Halloween is a magical holiday. Yet between work, family, school and other responsibilities, investing time into the holiday can be hard. With so much going on and the Oct. 31 deadline fast approaching, some families end up overspending on Halloween. In fact, total spending on Halloween costumes is expected to reach a record $4.1 billion this year.

However, just because your costume may be last-minute doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. Investing a bit of time into brainstorming, buying used rather than new, DIYing and borrowing can help you get your spook on without breaking the bank. This Halloween, don’t drop big bucks just because you’re in a rush. Follow this guide to learn how you can whip up a creative costume in no time for little to no money.

Invest in brainstorming

The best investment you can make into your last-minute Halloween costume is whatever amount of time you can spare to plan it. Rather than going with the first idea you have or buying the first costume you see, you can get creative and save money with a bit of brainstorming. While the brainstorming process may look a little different for everyone, here are some tips you can consider while planning your costume:

• Use Pinterest as a resource: As the go-to platform for creative inspiration, Pinterest can help you instantly come up with plenty of ideas for your last-minute costume. You can use Pinterest to figure out what you want to be, ways to style your costume and how to make it.
• Consider a group costume: Have a friend who needs a last-minute costume, too? Help each other save money by purchasing and using items together to create costumes. Inviting someone else to join in your costume increases your chances of finding a costume piece you could borrow, too!
• Make a list of needed pieces and materials: Once you figure out what your costume will be, it’s time to acquire all of the pieces you’ll need to put it together. Whether you need props, a wig, specific clothing items or makeup, make a quick list of materials that you can refer to while shopping or digging through your closet.
• Avoid elaborate costumes and accessories: While elaborate costumes can be fun, they’re best not left to the last minute. Trying to put together something big will likely take a lot of time, money or both. If dressing up as your favorite character will require a lot of work, see if you can adapt the costume to be more time and budget-friendly (think makeup rather than prosthetics, construction paper rather than painting, etc.).

By spending even a little bit of time planning your costume through brainstorming on Pinterest, working with a friend, listing needed materials and keeping things simple, you can avoid extra expenses and be prepared to create a killer Halloween costume.

Buy used

Buying used costumes or costume pieces is probably the best way to save money on your last-minute Halloween costume. Even without a brand-new costume, you can still rock Halloween in a matter of minutes with something secondhand! Whether you’re looking for used clothing to create your own look or hoping to score a ready-made costume, these resources can help you in your quest to save on a last-minute costume:

• Thrift stores: While looking for used pieces for your costume, you’ll probably have the best luck at local thrift stores. Although you never know what you might find there, chances are you’ll find something workable at a low price. Check out local favorite thrift store chains like Deseret Industries and Savers to see what you can find.
• Online classifieds: Just because you’re not buying a new Halloween costume doesn’t mean you can’t get something that’s ready to wear! Local online classifieds have a whole world of used costumes and clothes for you to find. You can use the search filters to find exactly what you’re looking for at any time and, if you’re comfortable with it, even haggle with the seller to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
• FB Marketplace: If you’re looking for something specific, Facebook Marketplace might be your best bet. If someone nearby is selling a used costume piece you need at the right price, you can plan to meet up with them in a matter of minutes to make your costume complete!

Whether you search thrift stores or online marketplaces for your last-minute costume, you’re sure to save money by buying used rather than new.

DIY

Another way to save on your costume is by creating it yourself! Rather than buying ready-made, consider picking up some arts and crafts supplies on your next grocery run. Even Walmart has a pretty good selection of craft materials you could pick up at almost any hour. Although some DIY projects can require a lot of effort, creating a simple costume yourself isn’t generally too difficult — and it could save you big bucks.

For example, rather than buying a premade tomato costume for my baby this Halloween, I picked up a green foam sheet from the store to create a stem with, borrowed some batting to stuff into a pair of red pajamas and put together an adorable tomato costume in less than 30 minutes for half the cost of a new costume.

With Halloween fast approaching, don’t overspend on a last-minute costume. Take a bit of time to plan, consider buying used costume pieces or even ready-to-wear costumes and get creative to save money on a spook-tacular costume this year!

Lillian Sanders is a project manager at Stage Marketing, a full-service content marketing agency based in Provo.

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