50 Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes for College Students

I have to be honest. This list of 50 cheap and easy halloween costume ideas was originally found over at another site. It’s been emailed around, posted all over and shared in many ways. Knowing students are often looking for a costume that’s both creative and inexpensive, I noticed that many of the ideas are perfect… and funny too, so don’t be a dick… you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a great costume.

Here are a few examples. I’ve added some of my own tweaks to some. You’ll find those ideas in the [brackets]. The link to the complete list is in the helpers at the end of the post.

• Autograph Book: This is one costume you may never want to throw away. Dress all in white and carry a Sharpie pen then ask people to sign your clothes. This could be particularly fun for grade-schoolers or children learning to write.
• Q-Tip: Dress entirely in blue and cover a cap and your shoes with cotton balls. [Spraypaint a portion of the white cotton balls (or quilt batting) with a yellowish-orange paint to resemble ear wax]
• Tourist: Nearly everyone has a Hawaiian shirt in their closets. Add some Bermuda shorts, sandals with socks and sling a camera around your neck. For a humorous look, stuff the rear end of your pants and put brochures in your pockets.
• Lamp: Top an all-black ensemble with a large lampshade and you’ll light-up the party. [For an authentic look, purchase a few glowsticks from your local dollar store and attach them with twist ties to the lamp mechanism where the bulb would go...]
• The Nerd: Some can go from work to Halloween parties without a change of clothes, but for non-nerds, pair high-water pants, a short-sleeved dress shirt buttoned to the top with pens in the pocket and appropriate ink stains. Take the nose and mustache off a set of Groucho glasses and you’ve completed the look.
• A Recyclable: Wear a trash can adorned with empty bottles and cans and you’ve created a trendy costume.[Use a plastic bin, cut out armholes and glue some empties along the edge. Use permanent marker to write on the bin 'Green is the new black' and wear the lid as a hat.]
• A Compost Heap: Another trendy costume, the Compost Heap is basically the Recyclable with banana peels, apple cores and the like attached to the clothing of your choice. Don’t forget to adorn your hair, as well.
• Pile of Laundry: The perfect costume for college students! Simply pin clothes onto an old outfit or, for a more complex costume, cut the bottom out of an old laundry basket, fill it with clothes and wear it around your waist. A hat made from a washed-out Clorox [detergent or bleach] bottle adds a jaunty touch. Don’t forget to toss in a few used fabric-softener sheets.

More Halloween Helpers:

1. For the rest of the list, head over to the original site.
2. For great (and retro) candy, click here.
3. For a list of pumpkin carving templates, click here.
4. For some great gross food ideas for your party, click here.
5. For a free printed canvas of your favorite Halloween Hijinks photo, click here!
6. For Halloween history and music, click here.
7. More Cheap Costume Ideas with Photos… click here.

Happy Halloween! Boo-bye for now.