My family has an unhealthy obsession with Halloween. It’s one of our biggest holidays of the year. When I was younger, I was the kid that would start planning her Halloween costume in April. I am a huge costume enthusiast. Besides candy corn, I’m pretty sure the costumes are the best part of October 31.

Although I probably spend an excessive amount of time creating Halloween costumes, I rarely spend an excessive amount of money. This is because I always make my costumes. I have found that making Halloween costumes instead of buying them saves a lot of money, and the results are often better. Making your own costume allows for so much more creativity. If you are not as big on Halloween as I am, then making a costume might sound like a huge drag, but it does not have to be. With a little bit of creativity, it can be very easy and really fun.

Here are my steps to creating the world’s most fabulous Halloween costume:

1. Pick what you want to be.

   Be creative here! Everyone loves a costume that strays from the norm. Think outside of the box, and you might come up with something really great!

2. Raid your closet.

   Then, raid your mother’s closet, your sister’s closet, and, yes, maybe even your father’s closet. You would be surprised at how many things you can use that you already own. You could even swap this step with number one if you are looking for inspiration. I know you probably look at the things in your closet everyday; but, open your closet door with a completely open mind, and you might find yourself suddenly flooded with inspiration.

3. Go to a thrift store.

   Thrift stores have great pieces for very little money. Eighty percent of the costumes I own are created from thrift store items. They are wonderful places to find unusual items that are often just what is needed.

4. Get out the hot glue gun.

   

   Yes, I own a sewing machine, but I am ashamed to say that the only thing I can make with it is a pillowcase. You will find that, most of the time, a glue gun will do a sufficient job — especially if you are only wearing your costume for one night. Of course, if you want to dress up like Cleopatra everyday, I understand, but you might want to invest in some sewing lessons then for durability purposes.

If, even after my world-class costume-making lesson, you find yourself still searching for inspiration, here are some costumes that I have worn in the past. They might give you some ideas. They also might make you think that I need to get a life. You decide.

• Jellyfish: This is an incredibly simple costume. To do this, I took an umbrella and attached crepe paper strips all along the bottom for tentacles. I then cut out eyes and attached them to the top of the umbrella.
• A Few of my Favorite Things: The Sound of Music is, of course, one of my favorite movies of all time. Following the lyrics of one of the movie’s most famed songs, I created a giant necklace made up of all of the favorite things. On it I hung all of the items mentioned in the song: raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen — okay, I’ll stop now. I think you get the idea.
• Fried Egg: I know, I’m just sounding cooler and cooler. For this costume I bought a giant sheet of foam at a craft store. I then pinned a yellow pillow in the center. This was also one of the easiest costumes I have ever made.
• The Queen of Hearts: One year my family went all out, and we all dressed up as different characters from Alice in Wonderland. For this costume, I went to the thrift store and actually found a red vampire queen costume. But you could also find some other cheap red gown at a thrift store (thrift stores are wonderfully inexpensive and finding this type of dress is very possible). I then took a deck of cards and glued them all over the dress.

I have found that a lot of the time buying your Halloween costume might seem to be so much simpler, but you often end up paying an excessive amount of money for something that is generic and poorly made. By making your own costume, you will end up paying much less for a final product that is much more interesting.