Need a Halloween costume for your kid? via Shutterstock
In past years y’all have GONE CRAZY sharing easy, frugal, homemade, DIY Halloween costumes for adults and children. That’s crazy in a GOOD way! Hahaha. 
Now I’ve compiled all those ideas you’ve shared over the past several years into one mega list of awesome Halloween costumes. The list below is truly mind boggling. Add your ideas in the comments and I’ll add them to this awesome list!
Here are 73 easy Halloween costumes
1. Jackie O. Lantern. Elizabeth says: ” Two years ago, I wore a dead-on Jacqueline Onassis-style ‘do and oversize dark sunglasses, borrowed some pearls and, beneath a tailored suit jacket, wore a giant pumpkin face that I’d cut from one of those cheap plastic lawn bags. My Jackie O. Lantern was a hit everywhere it went that year and cost me a grand total of $8 for the drugstore sunglasses and pumpkin bag!”
2. Dead Downton Abbey. Get a group together who loves the show as much as you do. The more characters you can get from the hit PBS show, the better. And because it’s Halloween, how cool would it be to resurrect all the characters that have been killed? Matthew Crawley, Lady Sybil, and the minor characters Lavinia Swire (the aristocrat), William Mason (a footman), and a visiting Turkish diplomat in previous series. Also, editor Michael Gregson, who “disappears” in Germany.
3. Zumba dancer. Wear as many loud exercise clothes as you can get your hands on. Think loud! Carry a small boom box or portable speaker playing a Zumba dance track. Prepare a short routine that you can pull off a dozen times in one night! As a bonus, this costume will burn several hundred calories!
4. Weird Al Yankovic. His hit remake of “Mandatory Fun” is a great excuse to dress up as wield Al and sing at the top of your lungs.
5. Jelly Fish. Decorate a clear or white umbrella with lots of curling ribbon and thin strips of bubble wrap and wear a white or light blue shirt.
6. Games of Thrones. I’ve not watched a single episode, but I know this show is super popular. Works for an individual or group costume!
7. Double rainbow. Another friend told me how she was going to be a double rainbow this year. She plans to turn both feet into pots of gold using gold-painted boxes with chocolate coins stuck to the top. Then she’ll wear rainbow print leggings to tights and a shirt with more rainbow patterns. Very cheerful!
8. “Holiday Spirit.” Dress in brown. Attach the branches from a fake Christmas tree all over your body. (You can also make branches out of cardboard that has been spray painted green.) Hang battery-powered lights, ornaments, and candy canes to your branches. Wrap shoe boxes and attach to your feet for presents. You’ve caught the holiday spirit! Thanks, Hillary!
9. Prom Queen. Dust off that tacky 80s prom dress (or pick one up at a thrift store) and puff out your hair so it is BIG. (Bonus points for crimping a few locks). Wear lots of bright eyeshadow, lipstick, and bold jewelry. If you can find a crown either at the thrift store or a dollar store you are the perfect prom queen!
10. Apathy. Forgot your costume? No you didn’t. You are dressed as apathy. Thanks, Debra!
11. Vending Machine. I really am obsessed with money. I made a vending machine costume for a Halloween pub crawl on Saturday and turned a dollar profit! I cut up a cardboard box, taped items onto a white piece of thin poster board fitted into the box, and made a change hole in the lower right corner. I duct tapped an empty tin can on the other side of the change hole to collect money and used a diagonal strip of tape across my back to strap the box to my torso. It took me about two hours to assemble the costume, which I stocked with supplies on hand.
I made $5.50 from selling candy and would have made more had I not eaten so much of it. The toiletries were not the big hit I imagined, but a friend used the travel-sized Scope to freshen her breath towards the end of the night. If you use this costume idea in the future, make sure the box is smaller than your torso and does not stick out more than four inches. I had a hard time maneuvering and had to take it off to dance.
12. Melted Snow Man: Douse yourself in water and carry a scarf, carrot and two sticks. Repeat soaking yourself throughout the night.
13. Work of Art: This couldn’t be easier: Hang a large picture frame around your neck. If you want to make it complicated, consider dressing up as a specific work of art, such as the Mona Lisa or a Van Gogh self-portrait.
14. Static cling. Kathy’s idea: “My hairdresser gave me this one. No cost, clever and my personal favorite: comfortable. Using some safety pins, pin one or two socks, a pair of undies and any other small cloth items you can think of, to various places on your clothing. You are now “Static Cling”!”
15 and 16. Turtle and ladybug costumes (video). These require no sewing – only a hot glue gun and felt!
17. Bright idea. Take a light bulb, color it yellow, and attach it to a head band. What a bright idea!
18. Mortgage-backed Security: Financial whizzes need only wrap a lightweight dollhouse in chains or ropes to make this costume work. Pair a business suit with a briefcase and strap the house to your back. For an added touch, paint your face black and blue.
19. Windblown (for females): Braid your hair with wire so it sticks out in one direction and glue the wire to a scarf. Wrap the scarf around your neck and extend it in the same direction as your hair. Poke the wire through the hem of a skirt and bend it in the same direction as the hair and scarf. For added affect, walk at an angle.
20. Corporate CEO: You’ll need a decent suit for this one, but what really makes this costume work is the golden parachute, made by spray painting a bed sheet gold and allowing it to peak out of a backpack. You can stuff fake bills in your pockets but be prepared to lose them over the evening to costumed Job Seekers.
21. Lamp: Top an all-black ensemble with a large lampshade and you’ll light-up the party.
22. Dr/Nurse/Midwife. Find scrubs in the thrift store or borrow a pair. Dress it up with other medical accessories either from the thrift store or a toy store (cheaper than buying real medical supplies) Wear with sneakers and you’re set. Doctor? Nurse? Midwife? You pick.
23. Storm cloud. Find a deal on bags of cotton or fuzzy material and glue them onto a white or gray T-shirt. Cut out a large lightening bolt from a cardboard box and paint or color yellow. You are a storm cloud!
24. Babysitter: Strap a baby doll to your rear end and sit on it. Sick, but easy.
25. 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.
26. Santa. Elizabeth shares: “Red sweats, some fur and black Naugahyde easily convert to a Santa suit, add a store bought hat (use extra fur to sew or glue in a beard that hangs below the chin and you’re good to go)!”
27. Hole-in-one: Golfers will love this easy costume. Just cut a large numeral 1 out of a piece of cardboard and cut a hole in the middle of the 1. Attach the cardboard to your chest and let them guess.
28. Blackmail: Wear all black and glue postage stamps to your chest.
29. Bag lady. John says: “One time my wife cut a hole for the head and two for her arms in a large industrial black trash bag, tied a rope around her waist and went as a Bag Lady. Everyone loved it.”
30. Ugly Betty is a good option for ladies not interested in a sexy look: Heavy framed glasses are required but a Sears poncho is optional.
31. Dryer lint. Liz shares: “In my college/post college days when money was always tight, I thought of some great costumes using my warped sense of humor. Similar to Kathy’s static cling, I dressed, head to toe, in black and stuck string, crumpled tissues and other light weight items on me and went at “dryer lint”.
32. Cereal killer. Liz again: “Again, I dressed in black. Then I cut the cereal names from their boxes and pinned them to my body. My only other prop was a cleaver with fake blood on it. I was a ‘cereal’ killer.”
33. Speed bump. Another idea from Liz: “I bought a cheap, yellow sweatsuit from Kmart, laid it on my driveway and then sprayed black spray paint on a section of my car’s spare tire. I then rolled the tire over the front of the sweatshirt top and then on the pants. Voila! Speed bump.”
34. The 5th Dentist. Last idea from Liz: “I borrowed a white lab coat from my friends mom and made dental tools from aluminum foil. I placed the tools in the breast pocket along with a few packs of Dentine gum. I was the 5th dentist – the one that didn’t recommend Trident. When people asked what I was, I handed out a piece of Dentine as I explained the costume. It was a big hit.”
35. Green with Envy. Karen’s idea is clever and low-budget! “I had a very sarcastic friend in college, many years ago, and she dressed in a green t-shirt and jeans. On the left side near her heart in black marker she wrote the letters NV. When asked what her costume was she replied: I’m green with envy.”
36. Giraffe costume. “Sweats, masking tape, construction paper ears taped to hood, and horns made from foil and covered with electrical tape for the giraffe. So frugal!” Thanks, Wendy!
Bubble bath for Halloween!
37. Bubble Bath. Dress in light pink or white. Cut out the bottom of a plastic tub (the “bath”) and create shoulder straps to hold up the bucket using twine, duct tape, or another strong material. Attach big foam balls all over your front and arms. Wear a shower cap and attach a rubber ducky to the edge of the tub.
38. Bag of leaves. Reader Donna wrote in with a clever costume idea and she shared apicture of her dressed up, above. “Last year for Halloween, I was a bag of leaves. I cut armholes out of a paper recycling leaf bag and attached fake autumn leaves purchased from a dollar store. I rimmed the top of the bag with leaves as if they were coming out the top and I taped individual leaves onto my arms, legs, shoes, etc. I also made a leaf crown for my head. All in all the costume cost just a few dollars and it was easy and fun.”
39. Identity Thief. Wear a T-shirt covered in name tags with different names on them, black mask.
40. Pocahontas. Susan suggested an easy Disney costume. “Pocahontas is really easy to do and cute too. Get a beige or brown t-shirt and cut fringe from the bottom up on the hem and sleeves (cut the bands off first). Cut the neck into a V shape. You can also use two t-shirts and layer them for more fringe. I got my t-shirts at the 5 for $10 stores around Disneyland. Braid your hair, wrap the ends with the pieces of hem from the t-shirt, and tie a headband around your head with a feather or two glued or stapled on. Wear leggings on the bottom with boots or moccasins if you have them, or use brown knee socks with whatever shoes you will be wearing. Of if weather permits, wear sandals. If you can find some Indian-style beads, add them as an accessory.”
41. Crazy World Cup Fan. String a few vuvuzelas around your neck, wear your team’s soccer uniform, and make plenty of noise.
42. Black Eyed Pea. Jessica had a clever and fun costume idea. “At my sons request he wanted to be a “black eyed pea” last year. I am not too crafty so I had him [wear] a large white “P” printed on a black t-shirt ($6) and got some black face paint ($1) to go around one of his eyes. Everyone had a fit when I took him trick or treating. It was a huge hit! I wouldn’t see why it wouldn’t work for an adult as well.”
43. Freudian slip. Teena suggests going as a Freudian slip. Wear an old slip and write Freud on it.
44. Leftovers. Elizabeth had a number of winning ideas. “Wrap yourself creatively in aluminum foil and go as a Leftover. (This is better on a child, not as much foil is used).
45. Laundry. Elizabeth says: “Get an old laundry basket, cut the bottom out. Use bathrobe waistbands or long scarves for straps, wear a simple t-shirt and pin clean assorted clothes in abundance to the shirt. A bra or other “embarrassing” article of clothing over the head adds humor, an empty bottle of detergent or softener completes the look.”
46. Jelly Beans. Another one from Elizabeth: “My friend got different colored balloons, some clear plastic sheeting (not too thin). She stapled the sheeting by folding the ends toward the middle. Then stapled the sides. She then cut a hole in the middle and left that open. Then she blew up the balloons and filled the “bag” she’d made. She wore monotone tights and a body leotard and put her head through the hold in the middle, allowing the ‘bag’ to drape in the front and back of her. Then we did a few staples along the side to hold it together there. She was a bag of Jelly Beans!”
47. Scooby Doo Gang. N. Davis has a clever group costume idea. “My friends and I once went as the Scooby Doo gang: Shaggy, Freddie, Daphne and Velma. We were able to find most everything we needed for our costumes at thrift stores, including Scooby (a stuffed animal that we carried with us). Basically you just need a white shirt and blue pants for Freddie, green shirt and brown pants for Shaggy, tall boots and a 60s style dress (purple if possible) for Daphne and glasses, an orange turtleneck, red-orange skirt and orange knee socks for Velma (the most difficult costume of the group, IMO). We went to 2 or 3 haunted houses in costume that night, and everybody immediately knew who we were supposed to be and loved it! We heard “you meddling kids” from several different people. LOL!”
49. Tourist. Sandy N says your nearest thrift store has everything you’ll need for this costume. “Tourist – find a tropical shirt, khacki shorts, wear long socks pulled up over calves, get a big straw sun hat, wear a camera around neck, map in shirt pocket & sunglasses.” If you go trick-or-treating or to a party, make sure to ask for directions!”
50. Christmas tree. Christina says: “Pair this with Elizabeth’s Santa costume for a dramatic effect! Perhaps you can get friends to dress up as reindeer. “I made the branches out of construction paper and safety pinned them onto a green shirt and brown pants. I used shoe boxes to make Presents which I wore over my shoes and I made a star that I put on top of my head. I had colored flashing lights and tinsel that I wrapped around me. I used stickers that I stuck to the green construction paper for ornaments.”
51. John Deere Tractor. Paint two cardboard boxes green and attach one to the front of yourself and one to the back. Cut out four circles from black construction paper and then four smaller circles from yellow paper to fit inside the black ones for wheels. Afix one wheel to either side of the boxes. Fold a sheet of sturdy black paper or poster board for a smoke stack on the front box. You’re a John Deere tractor! Bonus points for attaching battery operated lights to the back and front of the tractor!
52. Chicken. Dress all in yellow, the more fitted the better. Sew or glue on yellow feathers all over. Make feet out of two yellow dishwashing gloves. Bock bock!You’re a chicken!
53. Flip Flopper. Cut out a giant shoe shape from cardboard. Spray paint it your color of choice. Cut out two long stems from cardboard and spray paint them the same color. Cut a hole in between the big toe and the next toe and tie down the stems. Attach the other end of the stem to either side of the shoe print, making yourself one giant flip flop. Lean to the left, lean to the right. You are a flip flopper!
54. Obamacare. Make a traditional nurse’s white cap out of sturdy paper and afix a red cross to the front. Pull on an Obama mask and you are Obamacare!
55. Hot guy in Old Spice commercials. Whether or not you have rock hard abs, dress up as the super hot guy in the Old Spice commercials. Wrap yourself in a towel and carry a bottle of Old Spice. If you’re out of shape, wear a t-shirt printed with fake abs.
56. Chest of drawers. Lisa’s idea: “That reminds me of a party I went to where a guy walked in with a bunch of underwear pinned to the front of his sweatshirt and said he was a CHEST OF DRAWERS! I love the fact that people are turning back to ‘things’ and concepts rather than imitating a person or fictional character. Shows much more imagination and guessing what each person is supposed to be is part of the fun!”
57. Sign twirler. Sue’s idea – especially relevant in LA: “Make a sign saying “Happy Halloween” or better yet “Trick or Treat”, put handles on the back and go as a sign twirler. You could wear a rainbow clown wig like the guy on my corner, but you really don’t need any special clothes.”
58. Recyclable. Lisa’s idea: “Get a large trash bag, cut holes in for legs and arms, then fill out around you with assorted bottles, cans, etc. and go as a Recyclable. Then you can cash in the costume for $$ – very bargain babish!
59. Grapes. Georgie’s idea: “Put a pair of green tights and top on and blow up green balloons and go as a bunch of grapes, we did it for the whole family last year, cheap as chips.”
Reader Georgie shows off her “bunch of grapes” family costumes.
60. Carrot. Lynda’s idea: “I went to a party one year where a woman wore a long orange dress, and tied several piece of fern to her head…said she was a carrot!”
61. Sexy Librarian. Strap on those rimmed glasses, step into a fitted skirt that goes at least to the knee, pull on a button down cardigan, and revel in fishnets and heels (the last two are the sexy part). If you have a pearl necklace, wear that. And try to put your hair in some updo with a few strands framing your face. Lipstick. Then all you need is stack of books and…young man, you have a late fee!
62. Mr or Mrs. Smartie Pants. Take an old pair of pants and hot glue, tie or safety pin Smarties candies all over them.
63. Leaf Blower. Hang a leaf off the brim of your hat and blow on it when people ask what you are.
64. Mucho DeNiro. Cut out a bunch of pictures of Robert DeNiro and pin or glue to your clothing.
65. Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Rain. Put cotton balls all over a blue shirt and carry a squirt gun. When people ask what you are, tell them you are “partly cloudy” — squirt them with the water — “with a chance of rain”.
66. Dictator. Hang a potato around your neck and tell everyone what to do all night.
67. Risky Business Guy. Wear tighty-whiteys, a button down shirt and socks, no pants.
68. Lightning Bug. Perfect for trick-or-treating or party after dark! Wear all black (leotard possibly) with butterfly wings you make or buy from the dollar store. Add pipe cleaner antennae to a headband and pin a dust mask to your butt with a few green glow-stick bracelets hot-glued inside of it.
69. Bearded lady. Transform yourself into a carnival freak by attaching a fake beard!
Couple costumes
70. Santa and Mrs. Claus or Santa and an elf.
71. Pebbles and Bam Bam from the Flintstones. See pictures here: Halloween costumes for couples.
72. Ancient Romans. Wrap yourself in a white sheet and fashion a tiara out of ivy or greenery. Carry a copy of Homer’s “Illiad” or “The Odyssey.”
73. Nun and Priest.
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