Brilliant Halloween Costume Ideas Under $30

Well, Halloween is right around the corner. Just don’t get too frightened when turning that corner! And as always, this is typically the time where you may have been invited to that one Halloween/costume party gathering and you still don’t know what to wear. 

At Union Colony Insurance, we are always looking ways for you to save money and spend responsibly. It can be easy to think the best costumes are the expensive ones at the store. After a quick look online, it looks like the cheaper end of a child’s costume bought at the store starts at $30. For an adult, it’s $50! That’s the starting point, it only goes up from there!

So let’s have some fun before Halloween weekend. Let’s use this blog space to help you brainstorm some cheap, do-it-yourself, costume ideas for the impending weekend all under the cost of a child’s Halloween costume*. If you have a brilliant Halloween costume you’ve done in the past, share with us! Some of my old costumes you can find in this list…

*Prices were found from Amazon.com

1) A Scary Pun


(funnyism.com)

Want to be in the scary, yet punny Halloween mood. Get some cereal boxes and some plastic knives and go as a cereal killer!

Cereal Boxes – $6
Plastic Knives – $3
TOTAL: $9

2) The Superhero Blockbuster

Buy a cheap superhero emblem shirt at the store and wear it under your suit in your closet. Now your a superhero with a secret identity! 

Shirt – $13
TOTAL: $13

3) The Whimsical

(Allfortheboys.com)

This is too brilliant!

White Sweatpants – $10
White Sweatsuit – $10
Electrical Tape – $5
TOTAL – $25

4) Group Costume

Need to put out a fire by coming up with a group costume idea? Someone better call the firefighters I guess! Use a navy shirt you already have and dark pants. If you have a fireplace, use the ash for some extra believably that you’ve been putting out fires.

Red Suspenders – $10
Child Fireman Hat – $7
TOTAL – $17

5) Another Group Costume Idea

If it weren’t for those meddling kids….then we wouldn’t have a brilliant costume idea. Buy normal clothes that you can wear even after Halloween but debut your new clothes as the Scooby-Doo gang.

Fred
Blue polo – $10
White long sleeve shirt – $7
Orange Scarf – $4
TOTAL – $21

Daphne
Purple Long sleeve shirt – $10
Purple skirt – $10
Green Scarf – $4
TOTAL – $24

Velma
Orange turtleneck – $8
Orange Skirt – $10
TOTAL – $18

Shaggy 
Large Green t-shirt – $5
TOTAL – $5

What you buy for these costume can be a long term investment!

6) An Instant Classic

(instructables.com)

“It’s A Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,” is celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary this year. Have an instant hit by getting a white bed sheet and cutting too many holes in it like Charlie Brown. Wear black underneath!

Cheap white bed sheet – $10
TOTAL – $10

7) Vegetation for Halloween

(brit.co)

An easy, yet unique design, to turn you into a cactus! All you need is a green dress/long sleeve shirt/green whatever and pipe cleaners. For the girls, add a flower in your hair!

Green long sleeve shirt – $8
White pipe cleaners – $4
TOTAL – $12

8) The Trendy Family

(hellowonderful.co)

Emoji’s are all the rage in the last couple of years. Have a family friendly costume theme by turning yourself into your favorite emoji! Grab those spare cardboard boxes from the garage or your can use a white t-shirt to paint your emoji.

Paint – $12
String – $8
TOTAL – $20

9) Cartoon Couple Costume

(abeautifulmess.com)

This is another costume that you can use more than once. If you don’t already have some vintage looking dress clothes, head to your local thrift store. If you get nice enough clothes, you can wear it more than once. Plus you’ll look trendy.

Paper & Colored Pencils for mask – $16
Vintage Clothes – Depends on what you have/what the thrift store has
TOTAL – $16+

(emgn.com)

Another Vegetation Costume. All you need are purple or green balloons!

Purple or Green Balloons – $7
TOTAL – $7

11) A Little More Spooky

(indulgy.com)

Want to go a bit more spooky? Get a pallet of face paint and do a “Dia de los muertos” makeup and honor another culture while being spooky.

Face paint pallet – $10
TOTAL – $10

12) Extremely Last Minute

(aliexpress.com)

For those with a costume need for the extremely last minute, head to the thrift store and buy some old scrubs. They are really cheap and can are very easy to find. For a more scary look, rip it up and get it dirty to go as a zombie nurse.

Scrubs – <$10
TOTAL – <$10

13) A Saucy Pun

(playbuzz.com)

The cheapest costume ideas we have. We don’t endorse watching the movie. But this costume pun is great! What’s the movie? “Fifty Shades of Grey!” Get 50 grey paint samples from the local hardware store and you got a costume.

Grey paint samples – Free
TOTAL – Free

Well we’ve given you 13 clever, yet cheap Halloween costume ideas. Please stay safe and smart this weekend! 

Please share your costumes this year with us, especially your cute kids! Happy Halloween!