20 Easy DIY Costumes to Make this Halloween

Even though Halloween will likely look different this year, it’s still a great excuse to dress up and have some fun!

If you’re looking to stay home for Halloween, I thought this was a really cute idea from Gem Less Chosen–even thought she may have been joking.

I think I might buy candies and have my little sisters trick or treat from door to door in our house this year lol #halloween2020

— gemlesschosen (@gemlesschosen) September 2, 2020

Easy DIY Halloween Costumes

Whether you’re staying home or safely going out, we’ve compiled a list of some super easy DIY costumes for you. These are great low-waste options, most of which can be made with items from your own house.

1. Men In Black – Have a blazer and dress pants in your closet? Throw this on with some shades and you’re ready to fight aliens as one of the MIB.
   Bonus: Make a neuralyzer out of a silver pen or other silver cylinder and erase minds as a party trick
2. Nerd – A classic easy DIY. Add a little masking tape to your glasses, add pens to your dress shirt pocket, and you’re most of the way there!
3. Smarty Pants – Did you eat your way through the Smarties Halloween candy stash? No problem! Make it into a costume! Pin big or small Smarties boxes all over your pants and your pun-y costume is set!
4. Chip on Your Shoulder – If it wasn’t Smarties you polished off from the Halloween candy, but the mini-bags of chips, you can still put those bags to good use! Pin one of the bags to your shoulder and you will have a chip on your shoulder for the night!
5. Cereal Killer – Find a cardboard box big enough that you can wear (or two pieces of cardboard you can string together front and back). Draw a cereal box on the cardboard and make a knife out of any cut offs. The knife can be covered in tin foil or coloured silver. Voila! You are a serial cereal killer!
   
   An alternative can be made by attaching cereal boxes to a shirt:

6. Instagram Selfie – With a large piece of cardboard, cut out the center and draw on the details for an Instagram frame. Hold it up and you are photo ready!
7. Self Portrait – If you want to go less high tech than an Instagram selfie, you can carry around a large picture frame (with the glass and backing removed) and be a self portrait.
8. Green with Envy – If you have a green shirt, this couple costume could not be simpler! One partner wears the green shirt; one partner wears a different colour shirt with the word “envy” written on it. Write out the letters using black tape or pin paper to the shirt. There you have it, together you make Green with Envy.
9. Emoji – Have a yellow t-shirt not a green one? Perfect! You can be any emoji you want! Cut the eyes, mouth, and other details out of colourful craft paper. Use double sided tape or safety pins to attach your chosen expression to your shirt.
10. Bat – Dress in black and make yourself some wings to become a bat. Your wings can be made out of fabric, a black garbage bag, or even upcycle a broken umbrella. Make ears out of cardboard or card stock and attach them to a headband.

11. Formal Apology – If you have a sash or can make one out of material, write “apology” on it, throw on a fancy dress or outfit and you are the ever pun-y formal apology.
12. Raining Cats and Dogs – If you have an umbrella, you can make this costume. Simply cut out, draw, or print multiple pictures of cats and dogs. Next attach the pictures with string so they are hanging down from your umbrella. Hold the umbrella up over your head as it’s now raining cats and dogs!
13. It’s Raining Men – If cats and dogs aren’t your thing, you can do the same thing with pictures of men! Be forewarned though, you’ll likely be singing the song all night!
14. 3-Hole Punch – Attach 3 large circles of paper or cardboard to your side and be the 3-hole punched version of yourself.
15. Classic 80’s Anything – Big hair, don’t care! This is the perfect excuse to break out your neon colours, your tights, and your big hair! You could be an exercise queen or simply embrace your inner 80’s style.

For anyone looking for the minimal effort, you can wear your own clothes and call yourself any of the following:

16. A Private Investigator – just add a notebook and pen.
17. A Nudist On Strike – just hang a sign around your neck that says “Nudist on Strike” or “On Strike.”
18. A Door to Door Salesman – just add a handful of flyers or a briefcase.
19. Wednesday Addams as a Homicidal Maniac – As Wednesday Addams says in the movie about her Halloween costume, “I’m a homicidal maniac, they look just like everyone else.”
20. A Tourist – just add a camera around your neck (or your phone on a selfie stick), a backpack/bag, sunshades and a hat.

Do you love dressing up for Halloween? What will your costume be this year?