Halloween is only a few weeks away, and again we’re faced with the dilemma of finding the perfect costume. My definition of perfection is when it costs under $5. Homemade costumes are not only cheaper, but they let you show off your creativity by making something out of nothing (ex.: this guy's werewolf costume). Last Halloween, for instance, my friend Derek used green Kool-Aid to stain his skin and hair, and cut the legs off some purple sweatpants to become the incredible Hulk. He completed the costume with an old shirt, which he tore apart halfway through the night. HULK SMASH! So hit the thrift stores and the back of your closet. You might be surprised at what you come up with. Here are a few other low cost costume ideas: •    If you don’t want to pay $50 for an Iron Man costume, get some cardboard, boots and silver spray paint and become a literal iron man. The concept can easily be turned into any kind of robot. • Cartoon characters and Muppets like Bert & Ernie usually require only a single color of cream makeup and a trip to the nearest thrift store. • Discount and dollar stores can be a great place for group costumes. You and your friends can purchase SWAT team, firefighter, or police officer plastic playsets and lock down any place you go. •    Get a XXXL T-shirt and go as a little kid up past his or her bedtime. •    Find a few red leotards, making you and your friends the (allegedly) underage Chinese gymnastics team.

Making your own costume gives it that much more personality. Anyone can shell out $50 for a pre-made costume, but going to the time and effort to assemble your own can make it that much more memorable. Plus, if it gets wrecked, you only spent $5. If anything, promise me you won’t be like every other idiot and go as The Joker. --Cody The pictures are taken from photostreams 1 and 2 and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.

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