Halloween DIY could make or break the bank

Joanne Thompson works on her sons Darth Vader costume from scratch.

Joanne Thompson works on her sons Darth Vader costume from scratch.

STORY BY CHELSEA HOGG

Halloween costumes come in all kinds of styles, sizes and colours, but they also come at different price points.

It can be hard to find a costume you love with the money you have, so some students have started constructing their costumes by DIY.

Melissa James, 18, has started using DIY costumes for Halloween ever since she realized just how expensive they could be in stores.

“Halloween costumes are super expensive in my opinion, and I like to have costumes which may not be in a Halloween store,” James said.

This year, she plans on making a Pebbles and Bam Bam costume all from things she finds at home and some crafting materials.

“I’m making Pebbles and Bam Bam from the Flintstones. I’ll always DIY my costumes because I can give my costumes my own touch to them,” said James.

According to popsugar.com, most DIY costumes need around 5 to 10 pieces to make a successful costume come together.

Most pieces can even be found in your own closet.

Laurier student and DIY newcomer, Christina King says that DIY is a great way to save money while being creative.

“It’s always great to see your vision come together in your work. I would for sure advise students who are on a budget to at least try DIY,” says King.

By assembling her costume herself, King says she saved around $30.


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Students can also find inspiration through Pinterest.

DIY is a great way to get a costume unavailable in stores.

This can be reasonable or expensive.

Emily Gomes, a Sheridan Makeup for Media student says that the kind of DIY she has tried in the past was expensive and required her to save up over a period of time.

“My costume was not as well known and hard to find in stores so I made it myself,” said Gomes.

Gomes goes on to say that though expensive and stressful, it was worth it.

“It was stressful at the time because I had a deadline and I wasn’t experienced with sewing but it was worth it in the end,” Gomes said.

King says that choosing your costume can help you realize how much it will cost and it can be from nothing to rather expensive.

“I think it all depends on what you want to go as and how many pieces are needed as well as your own vision for the costume. It’s all up to you,” said King.

James went as Pippi Longstocking as a previous costume and says the majority of her costume was constructed out of household items.

“All I used was old clothes from my house, some from by brother and my mom and dad and some electrical wire to hold up my hair that my dad had lying around,” James said.

When it comes to DIY it can often be cost effective, depending on what you plan on going as.

Other times, it can be what breaks the bank.