With the arrival of October, Halloween lovers’ favorite month, costume ideas are plastered all over social media, from Instagram stories to TikTok “For You” pages. It is easy to get excited by all the cute ideas and to immediately start filling your Amazon shopping cart with ready-made costumes. But for us broke college students, that is simply not practical. Dropping money on an overpriced outfit that will be worn once and then be forgotten seems silly when every penny counts. With closets full of components to make fabulous costumes, we should be taking advantage of it! 

Even once you make the decision to go homemade, arriving at a single idea for a costume can be tricky. Lucky for you, below is the tool kit you need to make a kickass costume this year, straight from your closet, so you can have a night full of compliments and a perfect Instagram-worthy picture. Whether you want to be a TV or movie character, or something more classic, this guide has the answers. 

“Top Gun: Maverick”

Any and all characters from this 2022 hit would be an easy and perfect choice for this Halloween. You just need skinny jeans, a sick pair of aviator sunglasses, a white tee and a leather jacket of some kind. You can even turn this into a group costume!

Maddy and Cassie – “Euphoria”

This classic duo had to be on the list. They are both so extra in styling and as long as there is enough glittery makeup and high heels, it is easy to pull off. Simply put on a little black dress and some smoldering makeup for Maddy or a preppy skirt and a cute top for Cassie. You are sure to be remembered.

Dustin, Will and Mike – “Stranger Things”

Even if you just do one of these characters, the process is easy. For example, Dustin requires khakis, a tucked in graphic tee—preferably a green one—and a simple baseball hat; the goofier the better. 

Emily Cooper – “Emily in Paris”

Emily is definitely on my list of options this year. Emily breaks the rules of color and pattern matching, somehow pulling off the wackiest of combos. You almost can’t go wrong with recreating her style.   

Vampire 

This one is arguably the easiest and most effective costume, and has truly stood the test of time. Throw on some dark clothing, borrow some eye shadow from a friend and voila. 

The Devil and the Angel

This is a classic duo costume. The only tricky part is the horns for the devil, but honestly it can be pulled off quite successfully without them. As long as one of you wears all the white things that you own, and another does the same with red, you are headed in the right direction. 

Harley Quinn 

The makeup is what really brings this costume together. Nailing the pink and blue combo along with the notorious pigtails pulls most of the weight, taking the pressure off everything else. Try to find a pair of fishnet tights to wear with a pair of shorts and you are all set. 

The list could go on and on, but this should provide a decent amount of ideas. The core concept here is: all college students should utilize what is in their closets to make their costumes. Think of all the money you will save if you do. Of course, feel free to accessorize where needed, but I promise you will surprise yourself with what you can come up with just from opening your closet door and rediscovering that cute shirt or sick jacket you forgot about. Halloween is going to be awesome this year, and I am sure the campus will be crawling with memorable costumes. Make this year one for the books!