Every year Halloween creeps up and scares thousands into last-minute, costly costume choices. But just a little planning can lead to a timely and cheap Halloween costume for 2015. Here's the easy way to do it: Identify pop culture, movie, and TV icons from the past year. Then narrow the list to celebrities, real or imagined, who can be easily and cheaply replicated.
Even after years of zombie madness, the march of the undead doesn't seem to be abating. "The Walking Dead" has spawned a prequel, "Fear The Walking Dead," making this a good year to resurrect an old zombie costume -- or ask someone who once dressed as a zombie to loan you a severed limb or two. Alternatively, make a costume with old clothing and ghastly makeup.
Spinning off from the "Despicable Me" franchise, the Minions took to the screen for their own movie this year. This is an easy costume to put together: Pick up some overalls and a yellow hooded sweatshirt. Add sprouts of brown pipe-cleaner hair on the hood of the sweatshirt and wear goggles or oversize glasses.
All you need to dress as the Republican presidential candidate is a suit and a cheap comb-over wig (or a comb-over of your own hair). Walmart is selling the wigs for $15.95 and already sold out at least once -- perhaps an indication of the costume's popularity this year.
A Hillary Clinton costume is also easy to pull off. Simply wear a women's pant or skirt suit and style hair or a wig in a blonde bob parted to the side. Of course there are Hillary Clinton masks ($17 on Amazon), but save the money by sporting a name tag that reads, "Hillary Clinton, 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate."
Hillary and Bill Clinton is a cheap couples costume that's sure to be a hit. The formula is the same for Bill as for Hillary: a suit and a mask ($12.25 on Amazon). Or, forgo the mask and use baby powder to turn hair white.
Remember the dress that took social media by storm this year because no one could agree if it was white and gold or blue and black? can be approached two ways: Go with a friend and each wear a different version of the dress, or fly solo and wear a dress that's half gold and white, half blue and black. Either way, find a white dress secondhand and use spray paint or fabric paint to make the stripes.
Remember Katy Perry's Super Bowl halftime show, and the costumed dancer who just couldn't keep up? He became a sensation -- and now a clever Halloween costume. Start with a blue hoodie and white, black, and light blue sheets of foam paper. Use the foam paper to create eyes, teeth (around the opening of the hood), gills, and a fin for the back. Attach to the hoodie with a hot glue gun.
This movie-inspired costume falls on the extreme cheap side to recreate: Wear blue leggings, a light blue sweater, blue face paint, blue latex gloves, blue socks and slippers, a blue wig or hair color, and large, dark-rimmed glasses. Many closets hold these items already, and they can be found at low price.
One of the biggest sports scandals of the year, in which the New England Patriots and popular quarterback Tom Brady allegedly tampered with footballs before the AFC Championship Game, makes for an easy costume. All it takes is a Patriots jersey or T-shirt and a deflated football. These items can be found secondhand or borrowed from a friend who's a Patriots fan.
Oh, Ariana. The little pop princess (er, diva) was famously accused of (and caught on camera) licking a doughnut in a shop. Replicate her look on the video with a light-colored, plain hooded sweatshirt; hair piled high into a ponytail; dark, winged eye makeup; and knee-high, black stiletto boots. Carry around a tray of doughnuts
