Cheap Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas for Boys: No Sewing & Easy

Oct 12, 2011
Christina Gregoire

Easy Homemade Cowboy Costume - stop2pray

Divorced and single parents need my costume ideas. All are easy and cheap. Many are made using what you have or need few purchases.

I only had daughters and I learned to whip together a DIY costume for a girl using inexpensive dress-up goodies. However, I also grew up with two brothers. And, when I was a kid, most trick-or-treaters made their own costumes. So, I’ve seen a lot of homemade, fancy-dress outfits for Halloween.

Hey, I grew up in the 50s-60s. Back then, most mothers were stay-at-home moms, but most moms didn’t have their own cars, so going to a store was difficult. Also, my mom had four kids that were born within a five-year span. Who would want to take a circus of four little monsters into a toy store?

Hobo Costumes for Boys

It’s been done before, but if you are a single parent and you’re in a jam, a hobo costume is easy.

You will need:

Something to make the face look dirty. Brown eye makeup works.
Torn or tattered clothing. If you need to make something look old but you don’t want to tear your child’s clothing, you can baste (sew with big stitches) a few squares of cloth onto semi-decent clothing. I wouldn’t use anything new. The result should look like patches.
A stick to carry over the shoulder.
A pillowcase or large bandana scarf. Tie this to the end of the stick. It doesn't have to look neat and spiffy like the photo.

If you use a pillowcase, it can double as your candy bag, but it’s hard to get at, so just use it for candy that your kid isn’t going to eat while he goes from house to house. Take another pillowcase (for candy) that he can hold in his sugary hands.

Easy Beatnik Costume

My brothers were almost the same age, so they always wore “matching” costumes. It might be easier to look like a fool when you have company. And, back in the day, every house had someone who came to the door with candy. If not, kids would soak their homes with eggs and TP their trees. Turning out the lights was not an option.

My brothers each had a black beret because all the kids in my family had dance classes with Miss Donna and my bros were forced to dance to the song “The Beatest Beatniks on the Block”.

For a Beatnik costume you will need:

A black beret. This is what tells people that your kids are beatniks. Try wearing it tilted to one side.
Black (or dark) clothing. A black turtleneck would be perfect. A black tee is also good. Or, let your kid wear one of your dark sweaters or one of your sweatshirts. A dark, oversized top is perfect. Skinny black jeans or pants are ideal, but use what you’ve got.
Black eye pencil. Draw a goatee that looks something like this beatnik cartoon.
Bongos. Don’t run out and buy bongos just for this, but if you know someone with bongos, borrow them for the night. Give the those drums back right away or you’ll hear bongos day and night.
Dark sunglasses or Buddy-Holly-ish nerd glasses. I remember my brothers had to take their dark glasses off when walking near cars. You don’t want your baby Maynard G. Krebs to get run over.
A Long Cigarette Holder: My bros were not allowed to have fake cigarettes or cigarette holders, lest their young minds become tainted. Cigarette holders are optional.

Cowboy Costume

This one is easy. You only need the first two things on the list:

A cowboy hat.
A red or blue bandana. Tie this around your child's neck with the tie in front. If your kid wants to be a bandit, swing the bandana around and pull it over his nose.
Jeans
Plaid or denim button-up shirt. If your kid doesn’t have something like this, use what you’ve got. A plain tee shirt of any color is better than a shirt with writing or a picture.

I would advise against the toy gun. Some old liberal could die from a heart attack.

Clown Costume

This is good for moms who have a lot of makeup. You will need something to make your child’s face white or it won’t work as well.

For a clown costume you will need:

Clown Makeup: Unless you have a better idea, you’ll need to buy white face paint. You can get it in a store or on Amazon for about $1.00 and up. Use Seattle’s favorite clown JP Patches as your guide. Other must-haves are red red lipstick and a black eye pencil or black eyeliner.
Silly clothing. We all know that you have junk in your closet that got there by accident. Moms can get use out of flowery tops. Dads can donate old jackets to the cause.
Wig or hat. If possible, borrow some old lady’s wig or find a hat and add pins. Here is a statue of JP, our beloved TV clown.

You don’t need fancy clown shoes because your boy will trip over them.

Easy Doctor Costume

If you are a doctor or a nurse, or you have a child’s stethoscope in your playroom, put the stethoscope around your kid’s neck and find something that looks like greens. A tee shirt and sweats would work in a pinch. If you want him to be a surgeon, give him a plain shower cap.

On the other hand, a suit or sports jacket with slacks or jeans, combined with a stethoscope around your boy's neck, would make him look like a plastic surgeon. If you have a golf club, you could dress your child up for golf and put a stethoscope around his neck.

Easy Mummy Costume

The last costume that I remember is a mummy costume. It works best if you have white (or light colored) sheets. I can’t remember for sure, but it might take one sheet per child. All you need is a sheet and a pair of scissors. And, it’s safer than a ghost costume.

If you don’t have old white sheets, try Goodwill. For a mummy costume:

Cut a notch into the sheet and tear all the way across to make a strip. Repeat endlessly until you have a ton of strips. Wrap them around your kid’s head (not face) and body until you have a born-again mummy.
Make sure your monster can find a way to pee and a way to see. I can’t remember if tying knots is the easiest way to keep it all together or if you’ll need safety pins. I think you might need to use a combination. Just ad lib because mummy's are supposed to look raggedy.

You can use what you have handy. If you have a railroad cap, give junior a whistle. If you have a long wig and a headband, make him a hippie. Just use your imagination.

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