Posts Tagged ‘budget’
Summer DIY Fashion and Accessories
As you save up your money this summer, you’re tempted to blow it all on clothes and new hair ideas, though you know you want to buy a new fall wardrobe. Decisions, decisions…Instead of buying a ton of new tanks and shorts, dig through your closet and find what you don’t wear anymore and make it into something new. It’s a win-win really.
One way to create a new summer look for yourself involves the smallest, simplest article of clothing: the sock. Get your hair off your neck with an elegant and simple bun high on your head—the sock bun. You just need a hair elastic, a sock and a pair of scissors. Take your sock (you might want to use one in a neutral color if possible) and cut off the toe so you have one long tube. Turn the sock into a donut shape and secure it. Put your hair up in a ponytail, wherever you want your bun to be. Then, simply pull your hair through the sock, spreading your hair around it. As you roll the sock down your hair towards your head, continue to position your hair around the sock so it’s fully covered. Voila, you now have a stylin’ sock bun!
Has your wardrobe been lacking color for the summer? Take simply boring pencil skirt and turn it into a fun, and still elegant, skirt with a brilliant border. Go out to a near by fabric store and find about 2 meters of embroidered trim—this can be Aztec design, animal print, whatever suites your fashion desires! If you need to make your skirt shorter, use another skirt as your guide and cut carefully; if you do this step, make sure to hem your skirt again to avoid fraying. Follow the waistband and hem of the skirt with your trim, carefully cutting your pieces to match the appropriate lengths. Sew the trim along the edges, making sure to keep your fabric straight (you may want a sewing machine for this step!). And now you took your not-so-fun skirt up a notch into a totally cute summer look.
The summer season is all about the shorts, and this summer they’re more colorful and full of pattern than ever before. Turn your boring jeans into a pair of super cute cut off tie dye shorts! Simply take whatever pair of pants or shorts you’re working with and cut them to the desired length (make sure you’re even all the way around so your butt’s fully covered). Pick out whatever color dyes you want for the shorts—yellow, pink and blue always look fab together—and dampen your shorts. Apply the dye horizontally so you have rainbow bands, and let dry when complete. Throw your shorts in for a quick wash, and ta da! You now have unique and trendy tie-dye cut offs.
Crop tops are also big this summer. While you can transform just about any t-shirt or tank you want into a tummy bearing top, for a more chic take on this style, use a classic button down shirt. If the shirt has sleeves, cut them off symmetrically—you can make thin or wider shoulders depending on what style you want. Decide where you want the shirt to end, drawing a line and carefully cutting the shirt across. Grab your sewing machine and hem the bottom and shoulders until you’re satisfied, and voila! Dad’s old shirt is now a comfortable fashion must-have.
There are plenty of ways to update your wardrobe this summer without having to buy all new outfits. Take a peak in your closet and find your old, worn out shirts and jeans being ignored at the back, grab a pair of scissors and some needles and you’re on your way to the most fashionable summer of your life!
Summertime: What a Trip!
I love to travel. There is something about taking a trip that gets me so excited. Whether it’s by plane, or train, I absolutely love going places. A trip means one of two things, you get to explore and see a new place that you’ve never been to before, or you get to revisit a favorite spot and revel in memories and past times. Traveling is an automatic win-win.
In fact, truth be told, one of the major reasons why I chose to go to college so far away from home was based on the possibility of adventure and exploring. My college mascot turned out to be the “Explorer”, but that was just a huge coincidence! Every semester I hop on a plane and head to school. Then once classes end, and my bags are packed, I head right back. However, the last two summers have been different.
Instead of staying home, which is a trip in it of itself, I decided to spread my wings a little further and explore some new territory. Last summer I went to London. When I wasn’t working or taking classes I was exploring and taking in everything the city had to offer. This summer I bounced around again. A few weeks ago I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for an internship. It’s completely different than anything I have ever experienced. I’m from Kansas, go to school in Pennsylvania, and had never stepped foot in Utah until this summer. It’s an adjustment, but it’s also an adventure.
The summer is a perfect time to branch from the norm and experience something new, even if it’s just a vacation. You can take a road trip, book a cheap flight, or grab a group of friends and find a new adventure ground. And what’s the best part? You won’t be there forever. School starts in August. You can have your fun, see if you like it, and if not, be back in time for class.
So how do you decide where to go?
Your destination will depend on a couple of things. My travel spots have always been related to work. However, they don’t have to be! If you want to find an internship or job away for the summer, I would recommend searching early. Make arrangements in place that’s new, but also has connections—if you know people there it will at least make your summer transition smooth, and less lonely!
If work isn’t your priority but you’re looking for a summer getaway or fun place to explore, check out the bookstore. Look at books, search websites, and most importantly, check your budget. Does it make sense to road trip with your roommates across the country, or can you pick an equally fun spot closer to home?
Whatever you choose, I advise you use the summer break to your advantage. Once you graduate and pick a place to live it will get harder and harder to take trips and explore for the sake of exploring.
- Ring Queen
Meal Plan Running Out?
The end of the year doesn’t just mean your classes are ending, it means the end of your meal plan too. Many of us get caught realizing this too little too late. If you are in need to stretch your meal plan to keep you fueled up during final time, check out these tips:
One option is to simply add more to your meal plan. This is most likely the most expensive but most convenient route.
Does your school let you take a meal to go? This could be used to your advantage. Fill up that to go box with the two P’s, produce and protein. Most dishes can be stretched easily. Going to the grocery store or local farmer’s market for lettuce to stretch out cafeteria dishes by making them salads. Some cafeterias I have eaten at have a Taqueria or Mexican section. Filling up a to go box with shredded chicken and salsa can be stretched by making a Mexican salad in your dorm. Other dishes can be stretched out with rice or pasta. Make it healthy and look for multigrain, which sometimes only costs a few cents extra. To go boxes also leave you with more than one meal, even by an athlete’s standards. This way, using one block or meal can end up providing you with a couple meals.
Pick your meals wisely. If you have a big breakfast, could you make it to dinner with only a few snacks? Breakfast is the cheapest meal to eat in your room as you can get cereal, a large tub of yogurt, box of farina, carton of eggs (if you have stove access) or a large tin of oatmeal each of which are not costly and will last. If you factor out that you can have one meal in the cafeteria a day, make it lunch. This way you will be most full in the middle of the day, good for your budget and good for you digestion. You will need some dinner meals though. Some cheap but healthy dinner items to stock up on are rice, beans, soup, frozen veggies, and frozen dinners. A word on frozen dinners: be sure to check the Nutrition Facts to see how much food you are getting for the price. I have found that Healthy Choice meals give you more food for the same price and quality as Lean Cuisine.
If most of your meal plan is consumed by coffee (and/or tea), price out how much you can save by buying instant coffee or tea packets in bulk. I know what you’re thinking, instant coffee is nothing to your Starbucks Frappuccino. Some instant cappuccino mixes are surprisingly satisfying. General Foods International’s 100-Calorie Packs of French Vanilla Cappuccino Mix is a personal favorite and cheaper than my usual Starbucks order.
Although I am not advising anyone to go on a liquid diet, staying hydrated can keep you feeling full longer. Make sure to drink water or herbal tea throughout the day. This is especially important as there is a lot of salt in Ramen, a classic college staple food.
Just think that in a few weeks, you will be home eating as you’re used to.
- TravelBug
The Laptop Fitness Plan
These days, time and money is an issue for everyone. As college students, that problem is often multiplied. With a busy class schedule, who has time to go to the gym? Even summer doesn’t give us a break, since we need to make money to prepare for the upcoming college semesters or an internship instead of classes takes over all our free time. Maybe you just don’t feel comfortable working out in the gym. Perhaps you need some extra encouragement, but your friends can’t put in the effort. An online fitness community might be the right choice for you.
Whether you want to lose weight or tone up, there are lots of options online to target your needs on a personal level while you also engage with a community working towards similar goals. People seek fitness help online more often than ever before. The Pew Internet & American Life Project found 80% of people online are searching for health related issues, with 52% looking specifically for information on exercise or fitness. Ted Vickey, a PhD researcher studying the connection of social media and exercise at the National University of Ireland, believes social media could change the health industry forever.
“I believe that social media can be one of most important pillars to fighting the global obesity problem,” he said. “Report after report suggests that the number one reason people don’t exercise is time. Now that technology has given us more time, what if we could create a tool that could persuasively assist a person in finding the time and motivating them to exercise? That would be a great step in the right direction.”
Communities like Blogilates (I personall recommend this as a popster myself), founded by Cassey Ho in 2009, have video workout routines available. Ranging in length fro 10 to 30 minutes, and in targeted zones of the body, you’ll have the opportunity to change your body gradually with a little effort each day. The videos are easy access, posted on YouTube and Ho can be found constantly on Twitter and Facebook, posting workout commands, updates and inspirational quotes to keep you going. The other popsters are also on Facebook often, posting about their success and asking each other questions.
Katy Widrick, another popster, started #FitBlog Twitter chats in 2010. Every week, there’s a new topic, a new discussion leader (usually a health or fitness professional) getting the conversation flowing, and hundreds of participants interacting with one another. If you prefer to blog about your struggles and interact in a more private forum, Roni Noone’s BlogToLose might be the motivator you’ve been searching for. Noone started the platform after she found blogging about her fitness journey in 2005 helped hold her accountable and ultimately got her into shape faster—the community gave her the support she needed and kept her on task with her fitness goals.
Even though this all sounds dandy and fun, you have to be weary of the sites you turn to for help. Anyone online can post about whatever they want to, whether they’re an expert or not. Some people will take it to far, to an extreme of being unhealthy; avoid looking at images of super skinny models as a weight loss goal or blogs focused on thinspiration. Also steer clear of any negative comments. If people come into the online community talking smack about being overweight or unhealthy—especially anonymous comments—you have to keep in mind these people feel good by putting others down.
Ultimately, being online is a balance of the good and the bad. You have to inform yourself and keep on top of the legitimate sources. The best aspect of online fitness is accessibility, time management, and the community, but there’s also some harsh commenting and bad imagery out there. So use your best judgment, put on your sleuthing hat if necessary, and have fun while you get fit.
Happy exercising, friends!
-Toony Toon
Traveling on a College Budget
Nothing beats a nice weekend trip to a not-so-far-away city or a mini vacation to another state after a long week of tests and due dates. While it’s fun to travel, it can be hard to coordinate if you don’t have a car with you on campus. Even without your own chauffeur, you can still travel fairly easily these days with a variety of options. And you don’t even have to dig in your couch cushions for some extra money!
MegaBus has become a popular option for college students looking to get from one city to another. They have routes that go virtually anywhere, including the ever popular NYC to the more obscure like Frederick, Pennsylvania. Though ticket price varies, you can travel from your school to another state for as little as $50 round trip. That definitely beats filling up your car with gas multiple times or searching for plane tickets at the last minute. Just remember it is a bus with a lot of other people—be prepared for a neighbor if you’re traveling alone and make sure your iPod is charged!
If you’re planning your trip ahead and traveling a bit farther, plane tickets might be your best bet. Besides Orbitz and and Priceline, you have another option that can often find you tickets for an even better price: Student Universe. This site is dedicated to giving students the cheapest plane tickets possible. They also offer deals for hotels and activities, much like Orbitz and Priceline—though with this site, you really do get the best price possible. So when you’re searching for your tickets, don’t forget to go to this site and fly for less.
Though many people don’t really think of it today beyond being in Sherlock Holmes movies, the train can be a relatively cheap way to travel. Yes, it takes longer than the plane (but what doesn’t?) and often the bus, but it could be more efficient for your bank account and less worrisome when going a long distance than having to confusingly transfer buses. Amtrak offers a variety of reservation options and departure times so you can figure out the lowest cost trip for you. Plus, traveling by train just sounds fun and old-timey.
If you do have a car, an easy way to save money on your trip is to carpool. Since you’re likely not going on a vacation by yourself, pack your car with your friends. Not only will all of you pay little in travel expenses by splitting the gas fill-ups, but you’ll also have a lot of fun while you’re traveling by playing car games. This option will also give you more freedom in terms of departure times, and you won’t have to worry about missing your connections.
Besides saving money on your actual travel costs, you can pad your bank account by getting good deals on where you crash for the night. Bed and Breakfasts are usually cheaper than the average hotel, though some of the really fancy ones can eat up your budget. Check sites like BNB Finder for deals on stays anywhere in the country. And don’t rule out hotels either. There are plenty of chains and other hotels who will offer deals for the amount of nights you stay, number of people in your group or just depending on the time of year. Factor Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz into your search. Hostels are also a cheap way to spend a night on your stay…but make sure to thoroughly do your research first so you don’t end up in a horror movie.
And don’t forget, depending on where you’re traveling to there’s always camping—meaning you can get rid of hotel costs all together! Just make sure you remember the bug spray. And pay attention to where the bathrooms are (if any). Also make sure you all stick together and don’t follow any strange noises in the woods.
As always, be safe and have fun on your travels while you save some Benjamins!
-ToonyToon
I’m reading Am Gov 2011
Drugstore Finds to Look Fab on a College Budget
Sometimes, in a burst of feminine energy, I am thrilled to be a young woman with myriad options to improve my appearance: make-up, flat and curling irons, lotions and creams, eyelash curlers and nail polish.
7 AM on a Saturday morning is usually not one of those times. It costs a lot to look good–and that’s after you figure out what works. A regular weeding-out of my bathroom drawers tells the same tale. I feel guilty throwing out items I’ve spent hard-earned cash on, but if I were not greedy with my counter space, I would be forced to either buy an off-site storage unit or kick out my roommate. Clearly throwing them out is the only viable option, despite my deep aversion to throwing away dollars,
Fast-forward four years from freshman year and I have learned that generally speaking, paying a fortune on the expensive stuff is an exercise in futility. Even if I could afford to splurge once or twice on the $40 shampoo, it was unsustainable. Invariably the next time my shampoo bottle ran low, I was broke and bought some Herbal Essences crap that dried out my hair.
My new spot for trolling for new Beauty products is Allure’s Yearly Top picks, which are generally awesome. Lots of (expensive) cult classics gained ridiculous popularity after publication on that list, and sometimes you get a fantastic cheapie (like a sangria lip gloss I bought one year) that you find you can’t live without. Some excellent knock-off notables are available at your drugstore and I’m truly excited to share these, as they have been literally life-changing for me. Think about rolling out of bed with great hair after always pulling it up into a bun in a rush to class. Yeah, that falls into life-changing category.
HAIR: If you have naturally gorgeous hair in the morning, you ma’am, are part of the 1%. I have no more advice for you 
For the rest of us, try Organix Blow – Dry Straight. Just try it. The results will speak for themselves. My hairdresser refused to talk about this stuff and I’m suspicious that it’s because it does exactly what the salon Brazilian treatments do for about 5% of the cost. The mechanism is the same, it first strips the hair cuticles, then infuses them with keratin—the lack of which causes frizz and breakage. Just know that it’s more like a two-week result you’re getting, but if you have medium to short length hair you’ll have extra in the bottle to work with. The best part is, you can play with how straight you want it to be. You can run the iron over it once or twice and get it stick straight, or just blow it out and have bouncier, smoother hair for a couple of weeks.
Then try Organix Moroccan Hair Oil – The Organix line, in my experience is under-hyped and uncategorically the only truly great value I have come across in a long time. I literally thought to myself one day as I was driving (with the windows down and the wind whipping through my, by this point, awesome mane of manageable hair) this is he first time in a long time I feel I’ve underpaid for something. Specifically their hair oil will save you upwards of $25 on the original brand and it works beautifully. When I haven’t used the blow-dry straight product in a while, I toss this into my hair after my shower, sleep on it and it’s soft, wavy, impervious to humidity and pretty. NICE!
SKIN: Neutrogena put out a more affordable version of the Clarisonic (Allure award-winner) that in my experience does the exact same thing and works with any old face wash. In my experience, your skin will look brighter and fresher, and ALL of your make-up will come off.
MAKE-UP: Garnier under-eye roller w/ built-in concealer. This is a no-brainer that I can’t believe they just now came out with. All the vitamin-infused caffeine goodness that comes in other eye rollers with concealer already in it. Boo-yah. That’s at least 2 minutes off your 5-minute face.
My one splurge? A good face lotion. It is MUCH easier (and less expensive) to spend time and money on a product that keeps your face looking great, no breakouts, no redness, irritation and more even skin tone, than it is to try and cover up your beauty sins later with make – up.
-Wonderbread
I’m reading Discovering the Humanities
How to Buy Holiday Gifts on a College Budget
As a college student, there comes a time where the word “gift” meets the word “budget”. Everyone knows that shopping for friends and family is very difficult when there isn’t much to give. You don’t have that much money, but you want to show that your gift means something that people can cherish. Consider what alternatives are available. Should I just not buy a gift for my friends? Should I focus solely on what to buy my girlfriend/boyfriend? Should I wait to find better deals?
There are lots of questions to ask and consider. Personally, I have gone through a lot of decisions when thinking about what to buy for others, because no-one wants a gift that they will just throw in their closet, only to never see the light of day again. It’s tough, and there may be some people you just can’t please. But luckily, I’ve come up with 5 smart tips when considering what presents to buy for everyone while your pockets seem a little less deep than usual.
- Price is NOT Priority. Obviously, you don’t have a lot of money, so the first thing you should understand is that the price of your present is not what makes it special. Also, make sure you know the price of the products beforehand to get an idea of what you are looking for!
- Make it Meaningful. When looking for a certain gift, consider life experiences you have had with that person. Try to find a gift that is unique to them. There is always something cheap and fun to show someone you’re thinking of them during the holidays!!
- Consider Accessories. For some students, they may already know what their dad is getting for the holidays. So say for example that he is getting an iPad. A great gift would be some accessories that go with the iPad, such as a mount, a case, a keyboard stand, etc. These make for some of the cheapest and best utilized gifts because they make an expensive gift even better.
- Try Homemade. There are tons of ways to use your craftsmanship to create a specific and unique present for those who you care about the most. There are also plenty of websites like realsimple.com that can help you think of ideas. When you make something, people truly consider the work and effort behind the gift, not just the gift itself.
- Take Advantage of Sales/Promotions. If you’re reading this now, chances are that some deals have passed you by. But hey, no worries! There are still tons of deals around that can fit into your budget. Look at websites like overstock.com and find some bargains that you can afford!
Willhelm
Group Halloween Costumes on a College Budget
Planning your Halloween costume on a small college budget can be difficult sometimes. That is why we have made this awesome list of group Halloween costumes. So grab your friends and your creativity and dress to impress!
- Pack of 10 Crayons
Take your group of friends and pick your favorite crayon color! Buy a twin sized bed sheet at the store in whatever color! Wrap it around your body. Make 2 stripes on the top and bottom of the sheet around your body with black electrical tape. Take a sharpie and write your favorite color on the sheet once it is wrapped around you. Draw on the Crayola Crayon logo too! Take a piece of construction paper the same color as your sheet and fold it into a cone shape, to make a hat… Crayola ain’t got nothin’ on you!
- A 6 Pack of Beer
Grab a group of 5 friends. Each buy a roll or two of duct tape. Strip down to your skivvies and start taping! Wrap your body in the duct tape, excluding your arms (from chest to mid-thigh range). Hop on the Internet and print out the label or your friends’ favorite brew! Tape it on the front and back of your body. I will set the scene: Halloween party, door opens, you and your hot group of friends file in. The party has arrived! Everyone loves it when the beer is brought to the party! Don’t lose your friends though; no one likes a pack of beer when it’s missing a can!!
- Fruit of the Loom Fruits
This is a great costume for a group! For the purple grape you will need purple leggings, a purple shirt, a purple cap, and lots of purple balloons. Once wearing all the clothes, blow up the balloons and pin them all over your body. Viola, you are a grape! Repeat the same steps for the green grape but obviously substitute everything purple for green. To make the apple, grab a very large red t-shirt, 2 pillows, red leggings, a white pillowcase, pillow stuffing, and some red paint. Strap the 2 pillows to each side of your body (under the red shirt) to form your body. Paint the sewn end of your pillowcase red. Then place the pillowcase tight around your head and stuff it with the pillow stuffing until it stands up straight. Lastly, to make the leaf, wear a green tee, leggings, and cap. Then use leaves (found at most art stores) and hot glue them all over your body. Make sure and add a few to your cap!
- Gang Green
Get a group together as large as you want. Everyone should grab jeans, a green shirt, green bandannas, and any other accessories to make it look like your a gangster wearing green. Have everyone in your group dress exactly that way, now your Gang Green!!
- Positive (Oh Shit!) and Negative (Thank God!) Preganancy Tests
This costume is great for two guys and is hilarious! You will need white pants, a white shirt, white body paint, and white hair paint. On the front of one shirt, draw a gray square with one red line through it. On the back of that shirt write, “Thank God!” For the second shirt, draw a gray box on the front with two red lines. On the back of that shirt write, “Oh Shit!” Paint your face and hair white and you are good to go!
- Spice Girls
This a popular group costume every year! For Scary Spice wear something sexy with an animal print and big, curly hair. For Baby Spice wear a short and sweet dress in a bright color and wear your hair in high pigtails. For Sexy Spice wear a short black skirt and a tight, revealing top. For Sporty Spice wear track pants a sleeveless tank and tennis shoes. For Posh Spice wear a short strapless dress and high, high heels.
- Big Lebowski Crew
This group costume can include a lot of people. You obviously need The Dude, but you can add Walter, Donny, Jesus, Maude, Bunny, and The Nihilists to this group.
- Ghost Busters
Grab some tan jumpsuits and a few sheets of paper. Then grab some cardboard boxes, and grab some old vacuum hoses. Go online and print out a bunch of copies of the ghost buster logo. Staple, tape, or glue the cut-out logo onto the jumpsuits. Paint the cardboard boxes black and use some bungee cords as straps. Now cut a hole in the cardboard box and glue the vacuum hose in the box.
- Legends of the Hidden Temple
Grab some friends and start this 90′s adventure right! All you need are some golden helmets, matching t-shirts with a type of animal on them, kneepads, and some cargo shorts.
- Reno 911
Grab a few guys and a few gals and dress up as cops. The only thing you need to make sure is that one of the guys has the Lt. Dangle short-shorts and there is the token black guy.
- Top Gun
Grab your leather jacket and jeans, and for others a tan jumpsuits. Grab some aviators and you’ve got it. Just make sure who’s Iceman and Goose.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Now here’s a costume where you can start to get creative. Grab some green, yellow and black paint, with dark green sweats (no hoodies, just a regular long-sleeve sweatshirt). You’ll also need red, blue, orange and purple cloth for defining your character. Now grab a piece of cardboard and cut it to where it looks like the chests of the ninja turtles. Paint the cardboard yellow, and paint the body definition with the black paint. Put the cardboard on your chest and cut out your colored cloth for a mask and for sweatbands on your wrists. Now grab your weapons and you’re ready!
- Whole McDonalds Group
There are plenty of characters in the McDonalds group. Choose from Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie, Mayor McCheese, or Officer Big Mac. Just make sure that you make a trip to McDonald’s at least once while you’re dressed up!
- Sons of Anarchy
Print out the SOA logo and get some biker gear together. Grab some wigs and fake facial hair to fit the character you want to be. The main characters would be Jax, Clay, Gemma, Tig, Juice, Opie, and any other you want to depict. Now get to ridin’.
- Doug Characters
For a smaller group, these costumes would be really fun. There is Doug, Skeeter, Porkchop, Patty, Roger, and even Quail Man. There are a lot of ways to go about doing it, so just have fun and make it unique.
- Deal or No Deal
This is great for a lot of girls and one guy. The guy should dress up in a suit like Howie, and shaving the head may be optional, unless you’re truly wanting it official. The girls get all matching dresses with briefcases that have numbers on them.
- Jersey Shore
Attention all guidos and guidettes! This is a great costume for those looking to look tan and bulk and rage hard. Grab 4 bros and 5 gulls and dress as your characters. There’s Ronnie, Pauly D, The Situation, Vinny, Sammi Sweetheart, Snooki, JWoww, Deena, and Angelina.
- Seven Deadly Sins
This is a great costume for those looking to stand out. For each deadly sin, dress appropriately. Obviously Glutton will be covered with food items, Greed covered in dollar bills, Lust dressed very risque, Wrath dressed like a murderer, etc.
- Three Blind Mice
This costume obviously only applies to groups of 3. Dress either in all white or all black. Wear sunglasses and mouse ears with a cane.
- Mouseketeers
Dress up like any of the famous group of Mouseketeers like Britney Spears, or just be an original Mouseketeer. For guys, wear a light yellow sweatshirt with blue pants. For the girls, light yellow sweatshirt with a blue skirt. Don’t forget your mickey mouse hats though!
- Blue Man Group
Dress up in all black sweats and cover the rest with blue paint. Easy enough?
- The A Team
Great costume for all guys. There’s Hannibal, Faceman, Murdock, and B.A. Each one has some uniqueness, especially B.A. Get some good jewelry for him, and make sure Hannibal has his cigar.
- Music Genres
Each person gets to dress up as a certain genre. There are so many ways to go with this, so just have fun. Just a few would include 80′s rock, early hip-hop, alternative, 90′s pop, country, etc.
- Harry Potter Characters
Dress up based on some of the best-selling books and movies. This is great for a big group because there are so many characters that people can depict, or even just a regular Hogwart’s student. For guys, grab a white collared shirt, a gray sweater, black or gray pants, and a striped tie. For girls, do the same except a skirt.
- Geek Squad Wear a white collared shirt, black pants, and a black tie. Make sure you are wearing a digital watch, glasses, and carry around some sort of technological device. If you still aren’t satisfied, print out the geek squad logo and paste it on your shirt.
- Four Seasons For groups of four, this is a fun idea. Dress up as each season. Winter will have white and blue with snowflakes on them, Fall with orange, green, brown and yellow colors with leaves on them. Spring should use bright pinks, greens, yellows, and reds, and Summer can dress in sandals and t-shirt with sunglasses with something depicting the sun.
- Redneck Family Ya’ll gon figur out watcha wanna be? Be rednecks if ya wntu! The dad can dress up without a shirt on and wear a mullet, pork chops, and camo pants. The mom can dress up with a tube top and shredded short jeans. Be creative with the kids, having any random redneck clothes you can think of for children. It should mostly consist of clothes that don’t match or go together. Think like cowboy boots, a green skirt, and a Disney shirt.
- Sesame Street Characters These characters have been so ingrained in America’s homes that everyone will immediately enjoy a big group of these characters. The main ones include Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, the Count, and Elmo. Have fun with it and remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Originality of how it’s made counts more than going out and buying a costume.
- Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow The Wizard of Oz characters never get old. These are classic costumes that a group can use together and have a great Halloween. If your group is bigger than 4, you can add in other characters from the movie, like the flying monkeys and the wicked witches.
- Pac-Man and Ghosts This is a great way to get some good exercise this Halloween, if you want. Dress up as Pac-Man and his enemies. For Pac-Man, grab some cardboard and yellow and black posterboard and design it like a pie chart with a piece missing. For the ghosts, use the cardboard to make a box with a semi-circle at the top. At the bottom of the box, cut it to make it look wavy like the bottom of the ghosts. Use either red, orange, teal, or pink poster board for the color. You’ll also want to paste on eyes for them. Make sure to wear all black underneath, and now you’ve got yourself a Pac-Man group.
Willhelm
I’m reading Biology
