Halloween sounds like the perfect holiday in theory. Dress up as your favorite TV character, pop star, food, etc. Take the kids out and get a bunch of candy. Throw a party. Go to CVS the next day and get your favorite candy for half off and then will yourself not to eat the whole bag in one sitting. But the problem is that Halloween costumes can get expensive very quickly. Shelling out $100 bucks for a costume you’ll wear once, then lose all of the pieces to and never be able to wear again? I don’t think so.

If you’re looking to do Halloween right, without spending a fortune, check out some of these great DIY ideas:

Popsugar has some super creative costumes that you can make at home, including Rosie the Riveter, the solar system, and a new take on Halloween classic Audrey Hepburn.

Buzzfeed has some great suggestions too, particularly if you’ve got minions fans in your house. Also, you’ll want to check this out if you’re one of those people who is always inviting me to play Candy Crush on Facebook.

If you’ve got daughters who are looking for costumes, this post from Seventeen.com is full of great inspiration.

Not only does taking the DIY route save some cash, there’s something far more satisfying about getting a compliment on a costume that you put together yourself.

—- Lauren the web girl