8 cheap Halloween costume ideas on a student budget

The sheet-with-eye-holes ghost is a classic for a reason. It costs next to nothing, and everyone gets it instantly. 

Pick up an old white sheet from a charity shop rather than cutting up yours. Then give it a twist: add sunglasses and a lanyard and you're the ghost of freshers past. Add a highlighter pen and a library card and you're the ghost of deadlines. 

You'll need: a white sheet, scissors, one prop that makes it yours. 

This is the one costume where looking rough is the goal. Dig out clothes you were going to throw away anyway, rip them, rub a bit of soil or coffee on them, and you're halfway there. 

For fake blood, mix golden syrup with a few drops of red food colouring and a tiny bit of cocoa powder to darken it. It's cheap, it washes out more easily than shop-bought blood. 

You'll need: old clothes, golden syrup, red food colouring, eyeshadow for sunken eyes. 

A vampire is basically a smart outfit with attitude. A white shirt, something black over the top, slicked-back hair, a dark lip and a pair of plastic fangs. 

If you've got a long black coat, wear it with the collar up. If you haven't, you'll still pass. Vampires are more about the expression than the cape. 

You'll need: a white shirt, black layers, red or dark lipstick, plastic fangs. 

Black top, black leggings or jeans, and white face paint. That's most of the work done. 

Paint a skull on your face, or go for a half-skull if you're short on time. If you want the full look, white fabric tape or a white paint pen can turn a black long-sleeve into a ribcage. Look up a skeleton diagram first, and suddenly that anatomy module feels useful. 

You'll need: black clothes, white face paint, white tape or a fabric pen. 

You can wrap yourself in toilet roll, but it tends to fall apart before you've left the building. A better bet: cut an old white or cream T-shirt and leggings into strips and wrap them over a base layer, tucking the ends in as you go. 

You'll last the whole night, and you won't be leaving a trail behind you on the dancefloor. 

You'll need: a neutral base layer, old white or cream fabric, safety pins. 

Cat, bat, fox, bunny: pick an animal, wear clothes in its colours, and add a pair of ears on a headband. Eyeliner does the rest, whether that's whiskers, a nose or a few spots. 

It's one of the easiest Halloween costumes going, and you'll get loads of use out of the ears. They'll come out again for every themed night. 

You'll need: clothes in the right colours, ears on a headband, eyeliner. 

Group costumes look impressive, and splitting the cost makes them even cheaper. One easy idea: a box of crayons. Everyone wears a top in a different colour, and you all write the colour name across the front in marker or tape. 

Other options that cost very little: a deck of cards made from card and string, or a set of emojis made from paper plates. Plan it over a flat dinner and you've sorted Halloween and your evening. 

You'll need: matching basics in different colours, card, markers, the group chat. 

The cheapest costume of all is a T-shirt and a good joke. Stick a few paper butterflies on your top and you're a social butterfly. Wear a smart outfit and carry a single biscuit and you're a smart cookie. Go as a "fun guy" with a mushroom drawn on a cap. 

No scares, maybe a groan or two. But people will talk to you about it all night, which is half the point of a costume party. 

You'll need: a plain T-shirt, a marker, one decent pun.