DIY fancy dress on a budget

Homemade beats bought most of the time - it photographs better, it gets a laugh, and it costs a fraction. The costumes below are all under £10 if you shop charity and use what's already in the house.

We don't sell costumes - we make cards, badges and party bits in house, printed in the UK - so nothing below is a sales pitch for an outfit.

Each group is sorted by the main material, so you can pick based on what you can get your hands on tonight.

Cardboard costumes

• Robot: box body, foil detailing, a torch bulb on the chest.
• Rubik's cube: painted box with coloured squares.
• Vending machine: box front with sweet packets taped inside a cut window.
• Washing machine: round hole cut out with socks tumbling behind it.
• Petrol pump: box painted, hosepipe attached, price sign for the joke.
• Lego brick: box plus painted plastic cups on the front.
• Slice of toast, complete with a felt butter pat.
• Phone screen: box front painted as a lock screen.

Charity shop clothes plus one trick

• Old suit and black tape: Beetlejuice, about £6.
• White dress tea-stained and torn: corpse bride.
• Checked shirt and a bag of straw: scarecrow.
• Lab coat plus goggles: mad scientist.
• Green dress and toy snakes wired to a headband: Medusa.
• Waistcoat, pocket watch and a flat cap: Victorian gent.
• Tracksuit, whistle and a clipboard: PE teacher.
• Floral shirt, socks with sandals, camera: tourist.

Kitchen and craft cupboard costumes

• Balloons pinned to white clothes: bubble bath.
• Purple balloons on purple clothes: bunch of grapes.
• Cotton wool glued on blue: cloudy day.
• Sticky notes over a suit: office nightmare.
• Newspaper glued to an old dress: yesterday's news.
• Cereal boxes plus plastic knives: cereal killer.
• Backcombed hair and socks safety-pinned everywhere: static electricity.
• Foil headband and a tea towel toga: budget Greek god.

Costumes made from a felt or fabric offcut

• Jack-o'-lantern: orange clothes plus a felt face.
• Voodoo doll: hessian-look fabric with oversized stitching.
• Bee: black clothes, yellow felt stripes, wire wings.
• Ladybird: red top, black felt spots, antennae on a headband.
• Mummy: bandages taped over white long sleeves so they don't unravel.
• Spider: black outfit with four stuffed tights pinned on.

Shop party supplies

Decorations for the night

Banners, cake toppers and confetti that go up in ten minutes.

How to write it so it lands

• Use safety pins over glue so you get the clothes back.
• Paint and glue need overnight drying - build the day before.
• Test that you can sit down in it before you leave the house.
• Take a photo in daylight; the good shot rarely happens at the party.

Where to shop next

• Fancy dress ideas
• Fancy dress party themes
• How to throw a fancy dress party
• Last-minute fancy dress ideas
• Hen party fancy dress themes
• 80s and 90s party ideas
• Fancy dress prize ideas
• Birthday party ideas
• Party supplies
• Halloween costume ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a fancy dress costume cheaply?

Start with what the costume is made of rather than who it is. A cardboard box, a charity shop suit, a bag of balloons or a felt offcut each cover several outfits for under £10.

What is the cheapest homemade costume?

Static electricity - grey clothes you own, backcombed hair and socks safety-pinned all over. It costs nothing and it always gets a laugh.

How long does a DIY costume take to make?

Kitchen-cupboard ones take under half an hour. A cardboard build takes an evening, and anything glued or painted needs to dry overnight, so start the day before.