'Get a white shirt, write numbers all over it, be someone you can count on': 20+ low-effort Halloween costumes for folks who leave things to the last minute

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 20, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

If you're like me, you probably haven't planned your Halloween costume yet. It's not that you're not creative enough. I mean, you've compiled a list of potential options that includes all the costumes you didn't end up having time to put together from the past few years. You claim that this year you're going to go all out, but the reality is that Halloween is just over ten days away and you haven't done anything.

If you find yourself in this position and you're in desperate need of a low-effort, last-minute costume that requires minimal spending and very little time or effort, this list of potential costume ideas compiled from this r/AskReddit thread will be illuminating. Whether it's dressing as you Evil Twin and simply drawing a mustache on your face or going as a time traveler by simply wearing yesterday's clothes, there is a plethora of options at your disposal that may be kind of cheap but that cheapness will be overshadowed by the cleverness attached to it. 

Keep scrolling below and feel free to share more options in the comments. When you're finished, check out this story about a difficult neighbor's demands for Halloween trick-or-treating.

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  • 01
    Sky - SPIRIT ADULT WITH NO KIDS INCLUDES - MONEY FREEDOM -
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  • 02
    Font - r/AskReddit Posted by u/LSB123 What are the best low- effort Halloween costumes?
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  • 03
    Font - ContextIsForTheWeak. Steal some of your friend's clothes and do a bad impression of them all night. "Oooh look at me I'm Dan, I work in the library, do you like books?" 2.7k ↓ Share
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  • 04
    Font - + [deleted] Your own Evil Twin. Just draw a moustache under your nose. Even if you're a girl. Especially if you're a girl. 2.2k Share
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  • 05
    Font - [deleted] Just take a white shirt and write "Go Ceilings!!!" If anyone asks about it just say that you are a ceiling fan. 1.3k Share
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    Font - yaosio I dress up as myself and tell people I'm a Redditor. When they say that's not a costume I argue with them all night. 1.3k 1.3k Share
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    Font - Booner999 I know someone who wore a pink shirt and pink sweatpants and tied a shoe to their head. of They were a stepped-on gum. Oh.. and the girl that wore a trash bag and fishnets and was "O garbage". 1.0k Share
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    Font - Cthulhuhoop 1950's greaser. All you need is a white tee shirt, blue jeans, some boots and a leather jacket if you have one. If not, just roll up the sleeves of your tee shirt. Pomade your hair back into a DA or a pompador if you're fancy. Carry one of those super cheap black combs and constantly comb your hair. This can also be turned into a Fallout costume with slightly more work. 1.0k Share
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  • 09
    Font - a_marie95 Once i got all dressed in up black tie style, and taped a piece of paper that read "I'm sorry" on it, and went as a formal apology. Everyone loved it! 691 Share
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    Font - BrookingsCato. A sim! Make green diamond by paper mache or similar, attach to wire, and wrap around head. Easier if you're a gal and have a bun to attach it to. 577 ✔ Share
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    Font - TheSoapbottle I always likes the undercover cop. Just put a badge under your jacket and show it to people when they ask what you are 521 Share
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  • 12
    Font - Woe2TheUsurper Well if you have red hair like myself you could buy a loaf of bread, tie it to your waist. Boom! Ginger Bread Man. 477 ↓ Share
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    Rectangle - EZRocker Get a white shirt, write numbers all over it, be someone you can count on. 315 Share
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    Font - PotatoeTater. Steve Irwin, just wear tan shorts, a tan button down shirt and boots. For added bonus you can carry around a stuffed alligator. I did this for a costume contest in college and won second place. We don't talk about what the first place winners costume was lol. 293 Share
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    Font - maximumtesticle Clark Kent. Superman t- shirt under dress shirt half open. Pick up some thick rimmed cheaters from the drug store. 251 ↓ Share
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    Font - Optimus_Pitts. If you order enough stuff from Amazon, make yourself a cardboard box robot costume! 173 Share
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  • 17
    Font - Bloodyrave Georgie from IT. Rain coat, rain boots, red balloon and you're done. 146 Share
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    Gesture - technicalityNDBO Time traveller - wear the same clothes you wore yesterday. 146 Share
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  • 19
    Font - Discodonut89. Take 24carrots, string them around your clothes, put a wizard or witch hat on. Boom! 24k Magic ↑ 141 ↓ Share
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  • 20
    Font - Eternal__September. Elf, just get elf ears. You can also call yourself a Vulcan. 124 ↓ Share
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  • 21
    Font - Arusht Last year, I wrote "Life" on a black shirt, with duct tape. I walked around all night with a bag of lemons, and handed them out to people. ↑ 121 ↓ Share
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  • 22
    Font - PolarEngineering Hawaiian Punch: 1.) Hawaiian Shirt 2.) Boxing Gloves Worked like a charm ↑ 121 ↓ Share
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  • 23
    Font - poopship462 For like 5 years in a row I just made a tin foil hat. Occasionally with a sign saying "They're listening" and on the other side saying "I'm from the future, ask me anything." 114 ↓ Share
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    Font - thutruthissomewhere. One day, I was out shopping and bought a yellow sweater. A few months later, Halloween was coming up, and I needed a work- appropriate outfit. I had black pants, a black blazer, and a white button-up shirt. Threw on the yellow sweater and PO! I was a Hogwarts student from House Hufflepuff. 108 Share
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