Treat yourself to a trick-free, last-minute costume

If you're lacking free time, money or the creative juices to come up with the ultimate show-stopping costume this Halloween, don't give up just yet.

With a few wraps of duct tape and other easily acquired materials, you can put together a look that just might beat out your fellow well-planned ghosts and goblins.

For kids, ready-made costumes can be found at consignment shops like Kid to Kid in American Fork, where you can find used costumes from Power Rangers to monsters, starting at $4.99.

Or, like Ogden mother Michelle Craig, you can piece together a costume from your own craft closet.

Craig, who has four children ranging from newborn to 8 years old, said she's making costumes for all of her kids, including a butterfly, flapper girl, flower and Word Girl from the children's PBS cartoon of the same name.

For three of the costumes, Craig is using onesie pajamas as the base and then incorporating spray-painted Styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners for the butterfly antennae, faux flowers glued to a headband for the flower costume, and a yellow cape for Word Girl.

Thrift stores are another convenient and budget-friendly spot to score a creative costume.

For example, Craig also found a kimono at a Savers thrift store for her own costume, which she plans to pair with black leggings and chopsticks.

"My costume is really cheap, fun, easy and even comfortable," said Craig, who purchased the kimono for $6.

Charles Stoddard, production supervisor at Savers in Orem, said the thrift store stocks up on unusual or unique garb in the months before October with Halloween costumes in mind.

The store also carries new, packaged costumes that can be purchased at a cheaper price than other Halloween specialty stores.

But Savers Halloween coordinator Kellan Perkins said making your own costume out of used clothing can be more fun.

"You can choose to be a vampire or pirate, but if you come into the store looking for something, you can find interesting accessories to really make it your own," Perkins said.

He said he can usually help someone find a complete costume for approximately $10, citing a pirate costume as a popular example from the past few years.

However, those same materials can likely be found around the house, from a ruffled shirt to black pants and boots.