Every single year… EVERY single year I do not plan for Halloween. If I played it well, I would get a costume the week following Halloween for 70% off and save it for the next year. I mean, it’s not a big burden to do that. But alas, I don’t. And how can you go to all of the fun costume parties and bar events if you are the guy in normal clothes who says “Oh, I’m… uhh… the guy from the Real World. Yeah, get it?”

Last minute costumes are one thing for a solo person. You throw a few things together and BAM, you got a decent enough costume to get into the party. But what about for couples who want to theme their costumes? Most store bought costumes cost a pretty penny, so here are 5 cheap costume ideas!

(All images will open in new window so you can see them closer)

Jim & Pam, The Office

You couldn’t ask for an easier and cheaper costume. The Office is a popular NBC television show that is filmed as a mockumentary following the employees of a paper company, Dunder Mifflin. Jim and Pam are two of the main characters and are married to each other. Jim is a co-manager (former salesman) and Pam is a saleswoman (former receptionist).

As long as the guy has a shirt, slacks, and a tie, he is good to go for Jim. For bonus points, try and make his hair a little disheveled – in the “I look good, but I don’t try” way.

Pam is known for looking plain. So stick with a work skirt, collared shirt, and a “motherly” sweater over top. Her hair is wavy and she usually ties it back.

This “costume” isn’t completely obvious, so a “Dunder Mifflin” sticker with “Hey, My Name is…” may help. Or you could just prank the bartender by putting their Jose Cuerva in a Jell-O mold or gluing all of their pint glasses down. That might give them a hint.

Bonny & Clyde, Outlaws

Bonny and Clyde represent a relationship that has carried on through the decades. They were a couple who, along with  their gang, robbed convenience stores, gas stations, and banks in the early 1930’s. They are thought to have killed at least nine police officers and several more civilians. Eventually, they were caught and gunned down in Louisiana by police officers.

What do you need to wear? You should both dress nice in an early 20th century way (look at that awesome hat), carry fake guns, and get a cloth sack with a dollar sign on it to represent the money you just stole. For novelty sake, you can throw some candy in the money sack and give it out to people while you’re out on the town.

Warning: If you are going someplace that is public or you don’t know a lot of people, substitute the fake gun with a cardboard cut out that is colored to look like a gun. Better safe than sorry.

Clark Kent & Lois Lane, Superman

Clark Kent is otherwise known as the alter ego of Superman. Clark is a reporter for the Daily Planet. A newspaper? A fitting role for a superhero who is often times at crime scenes and often has unexplainable absences. Lois Lane is a fellow reporter who often rejects Clark’s advances, but is infatuated with Superman. Little does she know…

The costume is much like Jim and Pam’s. You need to wear something that a professional (reporter) would wear. To dress as Clark, wear a suit, tie, and black frame glasses. To dress as Lois, dress as a females news reporter by wearing a suit and heels. Carry a note pad or voice recorder with you if you would like.

So how will you convey the “Superman” aspect of it so that people get that you are Clark Kent and Lois Lane? Wear a Superman shirt under your dress shit and keep it unbuttoned – hinting at your hidden identity. You can take a normal shirt, print a logo, and tape it on. Or you can go to a party store, they will surely have plates or napkins with a superman logo that you can cut out. Or any number of stores will have actual Superman shirts you can buy.

Cleopatra & Mark Antony, Roman & Egyptian Empire

Cleopatra was a queen of Egypt who held relationships with Caesar and Mark Antony. She wasn’t known to be particularly beautiful, but she was seductive and charming. This would be a fun take off of the normal Roman god and goddess costume.

To dress as Mark Antony, try and dress as a Roman would. As the picture on the right shows, use white under garments and create a brown vest with matching brown forearm straps and bicep straps. Drape a red toga-like thing around your neck. It isn’t really a cloak or a toga, not sure what it’s called.

For Cleopatra, you can wear a white dress with gold embroidery. Get some fake gold jewelry to make yourself flashy. She pretty much dressed in a very Greek/Roman inspired way.

This may be cold, but it could be fun to dress as one of the most famous ancient couples!

Tarzan & Jane, Disney

Tarzan is the story of a young boy whose parents are killed by leopards. He winds up being raised by a gorilla named Kala. Jane is the daughter of a professor who is part of a research group. Jane gets separate from the group and Tarzan winds up saving her from a group of baboons. It is a classic love story about two people from completely different worlds.

The costumes are very easy to make as shown to the right. Just go to any store that sells fabric and you can make a skirt and shoulder strap for Tarzan. For Jane, you can go in two different directions: 1) You can dress as an English person who is on a safari in the jungle, or 2) You can dress like Tarzan in a skirt and bra. It all really depends on what stage in the relationship you want to depict!

If it’s cold, this might not be the best costume. It also probably only works if you are relatively fit!

A Few Tips

In addition to the costume ideas, here are a few tips to make sure your Halloween isn’t a bust:

• Don’t over think it. You want people to know who you are. Your “clever” interpretation and personification of the relationship between healthcare and taxes really isn’t clever. Be simple.
• Be conscientious of feelings. Don’t be a terrorist or a Nazi soldier. People will get upset. The point is to have a good time. And also, you don’t want these pictures to wind up on a social networking site… companies do use those sites, ya know!
• Bring some duct tape. You never know when your costume will rip or break. That’ would especially be a problem for the Tarzan/Jane.
• If you make your costume, give yourself pockets for keys/money and an easy way to go to the bathroom.

Other than that… have fun! Does anyone have some cheap and quick costume ideas to share for other couples that are waiting until the last minute?