There’s always that one family member, one friend, one house-on-your-block that goes all out for Halloween. We’re talking haunted houses, tricky lighting, lawn horror shows, and of course, the iconic spooky displays that can be seen from space. Even with all of these things, there is one more thing that die-hard spookers sacrifice their October for in order to get it just right. The Costume.

But what if you’re not one of these dedicated Halloween enthusiasts? You might not celebrate at all, or you might just be in it for the free candy apples and annual parties. Either way, you know you’re going to get sucked into a costume party at some point. If you’re truly apathetic you might opt for no costume at all, but then you have to endure the shame of association on your festive friends faces. Yeah… awkward.

For those of you who are caught in this sticky situation, I present to you 5 of the most quick, inexpensive, but still creative costumes for Halloween.

Bubbles

I realize this sounds weird but desperation defeats pride.. All you need are pink/orange balloons,safety pins, and a plain black or white outfit. When you are dressed in your simple outfit, blow up multiple balloons and stick them to your shirt using tape or safety pins. If you want, you can add some bright shoes or a hat (with a balloon on top of course). Some hubba bubba chewing gum might be a nice touch too!

Queen of Hearts

First, grab your favorite red dress or jumpsuit, a deck of cards, and some red lipstick. Cut  a piece of paper into the shape of a collar, and layer cards over it so that they look fanned out. Then, simply staple them on and safety pin the “collar” to your dress or top. Add some evil makeup and a red lip, and Voila! You are a queen, mydear.

Rainy Day 

Do you have an umbrella and some blue construction paper lying around? Then, you’re in luck. Add some polyester batting to the umbrella with tape or glue and cut out raindrops from your blue construction paper. Attach these to your clothes using tape or glue, depending on how attached you are to the outfit you’re wearing . Don’t forget that you can make your umbrella extra stormy by adding some dark pigment to the batting!

50 Shades of Grey

Don’t worry , this isn’t as racy as it sounds. Drive to a local hardware store and feign interest in painting your room various shades of grey. Snatch up some free swatch samples and tape them to a plain grey outfit. Everyone loves a good pun.

Formal Apology

This is a great excuse to wear your prom outfit again, which is especially helpful if you feel guilty about not getting your money’s worth of use out of it in high school. Dress in your most formal attire and use an old plain colored sheet to cut out a long rectangle. Then, use Sharpie to write out the word “apology”  before wrapping it around you and tying it at your hip like a sash. Clever, huh?

So, these aren’t the world’s most innovative costumes but they sure are better than you wearing the same old “ this is my costume” t-shirt for the fifth year in a row. Yes, you. Just remember that regardless of how elaborate your costume is, any excuse to celebrate with friends can be something you enjoy (even if you have to wear a sash or make a pun to do it).