Half the fun for Halloween is choosing the right costume, and by making a costume at home, you not only save money but also ensure you or your kids are wearing a costume that is one of a kind.

Begin by choosing who you want to be. Rummage in your closets and nearby second hand stores and pick up anything useful -- old sheets, used clothes, hats, wigs, etc. Get fabric paint, markers, feathers, beads, lace, pom-poms and scrap material to use as trimming. If you find sewing difficult, there are easier solutions like water-soluble basting thread, fabric glue and staples. Add some craft glue, duct tape, black electrical tape and double-sided tape, and you won’t need to sew.

Sweat suits, leggings and turtlenecks make an excellent base for most costumes. Socks become paws when worn over hands and shoes and feather boas convert the plainest of suits into birds of every kind. Sew a few patches in various places over a sweat suit, and strips of old fabric on to an old stocking cap, paint your cheeks red with freckles, and you have a rag doll costume in a jiffy. Paper stuffed into an over sized shirt and some faded jeans with a little bit of straw hanging out and a rope around the waist gives you the perfect scarecrow costume at minimum expense.

Make up, face paint and colored hair paint can be used instead of uncomfortable masks. For instance an old white sheet with cutout eyes makes an excellent ghost. Dress it up a bit, use color on the cheeks and lipstick on the mouth and dangling earrings and a necklace or maybe a beard and moustache. Convert yourself into a “Mummy” by wrapping yourself in white bandages. Dab on some green paint for "mould" and use white make-up on the face with "age lines" drawn on.

You cannot beat a homemade costume. So use your imagination, put your creativity to the test and have a great Halloween.