Use household items and cast-off clothing to create Halloween or fancy-dress costumes that don't cost money.
Transform old colanders, bowls and plastic containers into helmets and other hats. Cut a deflated football in half and spray-paint it silver for a robot's, spaceman's, Valkyrie's or knight's helmet. Turn thick work gloves into gauntlets by spraying them silver.
Use shredded cellophane from gift baskets as a wig.
A balaclava makes a good start for a lot of costumes; attach animal ears, wool or jewellery.
Make white clown makeup by mixing 2 tablespoons of cornflower with 1 tablespoon of solid margarine or butter. Add some colour, if you like, with a few drops of food colouring.
For facial decoration, cut stars, flowers or hearts from brightly coloured tissue paper. To make the glue, cook one large potato, with its skin, until it's soft; let it cool. Rub the cut-outs on the potato and then stick them on dry, clean skin.
If you need extra padding for a costume, wear large tights and stuff them with cushions or rags.
