Gabriella Leone, Broadside Correspondent

Halloween costume prices can be just as scary as the holiday, but with some do-it-yourself tips you can have an original and affordable costume this year.

The first place to look is your own closet. Be creative! Look at what you have and try to put something together. For example, if you want to be Michael Jackson this year, you probably already own some key pieces.

Black pants, black flat shoes, a simple white t-shirt and white socks are items that can typically be found in your closet. Now all you need is a metallic glove, a flashy black jacket or blazer and a black hat.

You can pick all these items up at a costume or thrift store for around $30 and jazz them up with glitter glue. You can even be Thriller-era Michael Jackson with red pants and a red jacket or vest, two items that you can get for a total of $30 if you look at department stores like Kohl’s, Macy’s and Sears.

The Joker is a popular costume, and an easy one, too. Instead of buying purple pants and a blazer, wear a dark suit with a green shirt and dark tie. The makeup is what really makes this costume, and a set at Walmart is around $5.

If you want to be a little scarier, try an old classic: The vampire. You’ll just need to buy fangs and white makeup. Wear black lacey or leather clothing, spread some red paint around your mouth and wear your outfit with a mysterious, sultry attitude.

Creativity is important on Halloween. Some fun ideas include a crayon, an iPod commercial or a bad yearbook picture. For a crayon, wear a dress or outfit of your favorite color, use some black felt and cut out the word “Crayola” in black felt.

Paste the letters down your outfit, make a cone shaped hat and presto, you’re a crayon. Being an iPod commercial is easy – just dress in all black, paint your face black, grab your iPod and headphones and Velcro a large, square neon foam board to your back.

If you don’t have an iPod, be a bad yearbook picture. Dress normally, but do your makeup and hair to look awful.

Take a cardboard box and cut a hole on the bottom for your head, and cut out the front of the box leaving a 3-inch border.

Glue a colored fabric inside the box for the picture’s background, two places for your arms to stick out, and decorate the border to look like a picture frame. All that’s left is to stick your head through and make some funny faces.

Before blowing your whole paycheck on a costume, try to think outside the box and make your costume all your own.