Halloween, the one time of year when wearing tacky outfits is deemed completely acceptable, can have you falling victim to outrageous prices and a sheer lack of individuality.

Students childishly gallivant around campus dressed as the usual characters: numerous fairies, law enforcement impersonators, the French maids, and of course, the group of restless boys who think dressing up as the cast of “Anchorman” is an original concept. These costume ideas remain classics in the minds of many – cute and entertaining, but altogether clichéd and repetitive. This Halloween, take a bold step away from the crowd and avoid ordering your costume from Party City (though conveniently nestled in Hamden, bearer to solely mainstream, passé Halloween attire). Perhaps even more important than originality when picking out a Halloween costume is cost.

Wearing an awesomely original costume should not have to make or break your budget, and this Halloween, don’t let it. Do your wallet a favor and be creative in both your choice of costume and the way in which you spend your money.

“As a college freshman adjusting to a limited budget, I decided not to buy a new costume this year. It gets too expensive,” said freshman Johana Gutierrez. “I’m going to pick one of my sister’s costumes from previous years or make my own by pairing cute accessories with clothes I already have.”

In fact, the concept of reusing costumes seems to be a crowd-favorite amongst the budget-bound. Freshman Amanda Pacciotti decided to re-wear a costume she already owned.

“I’m going to wear a pirate costume I bought a couple of years ago,” Pacciotti said. “No one here has seen me wear it, and since it’s not one of the ‘hot new items’ at a place everyone goes to, I don’t have to worry about someone having the same one.”

The trick here (no pun intended) is to find a way for both “cheap” and “unique” to coexist. One way to do this is to modernize a previously worn costume by adding some fresh accessories to it. Another way to keep the cost down but the level of creativity up is to make a costume out of your everyday wardrobe. This can be done by simply adding Halloween-esque accessories.

“I already had a black skirt and knee-high boots, so all I have to invest in is a red, corset-like top and plastic fangs for the perfect vampire costume,” said budget-conscious freshman Chelsea Hood.

“Having a budget doesn’t mean you have to pull the cliché card,” said freshman Reid Engwall. “A bunch of my friends and I are being women and we got our lady friends to supply us with things like high heels and make-up.”

Here are just a few ideas to avoid sinking into the realm of cliché: Stay away from the mass-manufactured costumes. These may be visually-appealing and made of legitimate material, however, prices can range anywhere from $30 to $100, a monetary toll not many can afford to spend. All in all, making a costume out of your everyday wear seems to be the most effective way to look awesome and save some serious bucks. And as a general note, adding humor to a costume is always a sure-fire way to step up the creativity. Sporting a satirical costume opens doors for new friendships, and doubles as a casual conversation-starter.