Americans have been dressing up in costume on Halloween for decades, but for students swamped with midterms and papers it can be hard to find the time to tear oneself away from the computer long enough to go buy a costume.

Even if you can find the time to buy a costume, it can be hard to come up with the funds for these pricey outfits.

In fact, Americans spend billions of dollars each year on costumes and candy for the evening.

“Total Halloween spending for 2008 is estimated to reach $5.77 billion,” according to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. “This year, the average person plans to spend $66.54 on the holiday.”

For many college students, $67 is too much, considering that a majority of us survive on a diet of dollar menu items or swipes at the dining hall.

So if you haven’t had the time or financial resources to go out and buy a costume for the Halloween parties that are set to commence in a few hours, do not give up hope on successfully piecing together a decent costume.

The Lantern went in search of fellow Ohio State students who sported homemade costumes in the past, and found that all a quick costume needs is a little creativity and some accessories from nearby stores.

One student used his childhood love of Doug Funnie’s alter-ego, Quailman, to inspire one of his previous costumes.

“I wanted to pay a tribute to both Douglas Yancey Funnie and superheroes,” said Sam Toth, a senior in strategic communication. “Quailman fit the bill.”

To create the costume, Toth used a pair of khaki shorts and a belt he already owned, a red sheet to create a cape and a green sweater vest at a thrift store. He went to Target for red tape for the “Q” and the briefs to go over the khakis.

The costume, which took both little time and money to create, received a lot of laughs.

“It was easily recognizable and fairly original, so people got a kick out of it,” he said. “Students our age seem to share a common nostalgia for anything from the 90s.”

The next year, Toth and his roommates decided to create costumes around the theme of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and he dressed as Casey Jones, who fights crime with an assortment of sporting equipment.

Toth found the necessary items to create his costume at Volunteers of America.

“It got me everything from the outfit to the sports equipment,” he said. “I bought the wig at Yankee Trader.”

One OSU student and her friends had a good time dressing up as stereotypical fraternity boys.

“It was probably the most fun we’ve ever had on a Halloween because we all got to be in character all night,” said Shannon Coates, a junior in family services.

Coates and her friends found polo shirts, khakis, hats, aviator sunglasses and a shirt that sported the slogan “I love hot moms” to create the costumes at a thrift store.

“We used eye shadow to make beards and went around spraying everyone with Axe body spray,” she said.

It might be easier than most think to pull together costumes inspired by their favorite television characters. Some quick and easy outfits to imitate are characters from “The Office” such as Dwight Schrute or Pam Beesly, Macgyver or celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

An easy celebrity-inspired costume would be Audrey Hepburn. It only takes a few items to complete her famous “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” look. Just pair a black dress sleeveless dress with black gloves and a tiara.

Dressing up as Barack Obama, John McCain or Sarah Palin are also easy costumes for the politically passionate. One can also turn these politically-inspired costumes into couple costumes by dressing as Barack and Michelle Obama or John and Cindy McCain.

For those still in need of last minute costumes or accessories to complete their outfits, check out Target, Rag-O-Rama, located at 3301 N High St., or Costume Holiday House located at 1510 Bethel Rd.

Megan Laney can be reached at [email protected]