How to cosplay on a budget

Updated October 3, 2021

When I originally wrote this blog post in 2019 I was new to cosplay. I didn’t know anything about cosplay except I wanted to try it. So thought it would be fun to ask my cosplayer friends how they cosplay on a budget. I interviewed Shayna, Caiden, and Foxberri for advice for people who are new to cosplay.

The biggest takeaway is they told me that cosplay is about having fun. It doesn’t matter where you bought or made your cosplay. Now let’s delve into some tips on how they all save money.

Shayna (She/Her)

Instagram: @5sodollen19 TikTok: @5sdollen19

Liz is wearing a green dress with white polka dots and black flats. Shayna is
Me and Shayna as cosplaying as Barbara and Adam from Beetlejuice. I am cosplaying as Barbara and Shayna is cosplaying as Adam. The photo is edited by me and photo taken by my friend on Alissa.
  • Use Gift Cards: Shayna often buys her clothes, props, and accessories from amazon using gift cards
  • Thrift Shop: She enjoys going thrift shopping to piece together costumes for cosplays.
  • DIY: Shayna also likes to DIY many of her cosplays. She creates her costumes and props using what she has on hand before buying anything.

Photo provided by Foxberri and edited by fossil bugs. Foxberri is cosplaying as Lydia from Beetlejuice.

Foxberri (They/Them)

Instagram: foxberri.cosplay TikTok: foxberri.cosplay

  • Closet Cosplay: “I use articles of clothing from my own closet as well as my families and friends”
  • Thrift shopping: “I also thrift as much as possible so that way I don’t spend so much on materials that are brand new”
  • DIY: “You can also save money by crafting props out of items you have in your home!
  • Sewing: Foxberri taught themselves to hand sew and made their Spinel Cosplay from Steven Universe.
  • Be Creative: “Cosplay isn’t about looking identical it’s about looking like how a character would look if you added your own twist to them”! Foxberri said their Lydia cosplay is inspired by both the Beetlejuice movie and musical.
Photo provided by Caiden who is cosplaying as Sabrina from the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Caiden (They/Them)

Instagram: @caidenbistany TikTok: @sapphicorgi8

  • Closet Cosplay: Use what you have in your closet first before you buy something
  • Reuse: Buy things that you can wear every day and not just when you are cosplaying
  • Amazon: “If you can’t find what you want from a thrift store try Amazon. They have amazon student prime where college students get a free 6th-month student prime trial”
  • Thrift Shopping: Caiden loves to go thrift shopping. One of there favorite thrift finds is a red jacket for a Wanda Maximoff cosplay.
  • Sewing: They love to sew and have made a lot of their cosplays themselves.

If you want to see more of their amazing work I included their Instagram and TikTok usernames.

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