We've all heard people say "... but I never knew we were poor ..." and in my case, I didn't know either. This was specifically accurate when it came to Halloween costumes. My two grandmothers were accomplished seamstresses, and growing up in the middle of nowhere meant that finding commercially-produced costumes wouldn't have been an option regardless. Here are some of my greatest hits (read "embarrassing photos which are now all over the internet thanks to my mother.")
FIRST HALLOWEEN: Pumpkin. (With same-age cousin; we had matching costumes)
AGE 3: Superman. I wore this everyday until I wore it out. I still have the cape somewhere in storage.
AGE 4: Cowboy. Just because my Mom thought it would be adorable.
AGE 6: Monkey. Complete with Birkenstocks and a banana. Looking back, it was probably a bit racist to assume the monkey had to have a banana, but I was young and didn't know any better.
No clue when this was: I said I wanted to be Batman. I ended up in this weird faux-fur flying squirrel, and seeing as I grew up in South Florida, I was roasting alive. In addition, I had an allergic reaction to this thing, which culminated in my first asthma attack; I spent the next three days in a sterilized tent like bubble-boy (which was a much cooler costume).
Hope you all enjoy. As much as I love Halloween and cosplay in general, I couldn't even tell you when I last wore a costume that wasn't for theater. ::sigh:: Some day.