Whether you're putting a ton of effort into your costume or none at all, here are some ideas to get you well on your way to costume contest victory.

No effort

Condom
Cut out holes for your arms and head in an industrial-sized garbage bag. Tape a hula hoop to the bottom opening of the bag. Pop a white beanie or toque on your head, and you've got a safe sex message that's ready to get down.

Twitter
Quite possibly the simplest (and laziest) costume idea of the year, wear blue jeans and a white top with a felt cutout of the blue Twitter bird on it. Carry around a whiteboard and marker and send messages out all night long — don't forget your hashtags!

Self-Portrait
In this costume, the amount of effort required is up to you. Cut a picture frame out of a cardboard box (or use an existing frame that is large enough to frame your face. That could be your entire costume, or you could add makeup to give yourself a "painted" look. Sign your t-shirt on your left shoulder and voilà, you're a masterpiece.

A Friend
Nice try, Twitter — this is actually the easiest costume of the year. Grab a friend and steal his or her clothes, style your hair and makeup like his/hers and you're set. For extra bonus points, act like him or her the entire night.

Sparkly Celebrity
Cover yourself in glitter, throw on a crazy outfit, maybe style your hair a bit, and bam, you're Ke$ha/Lady Gaga/David Bowie/Edward Cullen.

Old Spice Guy
If you're comfortable enough to go out on a potentially freezing Halloween night wrapped in just a towel, major kudos to you. Grab a bottle of Old Spice, memorize the commercial and come up with your own ridiculous lines.

Some effort

"Walk" SIGNAL
Head to the dollar store and grab a couple strings of battery powered white Christmas lights and some batteries. An all-black outfit outlined with the lights will be the brightest — and safest (besides the condom) — costume at the party.

Sushi
A white shirt or dress with a felt piece of salmon on it, a green felt belt and a headband with crumpled tissue paper wasabi and ginger attached to it makes for a delicious costume. Drink Coke out of a soy sauce bottle all night.

iPhone
Dress all in black and attach a tin foil or aluminum pie pan Apple logo to your back. Tape icons to your shirt and cover the front of your torso with Saran wrap. Add buttons, speakers and a camera. If you run out of time to make the icons, just say you're Off all night.

Superhero
Create your own superhero with items from your own closet combined with things from the dollar store and secondhand clothing stores. Attach a felt logo to your chest and remember to use your newfound powers wisely.

Costumes you can make with a cardboard box

- Computer
- Robot
- Dick in a box/"Box" in a box
- Rubix Cube
- iPod
- Tetris
- Lego
- Gift
- YouTube/Facebook page
- Juicebox
- TV