There are some people who absolutely, positively love Halloween. Once one Halloween ends, they are already thinking of their next Halloween costume and how they can make it better. They live, breathe, eat and, especially, drink up the holiday and can barely contain themselves for 364 more days.

Then, there are the rest of us. Those who enjoy Halloween, but don’t have the time or energy to construct a costume from scratch, scour eBay for wacky masks and costumes that people sell or come up with a wacky, ironic costume that will keep people talking for weeks afterward.

Those people are the normal Halloweeners, and they are in the midst of a quandary as we speak.

Right now, the other 90 percent of Halloween enjoyers are clamoring for something to wear this weekend. They are looking all over the place for costume ideas and raiding the closets of friends and family to get there. But where they will all end up, sooner or later, is the thrift store.

After all, Goodwill is the last bastion of the procrastinating costume buyer.

It might be as simple as finding gear to be a farmer or just buying a ridiculous, old T-shirt from a long-forgotten camp and going as a camp counselor, but they have to find a costume and the easier the better.

With that in mind, here are a few fast, easy and even popular ideas to making a costume from the stuff you find in the thrift store of your choice.

Zombie: The zombie is a classic, and not difficult at all to create. The key to the zombie is finding the cheapest clothes you can, getting them very, very dirty and then cutting them up along the sleeves and cuffs. Throw on some cheap makeup — or look in your girlfriend’s drawer for some old concealer she probably has — and you have yourself a zombie costume. Plus, you can make fake blood using corn starch, water and red food coloring.

Hillbilly: We are in the South, so you know there are a few hillbillies around. And if you go to a thrift store in the South, you know you can find hillbilly apparel. It might be a pair of coveralls or just some absurd shirt about the South rising again, but you can find it. Pick up a John Deere mesh hat, a flannel shirt, some busted up jeans and you’ve got yourself a hillbilly from the way back. (PS: a Mason jar for your “moonshine” will really seal the deal and thrift stores sell those too.)

College Professor: Just as bad as a hillbilly is the other side of the academic spectrum: the college professor. The real pompous ones are the guys with the leather patches on the elbow of their sports jackets and like to wear jeans with tweed. So, just find a pair of pretentious looking jeans, get a collared shirt, a power tie and an old-school-looking tweed jacket and you have the professor. Buy a pair of reading glasses and find a pipe and you have the old, pretentious college professor.

College Student/Hippie: Since most college students and hippies do their clothes shopping at the Goodwill, this should be one of the easiest costumes you can make. It’s especially funny, however, for older people to do because they haven’t dressed like this in 40 years and probably shouldn’t, even for Halloween. Anyway, just pick up some “too cool for school” shirt that looks trendy and says something like “Dukakis ’88” and find a worn pair of jeans. Wear a long-sleeve shirt underneath and you are a college student.

For the hippie, find some corduroy pants and a shirt and carry around a guitar case, open with money in it. Wear a bandana and you are set.

(For inspiration on the college student, check out a Hollister ad.)

’80s Chick/Dude: This one should be pretty self-explanatory. You remember the ’80s, right? Well, much of the stuff from the ’80s is still found in thrift stores. Scour for a Members Only jacket or a shirt that says “Here Come Da Judge” or “Frankie Say Relax.” Or, you might hit the mother load and find leg warmers or Ray-Bans. Use a lot of mousse in your hair and it’s ’80s night. Word to your mother.

Women: Pretty simple concept here. Hot women need only wear something skimpy and they will win every costume contest there is. If it helps, take a couple shots of tequila for the courage of wearing it out in public. Oh, and be careful and stay with people you know.

The Famous

Tommy Bowden: Now that he is gone, you can find all that Clemson stuff some disgruntled fan discarded and use it to be Tommy Bowden. Maybe you can stamp “See Y’all” on the back of a Clemson shirt or you can walk around asking people if they have a coaching job open. Make him look disheveled and it will add a lot to the overall feel.

John McCain: This one is easy. Find a suit that is a couple sizes too big and walk around with your arms a little too far from your body. Also, don’t forget to only move your shoulders when you turn to people and never your neck.

Sarah Palin: This one is easy, too. Grab some of the reading glasses they sell for a couple bucks, get a power blazer and short skirt and you are Sarah Palin. And you won’t have to spend $150,000 to put it all together.