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Purchasing candy to hand out to all the trick-or-treaters can quickly become an expensive proposition depending on how you approach the buying. Some $21 million is spent on Halloween candy each year and Halloween is the holiday when the most candy is sold. The average household is planning to spend $18.07 on Halloween candy this year.
Probably the two most important decisions you can make to save money when buying Halloween candy is to not purchase candy that you like and not buy it too far ahead of the holiday. If you do buy candy that you like, it's much more likely that you'll snack on it and the earlier you purchase it, the more opportunity you have to do so before Halloween comes (meaning you will need to purchase more). It also gives you a reason to purchase more than you really need "just in case." Purchasing candy that you don't particularly like will encourage you to buy only the amount you really need.
The type of treat you purchase will make a significant impact on the total amount you spend. Treats like lollipops or sweet tarts (especially generic brands) are significantly less expensive than brand candy bars like Mars, Hershey and Reeses. Purchasing an assortment of these less expensive treats and placing them in small plastic bags is still usually less expensive than the bars. If you feel you need to purchase brand name candy, clip coupons from the Sunday paper or visit a warehouse club to get the best price.
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For those who want to give away a snack that is a bit healthier than candy, there are some inexpensive alternatives. Check out the grocery store school lunch box section for possible treats that are a bit more nutritious. Many of these are individually wrapped in one size servings and any that you don't give away, you can put in your own kid's lunches so they don't go to waste. Some ideas would be nut assortments, cheese and cracker packs, fruit cups, fruit rolls, etc. Another possibility would be sugar free gum.
If you drink soda, this is another possible alternative to candy. With the dwindling number of trick-or-treaters in many areas, this can actually work out to be less expensive that purchasing several bags of candy. You can pick up cases of soda at warehouse stores for about $0.20 a can. Again, none will go to waste since you already drink these. These treats are especially fun for smaller children since they add a lot of weight to their trick-or-treat sack.
For the young trick-or-treaters that come by, money may be a less expensive option. Kids under the age of 5 don't yet know the value of the money, so receiving a pack of 10 pennies wrapped in Halloween plastic can make these youngsters very happy. Or you can place pennies in a large bowl and sprinkle a handful into their trick-or-treat bags when they come by. Unfortunately, this doesn't work well with older children since they do know the value of money.
Another alternative to giving away candy is to give away small items such as toys (balloons, pencils, erasers, pencil toppers, plastic spiders, plastic rings, etc.) or stickers. This alternative usually takes some preparation and a keen eye to be on the lookout for good opportunities to buy these items in bulk. Although this may not be an alternative for this year, it certainly will be starting the day after Halloween when you can get all kinds of Halloween themed toys at up to 90% off. You can also look for these deals at flea markers, garage sales & close-outs.
The added bonus of using non food items is that you don't waste any of the items you buy. If you purchase candy, you have to eat it yourself or it will go bad. With stickers or small toys, they can be reused for next year meaning that you never over buy with these items.
Although baking items for Halloween would be a wonderful way to reduce your candy costs, it isn't really a viable options these days. A large number of parents will immediately force their kids to throw out any items that are not prepackaged no matter what. If you still feel that home baked goods are your best option, take the time to include a small note with your name, address and phone number to help reassure parents that the food is safe to eat.
Probably the two most important decisions you can make to save money when buying Halloween candy is to not purchase candy that you like and not buy it too far ahead of the holiday. If you do buy candy that you like, it's much more likely that you'll snack on it and the earlier you purchase it, the more opportunity you have to do so before Halloween comes (meaning you will need to purchase more). It also gives you a reason to purchase more than you really need "just in case." Purchasing candy that you don't particularly like will encourage you to buy only the amount you really need.
The type of treat you purchase will make a significant impact on the total amount you spend. Treats like lollipops or sweet tarts (especially generic brands) are significantly less expensive than brand candy bars like Mars, Hershey and Reeses. Purchasing an assortment of these less expensive treats and placing them in small plastic bags is still usually less expensive than the bars. If you feel you need to purchase brand name candy, clip coupons from the Sunday paper or visit a warehouse club to get the best price.
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For those who want to give away a snack that is a bit healthier than candy, there are some inexpensive alternatives. Check out the grocery store school lunch box section for possible treats that are a bit more nutritious. Many of these are individually wrapped in one size servings and any that you don't give away, you can put in your own kid's lunches so they don't go to waste. Some ideas would be nut assortments, cheese and cracker packs, fruit cups, fruit rolls, etc. Another possibility would be sugar free gum.
If you drink soda, this is another possible alternative to candy. With the dwindling number of trick-or-treaters in many areas, this can actually work out to be less expensive that purchasing several bags of candy. You can pick up cases of soda at warehouse stores for about $0.20 a can. Again, none will go to waste since you already drink these. These treats are especially fun for smaller children since they add a lot of weight to their trick-or-treat sack.
For the young trick-or-treaters that come by, money may be a less expensive option. Kids under the age of 5 don't yet know the value of the money, so receiving a pack of 10 pennies wrapped in Halloween plastic can make these youngsters very happy. Or you can place pennies in a large bowl and sprinkle a handful into their trick-or-treat bags when they come by. Unfortunately, this doesn't work well with older children since they do know the value of money.
Another alternative to giving away candy is to give away small items such as toys (balloons, pencils, erasers, pencil toppers, plastic spiders, plastic rings, etc.) or stickers. This alternative usually takes some preparation and a keen eye to be on the lookout for good opportunities to buy these items in bulk. Although this may not be an alternative for this year, it certainly will be starting the day after Halloween when you can get all kinds of Halloween themed toys at up to 90% off. You can also look for these deals at flea markers, garage sales & close-outs.
The added bonus of using non food items is that you don't waste any of the items you buy. If you purchase candy, you have to eat it yourself or it will go bad. With stickers or small toys, they can be reused for next year meaning that you never over buy with these items.
Although baking items for Halloween would be a wonderful way to reduce your candy costs, it isn't really a viable options these days. A large number of parents will immediately force their kids to throw out any items that are not prepackaged no matter what. If you still feel that home baked goods are your best option, take the time to include a small note with your name, address and phone number to help reassure parents that the food is safe to eat.
Even if wax lips were still available, I'd be chompin' into those things and chasing my husband down to make him kiss my big fat clown lips!
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