Eight Ways to Save Money on Halloween Candy, Costumes, and Decor
The easiest way to save on Halloween is to hide inside with the lights off and pretend you’re not at home, but who wants to be Halloween Scrooge? We’ve put together a few tips to help you save on treats, costumes, and spooky décor.
This post was originally posted on DealNews .
Consider replacing non-chocolate candy
In 2013, Forbes calculated that the average amount Americans spend on Halloween candy was $ 39. It has likely jumped since then, but is still likely in the $ 40 range. How can you reduce that number and still have happy stunt enthusiasts?
First of all, let’s set up our baseline. While you can easily hand out more or less, two small takeout bars seem common, and these bars weigh anywhere from half an ounce to 1.5 ounces. A chocolate treat typically costs between 20 and 30 cents an ounce at full price, giving you an average handling cost of around 50 cents.
The only thing you can do is avoid chocolate. Loyal chokaholics may frown, but lollipops like the Smarties and Jolly Ranchers cost closer to 15 cents an ounce. You can spend as little as 30 cents per child to distribute the same amount of bulk candy. (Your handouts will be much larger – instead of two minibars, two ounces of Jolly Ranchers is 10 chocolates.)
Crop coupons and buy at the last minute
Of course, you can pay less for any type of candy by shopping wisely. Halloween candy coupons are usually released during October, while store prices often drop in the last day or two before the holiday. If you cut coupons early and buy them at the last minute, you can sometimes build up your savings.
If you prefer to buy early, choose a store carefully. Some good bets include visiting a dollar store, buying in bulk from an online seller, or visiting a member store like Costco or Sam’s Club .
Control portions yourself
Another tip is to put your candy in the Trick-or-Catchers bags yourself so that the greediest ghosts get the same goods as the polite pirates and help you avoid running out of them or over-buying. Don’t do that porch bowl; one evil trick is enough to spoil everyone’s pleasure. If you’re new to your area and don’t know how many tricks to expect, ask your neighbors! (But keep in mind that the weather can confuse estimates.)
Go non-candy
You might also want to consider a bold strategy of ditching candy altogether and handing out inedible treats. You could say heresy! But if you buy wholesale Halloween-themed treats, you might find something cool for less than you would pay for candy. This pack of 300 luminous 8-inch bracelets, for example, only costs about twenty dollars , which is almost half what most people spend on candy. It’s less than 7 cents for a bracelet, and most kids will get as much fun as a tiny chocolate bar. Plus, it might make them a little safer as they frequent your streets and sidewalks at night.
Buy jewelry in November next year
Our best decor advice won’t help you this year. Why? Because the best time to buy Halloween decor is after the holidays. Over the past three years, we’ve seen stores like Home Depot and Kmart slash 75% discounts on Halloween decorations in early November. While you will likely see some pre-holiday sales as well, waiting for a purchase means you won’t be able to display jewelry for that long, so it’s a trade-off.
When choosing jewelry, you should not go straight to the cheapest items; If you can’t reuse it for years, you could lose money over time. Many cheap items wear out quickly, and even modest annual costs will quickly exceed what you would spend on more durable items.
Make your own decorations
Another good option is to DIY the decor! Even if you’re not usually interested in craft projects, you might want to consider this for Halloween. This is one of the times when your creations look a little shabby, sloppy or misshapen, which can be considered intentional.
If you are looking to buy craft supplies, be sure to check the coupons. Fabric and craft stores often sell great coupons, such as “40% off one item.” But with a little creativity, your craft supplies costs may be low or nonexistent.
Worn clothes can be stuffed with straw and plastic grocery bags to create a beautiful scarecrow . A torn white sheet can be cut further, tied and hung on a line to create a quivering ghost. And any weather-resistant material can be painted and installed as tombstones. If you want to do something a little more creative but don’t know how, there is almost certainly a YouTube tutorial to help you.
Buy suits at the last minute
Costumes tend to drop in value after Halloween, but are harder to buy a year ahead of schedule. It’s still a good bet for next year’s adult costumes, but it’s often difficult to predict what the size or interests of the child will be. (Saving 75% on a suit that is never worn is a waste of money.)
The next best option? Last minute shopping. Many retailers cut between 30% and 50% of their costumes in the week before Halloween. Fashionable costumes – popular due to the recent release of a movie, for example – are a particularly likely markdown target, as the retailer can’t be sure how well they will sell next year.
If you are buying a baby suit, consider buying one size up. First, if it’s cold on October 31st, they can wear a sweatshirt or coat under the tutu or tortoise shell, instead of ruining the look by wearing it over. (It’s very frustrating to spend good money on a suit just to barely see it.) Second, you can give the suit some extra life by tossing it in the dressing box after the holidays are over. Finally, you might be in luck – if your child is still obsessed with the same next year and hasn’t grown too much, you can get by and wear the same costume again.
Make your own costumes
DIY is a great option for costumes and you don’t have to touch the sewing machine to make something fun. Find something in a suitable color to use as a base and start accessories. (Walmart often sells sweatpants / sweatshirt kits for about $ 12 if you don’t have something close at hand.) Two friends in red suits, blue hairspray and Thing 1 and Thing 2 are easily portrayed Suessian duo. (Or color the circles separately and pin them to the garment if you want to use the garment later.)
Of course, if you are a master craftsman, you can always get more ambitious, like the parents who hand-made this transforming costume for their child . There’s really no limit, and unless you have a really crazy idea, you can probably find someone who has already done this and posted a tutorial video or blog.
8 Ways to Save Money on Candy, Costumes, and Spooky Halloween Decorations | DealNews