Each year I ask myself, “Where are the best deals on Halloween Candy?” and to be honest each year it can be a little different depending on what I want to pass out and how early I start strategizing. Below are the tips and tricks I have used and continue to use each year to save the most money I can on Halloween candy.
Know How Much You May Need
This one can be very tricky. I live in a neighborhood and each year I think I have perfected the count and know how many trick-or-treaters we are going to have and only 1 year out of 15 I was close. Some years I think we will have a ton and we don’t, and the next year I am out of candy and trying to find things in my pantry.
If you find you ran out of candy, just turn your light off. Or, if you don’t want to be that house. Buy an extra bag or two close to Halloween and only open each bag as you need it. If you don’t use them, return them to the store.
Start Buying Early
Stores start to put out Halloween packaged candy in August, but rarely does it go on sale right away. However, all stores throughout the year have sales on candy for various reasons and those are some of the best times to find cheap, inexpensive candy. Candy is candy and as long as it isn’t rotten or outdated, it is fair game in my opinion. You don’t have to pass out the candy that has specific Halloween décor wrappings. Believe me, the kids don’t care as long as its candy!
Note that the key to this strategy is to put the candy in a safe place so it doesn’t disappear over time. I know I have some candy monsters in my house!
Don’t Be Picky
Look for what is cheap or on sale. Remember your favorite candy may not be someone else’s favorite, and since this candy is to be passed out, you don’t need to have the best and most expensive treat around. Save your money for expensive candy you want to eat J
Unless of course, you are trying to be the favorite house in the neighborhood…ahhh I remember the days and the exact houses that passed out the king-size candy bars! Kit Kat anyone! There are still some great ways to save on larger size candy so keep reading!
Don’t Be Afraid of the Drug Store
CVS and Walgreens are on your side when you are looking for those spooktacular savings. Throughout the year there will be candy on clearance for various reasons. Maybe they aren’t carrying that kind anymore, maybe the distributor is changing the packaging, or they are overstocked. You will find times that specific candies will be on clearance and when you combine the clearance with a coupon or reward, you can pick up some cheap or even free candy.
Again, I can’t reiterate enough to keep an eye out for these deals throughout the year. Only you know when you purchased the candy, and no one needs to know you bought it in March unless of course, you are bragging on how you got free candy!
Use Candy as a Filler Item
Ever had a coupon you wanted to use like a $2 off $10 and you were just pennies away from being able to use the coupon because you didn’t spend enough yet? Throw in a cheap piece of candy (as long as it is not more than the coupon you are planning to use) and now you can consider that some free candy. If you spend an extra $1.00 to get $2.00 off, then you are $1,00 ahead from where you would have been if you weren’t able to use the coupon in the first place.
Buy in Bulk
Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Warehouse are all great places to find cheaper, more affordable candy. This is a super deal when you are expecting a large crowd on Halloween. All of these stores also have coupon deals, usually in August, or late September for additional savings on their bulk candy.
If you time it right and buy the full-size candy bars when they have a coupon or rebate offered, you can average a price of about $.50 a full-size candy bar! This is about 1/3rd of the price as if you were buying one bar off the shelf. Great savings!
You can also get savings on unique candy throughout the year that wasn’t necessarily geared towards the Halloween season. I have found packages of chocolates, mints, and gum heavily discounted because they were being phased out of the warehouse stores. If you snag these deals up, you may be spending only pennies for each piece of candy. Remember not to eat it ahead of time! Lock it up and forget about it until Halloween!
Pass Out Snacks Instead of Candy
You can pass out snack bags of cookies, chips, fruit snacks, you name it. There are plenty of times you can find deals on these bulk size individual packs from the warehouse stores or Amazon throughout the year. It might be harder to find places to store these around the house, but again great savings can be found here. Amazon recently had a 30 pack of Nabisco cookie/snack variety for $5.99. That comes out $.20 a piece! Sounds like a win to me!
Don’t Pass Out Any Food Items
There are many other things you can pass out that might be cheaper than candy depending on when and where you bought them. Both Wendy’s and McDonald’s have coupons you can buy to pass out for ice cream treats, but this may not be cheaper than the candy option depending on the savings strategies you use. If you are in a time crunch, a great place to grab a unique treat.
Pencils, Erasers, stickers – anything from the dollar section at Target or dollar stores could work. Just a bit of caution…kids really don’t want to get these when they are trick-or-treating. None the less, still an option.
Money
I remember as a kid, each year the same house would give us stacks of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, usually adding up to $.25 or .$50, and as a small kid that was a big deal. I do think there may be a lot of kids that don’t appreciate that these days, but who wouldn’t like a little extra money to save or spend where they would like. I’m all for being generous, but if you are looking to provide a treat with extra savings, this may not be the route to go depending on what you would normally spend.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. There are so many different tricks to save on Halloween candy. Comment below how some of these strategies worked for you to save big on candy this year. I can’t wait to read all about it!
Want more ways to save a good amount of money on Halloween this year? Check out these resources as well!
- 8 Best Ways for a Budget-Friendly Halloween Costume
- How to Celebrate Halloween on a Budget