(Pumpkin Bert and Ernie approve of this blog post)
With Halloween just around the corner, people are predicted to spend a hair-raising $7 billion on this year’s festivities. Pumpkin carving, apple picking, and lots and lots of sweets are just the tip of the iceberg, as the average ghoul (or gal) spends well over $70 on their costumes, candy and the like.
Halloween happenings can really zombify your checkbook if you’re not careful. In order to keep you from overspending, here are a few Halloween hacks to go batty over.
1. Buy in Bulk
When it comes to candy, one of the biggest mistakes people make is buying either too much or too little. You don’t want your house to be the only one on the street that ran out of candy, or worse, that one dimly lit house people purposely avoid. Buying in bulk helps you save because the specific dollar amount for each individual piece of candy is less, and it’ll keep you from having to make the mid-evening dash to the local drugstore because your candy supplies are running dangerously low.
Amazon.com is offering 15% off certain Halloween treats this year (hat tip to Mydollarplan for the find), so you might want to start there.
2. Buy Generic
Sometimes it’s OK to be boring. Sure, you may have the occasional snicker for giving out generic candy, but hey, candy’s candy. Besides, at least you’re not giving them a stick of celery (or a toothbrush—I’ve gotten those before, too).
Generic foods are nearly identical to the bigger brands; the only difference is the name and marketing behind it. In fact, Consumer Reports found that people saved an average of 30% by choosing generic products. So if you were planning on buying a bunch of Kit Kats, M&Ms and Reese’s Pieces this year, you might want to think again.
3. Buy Late
A lot of people believe buying Halloween supplies as early as possible helps them save, but it really doesn’t. If possible, wait ’till the last minute to buy your Halloween supplies. Stores always have an abundance of Halloween candy and decorations after Halloween, and come Nov. 1st they’ll be slashing prices left and right. Sometimes stores try to get a leg up on emptying their surplus candy by marking it down a day or two before the 31st. There’s no guarantee, but if you wait till the last minute, chances are you’ll find some sick savings.
Is your zombie-like appetite for saving still not satisfied? Here are a few more spine-tingling tips to help make sure you don’t break the bank:
- Hand the candy out yourself—don’t let the trick-or-treaters reach into your candy bowl unless you’re willing to run out of candy really quickly.
- Ration the amount to one to two pieces each—Rationing your candy will help it last longer, plus it’s better to be democratic by giving everyone the same one or two pieces each.
- Try to stick to discount stores for your decorations—discount stores like Dollar Tree usually have better deals when it comes to decorations and costumes, and they’re more likely to start cutting prices earlier.
Buying Halloween supplies doesn’t have to be a bone-chilling experience. With these tips in mind, we hope you have a safe, fun and inexpensive Halloween!
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