On Halloween you’ll hand out goodies to all sorts of adorable trick-or-treaters at your door. LOZO is here to make sure you get the most bang for your buck when you purchase those treats, no matter what kind you choose to buy (even my favorites: dark chocolate Snickers bars).
Classic Money-Saving Tips
Whether you’re shopping for Halloween or doing your weekly grocery trip, here are some tried and true money-saving tactics that will lower your bill:
- Use Grocery Coupons: Always use coupons to lower your grocery bill. And the same goes for Halloween candy. Check out 800+ grocery coupons at LOZO’s Grocery Coupon Bundler which includes coupons on candy, snacks, fruit and more. You can also check your weekly paper for the best deals.
- Compare Prices: Comparison shopping is one of the best ways to find the lowest price whether you’re shopping for groceries, a computer, a car or just about anything at all. Halloween candy is seemingly on sale everywhere, so compare prices from your local circulars (including drugstores, supermarkets, and department stores) and be sure to check online too—we’ve even included a list of some of our favorite spots below. (If you’d like to learn more, read one of our tips on comparison shopping).
- “Stack” Your Coupons with the Best Deals: Once you’ve found the best price on candy, use your coupons to make that price even better!
- Focus on Price-per-Unit: As any savvy grocery shopper knows, you want to look at the unit price (e.g., how much it costs per ounce)—not the actual price marked on the shelf—to determine the value you’re getting. The lower the unit price, the better the deal. For example, you may find two bags of candy each marked $3.49, but if the first one contains 22oz of candy and the second has 30oz, the second is a better deal (same price, more units). If the unit price isn’t readily listed, just divide the actual cost ($4.00 for example) by the # of units (20 ounces, for example) to figure it out (20 cents per ounce, in this example). You can also use our handy unit price calculator which will also let you factor in any coupons you may have. One twist to consider for Halloween if you are trying to save money: the “cost per trick-or-treater.” For example, if a $2.00 bag of candy has 20 pieces inside and you plan to give out 1 piece per kid, that’s $2.00 for 20 kids (10 cents per kid). If a different bag has smaller pieces, such that you feel you’ll need 2 pieces per kid (or else get eggs thrown at your house), you’ll need twice as much on hand. In that case a $2 bag with 20 pieces only covers 10 kids, so you are spending 20 cents per kid!
- Don’t Limit Yourself to Grocery Stores: It’s convenient to buy something at the supermarket, but you won’t necessarily get the best deal. Check out local drug stores like CVS and Walgreens, big retailers like Target, Walmart and Kmart, and even the dollar store. You can check their online stores as well, plus favorites like Amazon and Drugstore.com. Look to add on to an existing order to avoid any additional shipping charges, but remember to compare to the deals you can find locally.
- Look for Deals & Coupons: A good price can become great with the right deal or coupon. Check all your local circulars as well as LOZO’s coupon section, which has a page devoted to snack and candy coupons.
- Buy in Bulk: Halloween is a great time to team up with family, friends and neighbors to buy a warehouse club size bags of candy from a place like Costco. To make sure you’re getting the best price though, be sure to comparison shop and to check cost per unit. Generally buying in bulk will get you a good deal, but a great sale at a supermarket or drugstore usually is a little better.
Any of these tips will lower your costs on Halloween candy, but they’re also good to keep in mind year-round as you try to save money on groceries.
More Ways to Save for Halloween
Ok, we’ve covered some classic money-saving tips, now here are a few that are particularly geared toward Halloween shopping.
- Buy What You Like, But Avoid Halloween-Themed Candy: If you stick with candy your family (or friends or colleagues) enjoy, then you can get good use out of any “leftovers”. And if you avoid the special Halloween wrappers you can feel comfortable using extras for upcoming holidays and birthday parties as well. However, if you really want to buy Halloween-themed candy, then be sure to…
- Buy Last-Minute, with a Backup Plan: Any candy that’s got Halloween-specific packaging is going to be marked WAY down as soon as the holiday’s over (75% off is pretty common by Mid-November). Knowing this, most stores will start their discounts early in hopes that they can sell it at 25%-50% off just before Halloween. Worried that you might forget, or not have a chance to get to the store at the last minute? Buy “backup” candy ahead of time but keep the packages unopened so that you can return them later on, if you are able to get a cheaper replacement in time.
- Skip the Usual Candy: There are plenty of non-candy bar options to consider if you like the idea of doing something a little different. Snack bars are a great giveaway option. They are individually wrapped, kids like them (buy the ones with chocolate!), and your family will use them up if you don’t give them all away. Plus, LOZO has snack bar coupons that you can print from home and use in the supermarket. You can also find Halloween coupons for McDonald’s, Wendy’s and other fast food restaurants can be found for $1-2 per 10-12 coupons, or around 10-15 cents each, and can be used for free food or treats. You can use leftover coupons for your own family, or give them away to neighbors.
So then what’s the overall secret to being a hero Halloween house, and doing it on a budget? Use a coupon on top of a great sale, to buy candy you like at the last minute. Then you’ll be able to offer the best treats at the lowest cost per kid.
That’s the LOZO on how to save money on Halloween treats. Did we miss something? We’d love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment below!
Looking for more Halloween Savings? Check out our article Halloween Costumes that Won’t Break the Bank, our summary of Halloween Store Price Match & Return Policies and our Halloween Discounts Page where you’ll find all the best Halloween deal, all in one place.
In the meantime, Happy Halloween!