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Tips for Making Halloween Wallet-Friendly!
Want to get into the festive spirit without breaking the bank?
Here are a few ways to have a wallet-friendly (and family-friendly) Halloween!
Tote Your Treats
Keep your candy safe with the Halloween edition of Itzy Ritzy's Snack Happened and Snack Happened Mini. They come in two spooky-chic prints: Monster Party and Itzy Ritzy Spider. The bags are perfect for everything from trick-or-treating to smart snacking on-the-go, and families can save money and the environment with these reusable and washable snack bags. $9.99 - $12.99.
Label Your Loot
Just in time for Halloween - Mabels Labels peel-and-stick labels are available in a limited-edition Loot Bag Combo with three spooktacular themed icons:pumpkin, cat and ghost. They can also be personalized with names or other words and are a great idea for labeling treat bags or as a Halloween party favor. $30 for a set of six.
Plan An Activity
BabbaCo, the market leader for children’s activity box subscriptions, has planned a role-playing box for October - the perfect treat to celebrate Halloween. In October’s Detective-themed BabbaBox, kids will enjoy hearing about the detective “cases” that accompany each activity, plus they can go online to the associated exclusive web content to solve them! The box includes activities such as writing secret messages and making fingerprint art in a “spy notebook; creating a “Memory” game to hone detective skills; a fingerprinting kit to collect, examine, and compare fingerprints; Storytelling with The Berenstein Bears and the Case of the Missing Honey; connecting with the “Monkey Preschool Lunchbox” App; and a surprise parent gift - perfect for Halloween! - curated by mom blogger, Kristina of Toddler Approved. Subscriptions from $29.99 per month.
Shop Smart
Frugal living experts, Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler of The Krazy Coupon Lady, shared ten tips to making a Halloween full of treats on a budget:
1. Dollar Décor: Hit up the local dollar store for decent decorations.
2. Costume Exchange: Host a local neighborhood costume exchange where families swap costumes for free.
3. Buy Bulk: Websites like www.bestbuycandy.com and www.candy.com let parents buy trick-or-treat candy in bulk. They can show actual savings, like: A five-pound bag (80 ounces) of salt water taffy for $19.00 saves significantly per pound - one bag of 30 snack sized candy bars from Walmart is $5.25 (that’s only 16.3 ounces). The online candy is $1.20 less per pound.
4. DIY: Tackle easy DIY décor projects and Halloween décor tutorials like Trash Bag Tarantula, Milk Jug Skeleton, and Paper Bag Witch’s Broom.
5. Re-Treat Bag: Use a reusable grocery bag and give it Halloween-themed decorations - it costs $1.00 or less.
6. Good Gourds: Grow your own pumpkin to avoid supermarket prices with tips from websites like http://www.pumpkinnook.com/growing.htm.
7. Extend the Life of the Pumpkin: From painting with non-toxic paint, to putting aside seeds for planting, to making pumpkin butter there are lots of great way to make a pumpkin last.
8. Toothsome Treats: Instead of store-bought goods, bake spooky homemade treats and save money.
9. Smart Sale Shopping: Shop ahead for the following year - 2012 costumes and decorations go on clearance, usually the day after All Hallows Eve, and items are often discounted up to 75 percent.
10. Thrifty Costumes: Get creative by costume shopping at the local Salvation Army or Goodwill store or raid your own closet for costume inspiration!
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