Save on Halloween Candy and Costumes, Carve Creepy Pumpkins – and more!

Your Halloween just got Spooktacular! We’re here to help you save money on candy, costumes and trinkets. Also, we’ve got links to a fun neighborhood game, tasty recipes (Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, anyone?), as well as pumpkin carving patterns and tips. And once it’s all over, what on earth do you do with all that leftover candy? Well, read on for answers to that question as well.

Save on Halloween candy. Here’s how not to break the bank.

• Use coupons. Get some sweet grocery coupons on CoolSavings for Halloween candy, including savings on Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger and Nerds. Also, be sure to check your weekly Sunday newspaper coupons , where you’re sure to find new savings each week through Halloween.
• Watch the store sales. It takes a little time and research, but figure out where you’ll get the most for your money. Check the weekly store sale fliers in the Sunday newspaper. A sale combined with a manufacturer coupon might be your best bet for saving money on candy this season.
• Check dollar stores and warehouses. In addition to the store sales, don’t forget to stop in your local dollar store to see what candy they have to offer. This may also be your most cost effective option! Or, if you belong to Sam’s Club or Costco, check out their candy prices. One large bag from a warehouse store may be enough to provide for all your trick-or-treaters.
• Choose candy that is less expensive. Remember, you don’t need to buy the most expensive candy (read: chocolate) to please the neighborhood kids. You can always go with lollipops, bubble gum, tootsie rolls, etc.
• Consider alternatives to candy. Some of us may have childhood memories of elderly folks giving out pennies or nickels to trick-or-treaters. Remember to think outside the box. Between school, parties and trick-or-treating, kids get more than enough candy; so if you’re looking for non-edible (and cost-effective) alternatives, consider giving out small trinkets to your trick-or-treaters. Oriental Trading Company offers free shipping on orders of $49 or more, so if you’re already purchasing any party supplies, you could tack your trick-or-treat toys onto this order. Such items could include bubbles, pencils, stickers, glow sticks, and so on.

Save on Costumes:

Do you still need your family’s costumes? Here are some ways to save.

• Spirit Halloween has costumes on sale for the entire family. Spirit is currently offering $4.99 shipping on orders of $65 or more. Another deal you’ll find is a free candy bag with the purchase of any kids’ Marvel costume (while supplies last). To celebrate the season, Spirit is also giving away a piece of décor every day in October. (See their site for more details.)
• Costume Kingdom offers free shipping on orders of $50 or more. Choose from many themes, including 80s, Star Wars, Disney, Super Heroes, Michael Jackson, Muppets, Thomas the Tank, and more. You can also save 10% on your Costume Kingdom purchase by entering code CK10 at checkout.

Play a Fun Neighborhood "Haunting" Game.

Here’s an idea for a fantastic game that will surely become a yearly ritual on your block! Make up a few fun goody bags filled with treats (candy, games, small toys, stickers, etc.) and then surprise a few households near you by ringing the doorbell and leaving them on the doorstep. It’s like ding-dong-ditch but better because there are treats involved! Your kids (and you!) will love the suspense of sneaking over to your neighbors’ houses in the dark with these! Put a couple of glow sticks with the bags on people’s porches so they will see the goody bags. Print out sheets from here to leave with the goodies that explain the game and invite the neighbors to do a haunting of their own!

Carve the Perfect Pumpkin. Make the Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Soon enough, it’ll be time to carve your pumpkins. Check out these cool pumpkin carving patterns you can download FREE. You’ll find Ichabod’s Fate, Grim Creeper and more. Here are some pumpkin carving tips to help simplify the process.

When you’re done scooping out the seeds, be sure to roast them up. This Spiced Pumpkin Seeds recipe got great review and only requires 5 ingredients. Or, try this traditional Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe which only calls for seeds, butter and salt. Be sure to read the reviews posted under this recipe for some handy roasting tips you may not already know.

Create Creepy Crafts.

A great source of fun and easy kids’ crafts is Kaboose.com, where you’ll find instructions to make Vampire Lollipops, Stained Glass Pumpkin Window Hanger, Juice Box Mummy, Bat Mobile, and more. Also check out Kaboose’s Halloween Printables, including spooky word searches and coloring pages.

Serve Up Frighteningly Fun Treats.

Be sure to give some frightfully fun (and delicious) goodies to your loved ones. Mr. Food offers the FREE eCookbook Spooky Treats and Party Eats, featuring 34 creative recipes, including Hot Caramal Apple Cider, Ghoulish Glazed Meatballs, Devilishly Good Eggs, Spooky Shepherd’s Pie, Yummy Mummy Dogs, Spiderweb Cake, Pumpkin Parfaits, Candy Corn Crispy Treats, and more.

Kaboose offers 30 Spooky and Tasty Recipes like Lollipop Sugar Cookies, Dark Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies, Pumpkin Squares with Cream Cheese Icing, Caramel Apple Cupcakes, Candy Corn Cupcakes, etc. These treats are great whether you’re hosting or attending a party, or just looking for some baking fun with the kids.

When it’s Over: What to do with all that Leftover Halloween Candy

This Parenthood.com article offers 10 suggestions on how to use up your leftover candy. These useful suggestions include using the chocolate for baking purposes, filling the candy into a piñata to be used at a later date, and make S’mores or Gingerbread Houses with it.

Want to get the extra candy out of your house soon? Check with your local churches and community organizations, as they will sometimes take up candy collections after Halloween, to give to charity.