BOO! - Halloween season is just around the corner...

[Pamela30]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but the moderators can let me know if I have to move this thread. Anyways, every year, my family and I like to kind of go all-out for Halloween, without spending an arm and a leg to do that. This includes decorating our house with cool and spooky decor (which the neighbourhood kids love seeing!), and handing out lots of treats to the kids when they come trick-or-treating.

Given that Halloween is coming around in a little over 2 months, our plans have started already, and I'm responsible for maintaining the costs for our Halloween adventures this year. Naturally, given that I am part of this great online community, I couldn't think of a better place to post our ongoing efforts for this year's Halloween adventures than right here on Smartcanucks.

And so it began last night, the deal-finding; I got 3 bags of Jolly Rancher candy (individually wrapped candies inside each bag, making them great Halloween treats for the kids) at one of the local Superstores. They were located in the 50% pink sticker area, at $3.49 per bag, so that should have made them $1.75 (approx) for each bag, which would have been fine with me. I got up to the till, and the girl had them ringing up at $1.44 per bag as an original price, so x 50% off, they came to a total of $0.72 per bag! I should have gone back to grab more, but that was okay, I left them for anyone else who wanted some, and took my 3 bags with me, for a total of $2.16. But wait, it gets better, at this particular Superstore, on Tuesdays, there is an additional 10% student discount, so it was $2.16 less $0.22 from my discount, for a total of $1.94 for 3 bags of Jolly Rancher candies (worked out to approx. $0.65/bag)!!!

This is going to be an ongoing project (if you want to call it that) for our family between now and Halloween and I will continue to provide regular updates on how we are progressing, as well as final pictures and cost totals at the end of it, expect the whole thing to be done by November 1, 2012.

Wish us luck!!! Thanks for listening everyone, and once again, thanks to all the Smartcanuckers out there, without your continued goals towards savings and shared experiences, this adventure might not have even been possible

[seylz_gurl]

good eyes Pamela, love those pink stickers!!! great to think outside the box. I picked up some clearance summer candy from SDM for Hallowe'en. We get alot of kids too and love making it fun for them.

[Natalka]

Awesome - it's good when stores have summer clearance like that!

[couponer2]

Spooktacular brag never to early to save money!

[coley3]

Great deals. I have heard that some people on here are going to give out Nestea for Halloween. Using the FPC's. That could be a cheap way to go too.
Can't wait to see the other deals you find.

[nessa23]

great idea!! I ran out of candy last year when I was handing it out

I felt horrible!! I will start looking for candy now, thanks for the tips!!

[couponmamaof03]

Halloween is my favourite time of the year! Every year I find new ideas on how to decorate and the dollarama always has great decorations.

[avoncallingu]

This year we will actually be HOME on Hallowe'en- for the first time in 3 years! Yippee! (But I have to have an MRI that day in another city - I wonder if I should go in costume?) I checked out the SDM summer candy but didn't find anything at the SDM I went to.

This is a great thread, thanks Pamela30!

[wolfwoman]

Halloween should be my middle name I love it sooo much! For cheap decorating ideas, just check out home made props other people have made & posted. I got alot of forehead smacking ideas doing that. Just by using 2X4's and surverys sticks, we made an AWESOME graveyard fencing!!

[MrsSunshine]

when it comes to treats, we always buy the previous year at 50% off and then freeze it. leftovers are for the teens 18+ who show up in trench coats or sports jerseys at 10pm at night wanting something.
its always hit or miss for the amount, one year it could be miserable out and ya have 4 kids, the next year the same weather. 100 kids.. nice weather 4 kids... nice weather 1000 kids. its like whatever..you try to plan it never works outs.

my 'holiday' is xmas so my son takes over halloween for me. he loves it. last year he literally spent weeks putting together and taking part and putting together a 'set' on our front lawn.

this year it will be simple. we found an idea on pinterest where they take dark brocade like curtains with hooks and hang them from your eaves. then pull back each side with dollar store tie backs to each side to make a 'door way' to your patio and then you have a bowl of dry ice hiding in behind the one curtain so you only see the 'smoke' (much healthier than a smoke machine).. then a table with a pumpkin on it (real or fake) easy peasy. little scary music in the background.

[couponmamaof03]

I always want to do a Nightmare before Xmas christmas and family never lets me!

Guess I'll just have to settle for a Halloween party.

[rish]

good job

[redhdlois]

Count me in! I too LOVE Halloween! Every year I add more and more decorations (on sale of course) to my collection.
This year I'll be handing out Nestea to the older kids and I PM'd York peppermint patties (I won't be tempted to eat those) and paid with overage at WM for the little ones. I'll probably buy more, but at least the bulk of treats didn't cost me an arm and a leg like it did last year. We get upwards of 200+ kids : o so it gets pricy.
We should post pics of Halloween brags on this thread!!

[ssbean]

WTG on the candy deals!

[avrose]

I was going to do Nestea, but I haven't seen any for a loooong time, and our supply is almost out.