Halloween candy – Frugal Things Every Day

Happy Halloween to all! I hope your children have a safe fun day. I always loved Halloween when I had children of my own. I loved decorating, sewing costumes, enjoyed all of the children’s costumes who came to my door, etc. I still do. I especially love the really little ones who come with their parents. I have purchased the little boxes of animal crackers as a treat for the little ones ( 2 year olds) on my street who will be coming this year. I think it is better than giving them candy.

But my favorite part of Halloween is the day after when many stores put their Halloween candy on sale at 50% or more. Our candy supply has dwindled since Valentine’s Day and Easter. It is time to replenish it. I put the discounted candy in my freezer to use for cakes and cookies and other desserts during the year. I buy mostly chocolates, M&M’s and Reese’s pieces. Then I buy other candies to have here for my grandchildren when they visit as a treat.

I know some people who wait to buy the candy at deep discount like 75 to 90% off. But I find that most of the candy in this area is wiped out at 50%. I can also usually get what I want if I go early in the morning. I have a really early dentist appointment tomorrow so I will be shopping right afterwards.

But candy is not the only thing that gets discounted. Many people purchase costumes for their children for next year. This is a smart thing to do if you don’t sew their costumes.

At the market and Walmart, I will be looking for discounted Halloween cake mixes, cookies, frostings, pumpkin cupcake paper wrappers, paper napkins, etc. I look at things that are Halloween themed. I will be pulling any coupons that I can use today.

If you have a graduate this coming June and are having a party, look for discounted black paper plates, cups, and napkins. etc.

Over the years I have used ECB’s at CVS, coupons at AC Moore, Rite Aid, Top’s, Dollar General, Ollie’s, and Big Lots to get the discounted candy, etc. Michael’s and Pier 1 are great places to get discounted decorations.

I have known people who buy pumpkins cheap to bake and freeze in portions.

Just think outside of the box for things that you can use during the year at a discount. I know I like to save money on some of these things and I am sure most of you readers like to also.

What are some of the things that you have purchased at a great price after Halloween? Please feel free to share in comments.

Strawberry KitKats et al

I had a crazy busy day yesterday. I started the morning going to an annual doctor’s appointment which is 16 miles away. So after the appointment on my way home, I did some shopping in a town that I don’t get to very often.

I stopped at CVS to use the $3.00 in ECB’s that they gave me for my birthday. I picked up some needed foundation and then I saw the candy pictured above on clearance. I purchased two bags to put in my Halloween stash for $ 1.25 each. I will use these bags after I give out the candy I already had. If there are any of these left, I will save them for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. My family loves Kit Kats.

Then I stopped at Home Goods. We use the Jordan’s SF Skinny Syrups in our coffee and Hubby finished his favorite. My sister told me that Home Goods has the big bottles for $3.99. That is $2.00 cheaper than buying them online at Jordan’s. They had one of the flavors he wanted but not all. But they did have the ones I like. I will keep checking back there anytime I am down there for new flavors. The cashier told me they change them often. BTW, the peach in my coffee is my very favorite. It is so good!

When I got home, I finally had some time this afternoon to finish my basement freezer inventory. When I was done, I sat down and made a list by category. For example, beef, chicken, pork, turkey, lamb, vegetables, fruit, baked goods, etc. have their own Master List. That way I can menu plan from those master lists. It is such a relief to know exactly what I have. I am not buying any beef, chicken, ham, sausage, bacon, etc. for a very long time. The same goes for fruits and vegetables.

As I was doing the inventory, I found this bag with 1/2 lb. of cooked ground turkey. Hubby was going to finish the Spicy Szechuan chicken that was leftover for his dinner tonight. It did not set well with my stomach the first day we ate it.

So I grabbed a packaged cheese pasta that I bought at Aldi’s for my stockpile. I cooked it up and added the turkey last minute. I also made a tossed salad to go with it. There is enough pasta for lunch tomorrow. I want to make sure that all of the cooked meats in my freezers get used up first.

I hope you all had a great frugal day.