Silly me, I always thought the only way to bribe a child was to give them candy. It wasn’t until I was a parent that I realized children love all kinds of “special treats.” So if you don’t want to spend money on loads of candy for this Halloween season, try some of these ideas – all of which are budget friendly – to make sure you kids get a treat, instead of a trick.
Halloween Candy Alternatives:
- Stickers. Have you been to Michaels or AC Moore (or your local craft store) and walked down the aisle of stickers with a child? A pack of multiple sheets costs anywhere from .99 cents to $3.00. With coupons they are half that, or you can always open up and give the sheets away. This might be more appropriate for the younger set than older children.
- Fruit snacks. These are (relatively) healthy and you get a slew of them either at Costco or stock up on sale. I actually keep ours in the car, and use as an incentive to behave while in the store.
- Crayons. Drawing is a favorite pastime of all kids, no matter the age. And you can never have enough crayons! Hit the Dollar Store for monster savings.
- Halloween Tattoos and Spider Rings. These items are easily found at your local Party Store this time of year and cost next to nothing. They last longer than a Snickers Bar and are more fun!
- Glow sticks. Buy these at the Dollar Store or a Party Store and buy in bulk to save money. These will last a lot longer than candy.
- Raisins. They are healthy and fun. You can buy the small boxes, especially the generic ones, on sale and save a fortune.
By Mary B. Keep tabs on all the hottest deals by subscribing to our FREE daily newsletter and follow us on Facebook! This post may contain affiliate links.
i prefer always the creative ways of celebrating halloween. at my place it’s never about the candies only. i always make some self-prepared cookies, funny decoration, and i try to do it green. of course i always give some candy to the children, but last year i found some sugarfree candies, which are filled with vitamines and do not include artifical coloring materials or taste boosters.
Actually, gummy type fruit snacks can be worse for your childs teeth than chocolate. My childs dentist said no vitamin gummies or fruit snacks because they are very bad for her teeth and to instead give them healthy real fruit or if they have to have candy, then give them some that doesn’t stick to their teeth.. enter chocolate.. so long as it is not a caramel induced chocolate.. oh and to give regular flinstone type vitamins instead of the gummy type. (Although, I do give them 1 every once in a while) 🙂
Oh wow I never thought about the glow stick idea. That’s a really good idea! Kids can never get enough of anything glowing. I also buy fruit snacks from Costco. Not only do my kids like to eat them, but I do too! But are they really that bad for your teeth? I heard that hard candies are not so great on the teeth. I thought gummy ones were okay though.