Ultimate Guide for Affordable Alternatives to Halloween Candy!
Photo credit: Vertex Designs, Unsplash Images
Affordable Alternatives to Halloween Candy
Halloween candy prices continue to rise every year. In 2023, the average American spent over $30 on Halloween candy, a 13% increase from 2022, and that’s only going to keep rising.
So, if candy prices are going to continue to rise, what can you do? Find an alternative. Who says you have to give out candy? Why can’t you give out something else, like temporary tattoos, stickers, or even little bracelet kits? Plus, you’ll be the cool place that doesn’t just give out the standard tootsie rolls or lollipops. Many kids (and parents who will inevitably deal with the sugar high and crash later) will be grateful.
One crucial tip for saving money on Halloween goodies: pay attention to price per unit.
Whether you’re buying candy, rubber ducks, or pencils. You always want to know how much per unit you spend to find the best and most affordable Halloween handouts.
To find the price per unit: Take the price and divide it by the number of pieces.
Ready to come up with affordable, fun alternatives to cheap Halloween candy? Let’s go trick-or-treating.
Affordable Alternatives to Halloween Candy
1. Stickers
Stickers are cheap and so satisfying. I wish someone had given out stickers when I was a little kid Trick-or-Treating.
Sticker sheets,like this pack of 100 sheets from Amazon, are great for younger kids.
Price: $7.99
Price per unit: Roughly about $0.08 per sheet.
Amount of Trick-or-Treaters served: 100 (unless you cut the sticker sheets in half, then you could do 200)
I think it’s fun to have variety, and it’s great to have something for the older kids, too– or even the parents. So, I’d recommend getting a pack of vinyl Halloween stickers from Amazon. Their packs range from 100 to 300 stickers, usually all under $10! This pack of 100 is on sale for $3.99, but it is regularly only $4.99.
Price: $4.99 (Sale price: $3.99)
Price per unit: Roughly around $0.05 per sticker (or $0.04 on sale)
Amount of Trick-or-Treaters served: 100
2. Temporary Tattoos
Similar to stickers, temporary tattoos are a crowd pleaser— and they are SO affordable.
This glow-in-the-dark pack from Amazon is adorable!
Price: $9.99 (On sale for $6.99)
Price per unit: $0.04 (or $0.03 on sale)
Amount of Trick or Treaters served: 216 (though I would suggest giving two tattoos at a time, maybe, so that would cut the served amount to 108).
3. Bracelets
There are so many different ways you could give out bracelets for Halloween. You could make friendship bracelets or little bags with string and pony beads for the kids to create their own. These ideas are better for older kids (think about 7 and up).
You can also purchase a pack of slap bracelets from Amazon. Arguably, these are nowhere near as affordable as Halloween stickers.
I found this pack of 100 Halloween slap bracelets on Amazon.
Price: $13.99
Price per unit: Around $0.13
Total Trick or Treaters served: 100
I found another really cute pack of Halloween slap bracelets on Amazon. They’re also around $0.13 per unit, costing $9.99. They feature 72 bracelets. Not a better or worse deal, since they cost the same per unit, but I just think they’re cuter.
4. Pencils
I have to be honest- pencils are possibly the least exciting option on this list to hand out on Halloween. Yet, they’re an affordable choice for anyone looking to save a little money. You could also pair them with some cute Halloween erasers.
These Halloween pencils from Amazon were the best price-wise that I found online.
Price: $11.98
Price-per-unit: $0.11
Total trick-or-treaters served: 108
5. Rubber Ducks
Okay, these have to be the least cost-efficient option on this list, but I couldn’t help myself. Rubber ducks are a great alternative to Halloween candy. Honestly, they’re about the same cost as regular Halloween candy. I’d mostly suggest rubber ducks if you’re a house that doesn’t get more than 50 or fewer trick-or-treaters on average.
On average, for most bulk packs of rubber ducks, you’re going to spend about $0.30 - $0.46 per duck. So, are rubber ducks affordable alternatives to Halloween candy? No. But they are fun alternatives.
6. Glow Sticks
Not only do glow sticks make everybody happy, but they also work as safety gear for adults to keep track of their kids while walking in the dark! It’s honestly a win-win.
You can give out one glow stick for a bracelet, two sticks for two bracelets or a necklace, or three for a larger necklace.
These100-count glow sticks are a great option from Amazon.
Price: $8.99
Price per unit: $0.09 roughly
Trick-or-Treaters served: depends on how many you give out per kid (anywhere from 33 to 100 kids).
Or, depending on your needs, you could opt for a larger pack, such as these 300-count glow sticks.
Price: $13.99
Price per unit: $0.05 roughly
7. Bookmarks
Lastly, bookmarks! And these bookmarks are actually rulers, too! They’d be great to pair with some stickers and/or pencils if you’re looking to make a cute little treat bag to give out.
Price: $12.99
Price per unit: $0.09
Trick-or-treaters served: 144
Making up a Treat Bag
Okay, okay, so some of these ideas by themselves seem a little cheap to some people. While you’re not required to even offer goodies to trick-or-treaters at all, it’s a great way to give a little kindness back to the world.
Instead of just handing out stickers or pencils, you could pair them together to make affordable treat bags!
So, let’s do a little estimating. Let’s say you get around 200 trick-or-treaters every year.
If you put together a treat bag with:
Stickers ($7.99 + $3.99)
Glow sticks ($13.99)
You would spend: $25.97. Dividing that price by 200 kids means you’ll spend around $0.13 per child.
Final Thoughts on Affordable Halloween Candy Alternative
Buying affordable Halloween candy alternatives means you’re saving money while being the cool house that gives out more than just tootsie rolls and bubble gum. It also makes you more inclusive to kids who can’t have all the candy.
I’m not suggesting you completely forgo traditional Halloween candy, though. If you want to give that out, you can use the tips of figuring out price-per-unit to help you save money still on cheap candy! Here’s a few tips and things to look at for cheap Halloween candy:
Buying bulk candy from places like Sam’s Club or Costco will get you more affordable candy.
At Oriental Trading, you can get a pack of 290 pc candy on sale right now for $37.98.That price makes the candy $0.13 per piece, so if you give out one piece per kid, that’s 290 kids for $0.13 per child.
Amazon has a pack of 275 Hershey Miniatures for $31.99, making it $0.11 per piece. And it ships with a cool pack to make sure the candy doesn’t melt!
Whatever you do, I hope this article has helped inspire you! Happy Halloween!
