From the drug store to the grocery store and even the discount store, we hit the stores with a savvy shopper and found the sweetest way to save is one-stop shopping.
The selection of Halloween candy can be an overwhelming and downright scary experience. You have chocolate, chewy, crispy and every other confection you can think of on the shelves. And then you have to figure out what's the best bargain!
To clear up the candy confusion, we turned to Paul Ivanosky. With seven kids, he knows about saving on sweets.
First things first, he says chocolate is always going to be more expensive. So if you're trying to save big, skip it.
Next, calculate the price per ounce. Paul says a good deal on chocolate is no more than 25 cents per ounce.
"When you are dealing with non-chocolate candy -- you are talking about Skittles, your Starburst -- you should be able to get those for 15 cents or less per ounce," he said.
If the price per ounce is not written on the price tag, use a calculator.
"It's got the number of ounces on the bag and you know the price. You take the price and you divide it by the number of ounces," Paul explained.
That will give you the price per ounce. It will also help you determine if the bigger so called value bags are a better bargain. Take for example a big bag of Reeses candy for $8.88. By using our calculator, we found it's cheaper to buy three smaller bags at a cost that works out to 25 cents per ounce, versus the value bag for 32 cents an ounce.
Paul said, "Bigger is not always better. In some cases it does work out, but not in this candy."
To save even more money, price match. At Walmart you can price match with stores in our area. In the Walgreens ad we noticed a big bag of candy on sale for $7.99.
"Walmart will price match that, it's in print," Paul said. "They give a specific price, and they give specific ounces and brands."
By price matching at Walmart we saved almost six bucks on a single bag of candy.
If you want to get the best deals on candy and want to price match, Paul Ivanovsky does the work for you on his blog called IHeartTheMart.com.
