Best Halloween Candy Price? Check Package Weight!

October 27, 2024

It’s already time to stock up on Halloween candy! But how do you know you’re getting the best deal? There’s a bewildering assortment of brands, package sizes, and prices. Those big Halloween candy bags boast about how many pieces they contain. You’ll see this information displayed prominently on the front of the package: “55 PIECES”, “200 PIECES”, “250 PIECES”, and so on. Dividing the selling price by the number of pieces will give you the cost per piece of Halloween candy. But the size of the pieces varies greatly. Some are mini-size or fun-size bars while others are only bite-sized. How do you determine the best sale price for bags of Halloween candy? Simple. CHECK THE WEIGHT!

By law, all solid food items sold in the U.S. must contain the net weight near the bottom front of the package. This is the only true measure of how much product you are receiving. Do the math. Divide the price by the weight indicated on the package. Move the decimal point 2 places to the right if you’re using a dollars and cents amount as the price ($9.88, for example.) This gives your cost in cents per ounce of Halloween candy. Now, you can compare different sized bags of the same candy and find the best value. This works whether you’re comparing bags from the same store or competing stores.

How much should you pay? For many years, my recommendation was 20 cents per ounce for the popular assortments. Due to food price inflation, I have increased this to 25 cents per ounce. This includes Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Kit Kat, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Twix, M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Almond Joy, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Skittles, Starburst, Heath, and Milk Duds. You’ll have to hunt around to meet the 25 cents per ounce price point, but it’s out there. Good sources of cheap Halloween candy include Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Kmart, RiteAid, CVS, Sam’s Club, Costco, Kroger, Cub Foods, King Soopers, and Osco/Jewel.

The absolute BEST Halloween candy deals are found on November 1st. That’s when the half price clearance begins at most stores! But who wants to wait that long? Remember to check the weight, do the math, and shoot for a per-ounce cost of around 25 cents. It’s not the size that counts. It’s the weight of the bag that matters.

Eat FREE Sam’s Club Weekend Food Samples

October 27, 2024

Sam’s Club is a great place to stock up on large quantities of the stuff you use every day. Most of us know that Sam’s Club is also a great source of FREE FOOD! What? You didn’t know about the free samples at Sam’s?

Sam’s Club regularly offers free samples of promotional grocery items which are being sold in the stores. The hope is that you will like what you taste enough to buy some product. Usually, the items being displayed by vendors are being sold at a special sale price. Free food samples can be found most anytime at Sam’s. However, they are most numerous on Saturday and Sunday mornings. These are peak shopping times, so it makes sense this is where we would find the best offerings.

What kind of free eats can be found at Sam’s? Last time I was there, I enjoyed all of the following: pulled pork, pot stickers, turkey bacon, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, soup & crackers, sushi, cinnamon rolls, Hershey kisses, hot dogs, popcorn, cheese corn, and caramel corn! Yes, these are only sample sizes. But if you take some time and sample everything, you can easily make a lunch out of it. Truth be told, I come for this practically every weekend. Why? Because I’m a cheapskate! The only thing better than cheap food deals is FREE food!

Items to be sampled change daily, so you never know for sure what you’re going to find. But that’s what makes it interesting. If you’re not doing anything for lunch this weekend, head to Sam’s Club and check out the free food samples!

Papa John’s $9.99 Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Pizza

October 26, 2024

Papa John’s Pizza is getting in on the fun this year with Jack-O-Lantern pizzas! Because they don’t want to smash your pumpkin, this pepperoni masterpiece arrives uncut. It’s a Halloween treat the entire family can enjoy. Best of all, a large thin crust Papa John’s Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Pizza is just $9.99 in most markets. Same price as last year! Your kids will love Papa John’s Jack-O-Lantern Pizza. They’re perfect for Halloween gatherings, spooky events, and late October pizza parties.

Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Pizzas available through Thursday, October 31, 2024 at participating locations. Price may vary by location. Not valid in conjunction with any other coupon or special promotional discount. Most Papa John’s Pizza restaurants will be open holiday hours on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 28.)

Old Town Kissimmee Florida Saturday Night Cruise

October 26, 2024

I love Old Town!  I once worked there, back when they owned radio station WOTS.  The call letters stood for Wonderful Old Town Sound.  Your author hosted the 6-10PM show before a live audience consisting of people from all over the world. It was one of the best times I ever had working in radio!  After the station was sold and we all lost our jobs, I continued to visit on a regular basis.  The car cruises, rides, food, and fun brought me back again and again.  Best of all, both admission and parking are FREE.  Because of this, Old Town has earned the SSD seal of approval!

The Saturday Night Cruise is one of the largest weekly car cruises in the United States.  Operating since 1990, they average 300 cars per week, all classics from 1985 and before.  Cars start arriving at 1:00PM with the cruise beginning promptly at 8:30PM.  Live music on the Saloonatix stage starts at 7:00PM.

The Friday Night Cruise was added in 1998.  Today, it is known as the Friday Muscle Car Show & Cruise. This cruise consists of show-quality muscle and factory-performance cars from 1964 and newer, plus classics from 1985 and before. On Friday, the cars start arriving at 3:00PM with the cruise starting promptly at 8:30PM.

Don’t forget the Wednesday Night Themed Car Show, beginning at 5:00PM. This one features show-quality specific types, models or makes of cars and trucks which change every week. As long as you own that type of vehicle, you can be a part of the show. It’s free to participate or attend. Live music on the main stage starts at 6:00PM.

Several rides, restaurants, bars, and specialty shops round out the Old Town experience.  For complete information, check out their official website.

Here’s an audio clip of WOTS, recorded directly off the air in October, 1996.  I am the main DJ/announcer.  A couple of our in-house promotional commercials for Old Town are also included:

“AM-1220, live from the streets of Old Town!”

Whether you live in Central Florida or are vacationing in the Orlando area, be sure to check out Old Town.  The complex is located just a few miles east of Walt Disney World on U.S. Highway 192 in Kissimmee.  It’s a great experience for the entire family at a price everyone can afford!

Red Lobster $15 Fish & Chips Friday

October 26, 2024

INFLATION ALERT: The price of this Red Lobster Friday promotion has recently increased from $14.00 to $15.00 at most locations.

Friday is now Fish & Chips Friday at Red Lobster! Enjoy hand-battered, wild-caught cod served with tartar sauce, fries, and coleslaw every Friday for just $15.00. At this price, you can afford to bring the entire family or treat a group of close personal friends. Don’t miss Fish Fry Friday at Red Lobster!

$15 Fish Fry Friday is just one of Red Lobster’s Daily Deals. If you can’t make it on Friday, come when you can and enjoy another of their daily promotional offers:

– $25.00 Ultimate Endless Shrimp Monday
– $20.00 Crab Your Way Tuesday
– $25.00 Steak & Lobster Wednesday
– $20.00 Lobster & Shrimp Scampi Thursday

$15 Fish & Chips Friday available for Dine-in or To Go every Friday for a limited time at participating locations. Not available in Guam, Canada, or during select holidays. Prices higher in California, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and in select locations in Arizona, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, and New York. Most Red Lobster restaurants will be open holiday hours on Columbus Day (Monday, October 14.)