BALTIMORE — There are Halloween movies and haunted houses, but something else giving consumers a scare is how much it costs to join in on the spooky celebration.
LendEDU surveyed 1,000 people and found they'll spend on average $162.29 this holiday shelling out the most on costumes ($60.05), followed by candy ($55.18), and then decorations ($47.06).
Spending is slightly down from last year, but LendEDU's Mike Brown looked at more ways to save money.
"So we actually price compared 20 identical Halloween items found on both Amazon.com and Walmart.com," Brown said.
They compared 10 candy items, five costumes, five decorations, and a winner emerged.
"In all three categories, Amazon was cheaper than Walmart," Brown said.
The Halloween items on Amazon were 15.45 percent cheaper overall than the exact same items on Walmart.
Despite the clear savings, more shoppers go to Walmart
"Sixty percent said Walmart and only 24 percent said Amazon," said Brown.
His advice is to price compare. Check out multiple sites and what they're offering or opt to DIY (do-it-yourself) instead of buy.
"Try doing some stuff yourself whether it be making costumes yourself or making decorations yourself," said Brown.
LendEDU didn't factor in shipping or Amazon Prime costs.
Some other tips on saving on candy include looking for sales, buying in bulk, or opting to give out small toys instead of treats.
You can buy 156 little Halloween toys on Amazon for $21.95 or around $0.14 a piece.
You can also get 315 pieces of Hershey's candy at Walmart for $19.54, which is roughly $0.06 per candy. And you still get the good stuff like Reese's, KITKAT bars, and Twizzlers.
Experts say the longer you wait to buy candy, the better the prices. Also, keep an eye out for in-store sales on decorations right before Halloween and immediately after.
For more tips on finding cheap candy, click here.