Save Money on Sweetsby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 03 Aug 2008 04:32 PM
Of course too much sugar is not good for you. I know this. And, although I try to watch my sugar consumption and the number of bad carbohydrates I eat, I confess that I want a little something sweet each day. And of course, the rest of the family does too. Sweets and snacks are notorious for being expensive. They aren't something that is a requirement for living, and are in fact a sort of luxury item. But there are ways to have those sweets and still save money. Here are some of my personal ideas. If you are in the mood for chocolate, skip the candy aisle and go for the baking aisle. Very often you can find large bags of chocolate chips that can serve the extra purpose of being a snack, but for less cost per ounce. There are semi sweet chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and more. Make your own sweets yourself from scratch. While I have never felt confident to try making fudge, other items take little time to prepare. Cupcakes, muffins, cookies, fruit cobblers, granola, and even frosting are all quite easy to make. You can make the sweets healthier and for less expense. Check out the after-season clearance. Candy seems to be a part of many holidays. After Christmas one year, I picked up 10-packs of full-size candy bars for only $1 for each pack. I used them as movie candy. Most candy can freeze nicely, so if you find a bargain, you can stock up. Buy generic versions of sweet snacks. There is so much variety and quality out there today, and you'll often find that generic snacks cost less than the name brand ones. Check out my recent post: The Change in Generic Food May Help You Save. Buy in bulk. Look to warehouse stores and even Amazon.com to buy larger boxes of sweets (as long as you don't eat them faster because you have more). Granola bars are pretty inexpensive this way, for example. Stay away from individual packages of anything, unless they are on a special clearance deal. Sweets for the sweet! Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Related Posts: Frugal Food: Make Some Muffins Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  deedee1231 (4030) 04 Aug 2008 10:32 AMWe love snacking on chocolate chips! I have these tiny little espresso cups that I fill with chocolate chips and give one to each child. Tashi (1013) 04 Aug 2008 05:02 PMFor my office, I go to either Target or Sam's Club to buy peanut M&Ms (a huge fave), the largest bags (45 ozs @ Tarzhay-boutique, 56 ozs @ Sam's). People chip in, so it's not all from my budget. My co-workers really have sweet teeth! I think it may also be partly a comfort, as some days can be more stressful than others. I try to limit my own consumption to occasional small indulgences.  Mary Ann Romans |
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