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4 Halloween Cupcake Cup Crafts {On a Dollar Store Budget}

by Dana Zeliff on September 4, 20152015-09-04
in Crafts

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Halloween Cupcake Cup Crafts:: PIN THIS ::

Everyone loves a great dollar store deal. Right now at your local Dollar Tree you can find Halloween themed cupcake cups in all sorts of colors and sizes. While your first thought may be to whip up a batch of cupcakes in these nifty little paper cups, there are so many more fun things you can do with them!

Take a look below at four fun Halloween Cupcake Cup Crafts you can make using cupcake cups and just a few other common household supplies. Never has decorating for the Halloween season been this fun, frugal, or festive.

Now take a look and get ready to get crafting!

  1. Cutesy Cupcake Bunting Banner
  2. Charming Cupcake Party Lights
  3. Clever Cupcake Cup Owls
  4. Bootiful Cupcake Cup Straw Skirts

As you can see, when it comes to crafting with cupcake cups you are only limited by your own imagination. Hopefully these ideas have inspired you to try them on your own and see what other uses you can find for cupcake cups.

Either way, you are sure to have fun and even pinch a few pennies while you are at it. Give these simple Halloween cupcake cup crafts a try and see what sorts of haunting treats you can come up with. Happy crafting!

Which is your favorite of the Halloween Cupcake Cup Crafts?

Also see 4 Spooky Crafts for more creative Halloween fun made from Dollar Tree finds!

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Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: Dollar Store DIY, Halloween

Halloween Candy Buy Back Program

by Dana Zeliff on October 31, 20142014-10-31
in Earn Money

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

halloween candy buy back locations

Don’t want your child consuming all the candy they get today?  Take it to the dentist and your kids can earn cash for their candy!  The Halloween Candy Buy Back Program supports Operation Gratitude and sends the candy to deployed US Military forces.  Your child will earn up to $1 per pound and support our troops.  See a list of participating dentist here.

A list of location dentists are below:

Hampton

  • Dailey Orthodontics 2118 Executive Dr Hampton, VA, 23666
  • Kool Smiles 2165 Cunningham Dr. Hampton, VA, 23666

Newport News

  • John J Denison, DDS, PC 895 Middle Ground Blvd Newport News, VA, 23606

Norfolk

  • Kool Smiles 5900 E. Virginia Beach Blvd. Norfolk, VA, 23502
  • Kool Smiles 2338 East Little Creek Rd. Norfolk, VA, 23518

Portsmouth

  • Kool Smiles 4072 Victory Blvd. Portsmouth, VA, 23701
  • Weis Pediatric Dentisty 5915 High Street West Portsmouth, VA, 23703

Virginia Beach

  • Bay Colony Dentistry Pinewood Square, Suite 506, 32nd Street & HollyRoad Virginia Beach, VA, 23451
  • Body Logic Massage and Chiropractic 2004 Sandbridge Rd #103 Virginia Beach, VA, 23456
  • Kool Smiles 4239 Holland Rd. VA Beach, VA, 23452
  • Partners in Dental Health 317 Edwin Drive Virginia Beach, VA, 23462
  • The Smile Center 200 Grayson Road Virginia Beach, VA, 23454

My kids dentist has been buying candy back for years, but they aren’t on this list.  Talk to your local dentist as well to see if they have a buy-back program.

Thanks, My Active Child for typing up the list of HR locations!

 

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Filed Under: Earn Money Tagged With: Halloween

Halloween 2014 Free Offers

by Dana Zeliff on October 31, 20142014-10-31
in Freebies

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

halloween candy

Halloween 2014 freebies

Take a look at all the great freebies you can get today – October 31st for Halloween!  Fill the kids up with free food before they get all that candy!

Arby’s – purchase any menu item on October 31st and simply say “Trick or Meat” and you’ll receive free side of bacon with your order.

Bass Pro Shops: FREE 4×6 Halloween photo between 5-8pm Friday or Noon-5pm Saturday and Sunday. More FREE kids events  from 4-8pm as well.

Boston Market: Free kid’s meal with the purchase of any regular meal with coupon.

Carraba’s Italian Grill: FREE kid’s meal with the purchase of adult entree.

Chipotle: Get a $3 burrito, bowl, salad, or order of tacos from 5 p.m. until close on October 31st when you dress in costume.

Friendly’s:  kids eat free when an adult entree is purchased on October 31st.

IHOP:  FREE Scary Pancakes for kids. All kids 12 and under will a free Scary Pancake on October 31st from 7 am to 10 pm.

Jamba Juice: From 2-7pm, kids can get a free smoothie.

Krispy Kreme– FREE Doughnut of your choice when you dress in costume. One doughnut per customer.

Olive Garden: FREE kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entree with coupon.

Outback Steakhouse–  FREE Kids Meal with each purchase of an adult entrée (limit 2 free Kids Meals per visit). Offer valid for kids ages 10 years and under.

Sonic:  Score 50-cent corn dogs all day – no coupon needed.

Sbarro: FREE slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza to kids in costume.

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Filed Under: Freebies Tagged With: Halloween

8 Fun Uses for Spider Rings

by Dana Zeliff on September 29, 20142014-09-29
in Frugal Living, Other Uses

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Uses for Spider Rings

{Pin It}

An inexpensive bag of spider rings can be used in many more ways than just their intended function. Try one or more of these 8 uses for spider rings to add a little fun to the Halloween season.

8 Fun Uses for Spider Rings:

 

1. Ice cube trays– Pop one in each cube, fill with water and freeze- the perfect touch for your Halloween party drinks.

Uses for spider rings 2

2. Necklace– String them on a cord or ribbon, just a few or all the way around they make a fun piece of jewelry besides a ring. Some rings go on all the way and will stay on just fine, if you have the ones that are split you may want to add a dab of hot glue to close the gap.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Frugal Living, Other Uses Tagged With: Halloween

Halloween Freebies and Offers

by Dana Zeliff on October 31, 20132013-10-31
in Store Deals

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

IMG_0915

Below are the Halloween offers for today to feed your little ghost or ghoblin for less:

  • Carrabbas – $5 Jack O Lantern Pizzas
  • Chipotle – $3 Booritos
  • Food Lion – FREE cupcake to any child that comes into a store dressed up as a lion (ages 12 and under)
  • IHOP – Free Scary Pancakes
  • Jamba Juice – FREE Kids Smoothie from 2 pm to 7 pm (ages 8 and under)
  • Krispy Kreme – Free Doughnut
  • Olive Garden –  Free Kids meal wyb adult entree (email subscription required)
  • Outback – Free Kids Meal wyb and adult entree
  • Papa John’s –  Get a Pepperoni Packed Jack-O-Lantern Pizza for $12. From Oct. 30-Oct. 31.
  • PF Chang’s – Save 20% when you order online through October 31, 2013. Enter TREAT in the promotion code field during checkout to receive the discount
  • Red Lobster: FREE Kids meal
  • Sonic –  $0.50 Corn Dogs for everyone

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Filed Under: Store Deals Tagged With: Halloween

Halloween Candy Round-up 10/27

by Dana Zeliff on October 29, 20132013-10-29
in Store Deals

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Halloween Candy Deals

Thanks to Cincy Shopper for providing our weekly Halloween Candy Deal Round-up!

[%printable-list:candydeals10272013%]

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Filed Under: Store Deals Tagged With: Halloween

Fall Favorite: Candy Corn Cookies Recipe

by Dana Zeliff on October 28, 20132013-10-28
in Candy Corn, Recipes

Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link.

Candy Corn Cookies Recipe

I posted this picture to my Facebook wall on Saturday – I was baking cookies for a party at my twin sister’s house later that evening and these were the requested treat. I only make them in the Fall, and we just dream about them during the rest of the year.

While they are a little bit time intensive, they are SO worth every minute spent in the kitchen. They taste as cute at they look! I usually make a double batch. This year I am bringing some to our little family Halloween party on Thursday, too 🙂

Candy Corn Cookies Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 pound salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Almond bark or candy quick
Yellow and red food coloring

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix together the butter and granulated and powdered sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.

3. Separate the dough into three equal sized balls. Carefully add food coloring to make one ball yellow and one ball orange.

4. Then, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Press the yellow ball of dough into the bottom, making it about 1/2″-3/4″ thick. It may not fill the entire bottom of the pan, thats OK. Then, layer the orange ball of dough over the yellow one, pressing it flat. Finally, layer the white ball on top. Press it in firmly to avoid air pockets.

5. Put the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes to cool down.

6. When the dough is firm, dump the tri-colored block onto a cutting board and use a knife to cut it into 1/4″ slices. Then, cut the slices into triangles. I find that I can get five “candy corns” out of each slice. There will be wonky shaped candy corns, and a few that will fall apart, but bake them up anyways. They still taste great!

Cutting-Candy-CornsPhoto courtesy of Our Best Bites

7. Place the triangle cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. I watch my cookies VERY carefully, so the white/yellow tips don’t start to brown. Nobody likes burned candy corn! Allow to cool to room temperature.

8. While the cookies are cooling, melt almond bark in a microwave safe bowl. Start by using 30 second increments and checking each time, you don’t want it to overheat.

9. Dip the white end of the cookies into the melted candy quick. I stand my cookies very carefully in a wire baking rack, with the dipped end pointing up until they are set (like the picture at the top), usually about 15-20 minutes. (Some will have white tips, like real candy corn, and some will have white bases – its just how they come out. Honestly, the white base means more candy quick, so they usually get eaten first)

10. The last direction is this: DO NOT EAT THEM ALL AT ONCE! They are that good. Especially with coffee 😀

You can use any shortbread cookie recipe you want – I use a modified version of Ina Garten’s Shortbread Cookies:

Like I mentioned, they are a little labor intensive, but so worth the results. You can also refrigerate the dough for up to a week, so you could mix up a batch and press it into the pan one evening, and then cut/bake/dip your cookies on another night.

Happy Fall & enjoy this Candy Corn Cookies Recipe!

You might also like this Thrifty Thanksgiving Candy Corn Ornament

2 comments

Filed Under: Candy Corn, Recipes Tagged With: Halloween


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About The Coupon Challenge

Hi! I'm Dana, the writer behind the scenes of The Coupon Challenge, a Hampton Roads, VA based coupon blog. I'm a wife and mother of 2. After getting out of debt we started using our savings to travel together as a family and create memories.

Are you looking for ways to save your family money? I strive to help you save on the products you need, so you can spend more on the things you want. Read More about Dana & Family

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