I know people who don't participate in trick-or-treat night because they think they can't afford it. With some planning and creativity, everyone can have the joy of a little princess or a ninja or a tiny dragon knocking on the door.
Dawn Marron, Esq.
One member of our Facebook group CouponinginCentralPA wrote, "I have a limit of 10 cents per kiddo for trick or treat night." Do you have a limit, or do you just blindly buy bags of candy and get to it?
I always look for summer clearance items - this year I found bubbles, tiny toys and orange pinwheels all under 10 cents apiece. I found full-size candy bars in the clearance section of Rite Aid well within expiration dates. If you frequent the yard sales, look for small toys and trinkets (not plush for sanitary reasons), and tell the seller what your plan is. I bet you get a discount.
Pencils, crayons and erasers from the back-to-school sales are also good treats. When I put them out with candy, they always go first, possibly because they are different from my neighbors' offerings.
Use coupons for all the major candy manufacturers, pair them with a sale and a rebate, and you can rest easy. I have a coupon for $2 off three Mars bags I'm going to use, probably stacked with a sale at CVS and a $5 off $25 coupon.
Decorate with coupons from AC Moore and Michael's to get the best prices. Or even better, use what you have around the house and get in the bargain spirit.
Day of the Dead
The Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, celebration this year is Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, technically more than one day. It overlaps Halloween and All Saint's day. This Mexican tradition of prayer and remembrance of the deceased is festive and not morbid.
My stepmother from Monterrey, Mexico, showed me how to honor the deceased with an altar and their favorite foods. You bet we used coupons!
Sugar skulls are an easy treat to make. I make it sweeter with a coupon for Domino sugar.
- Spooky history packed into Pennsylvania mansion: Ghoul Spaces
Death savings?
Speaking of the dead, what better time to talk about end-of-life documents? As you remember the passing of your loved ones, think about how you can leave things in better shape for your heirs.
My father, rest his soul, didn't plan well at all. He lied to me, saying it was all taken care of by his lawyer. Nope. When he passed, he left me and my brother from his first marriage, four kids from his second, and a widow and stepdaughter from his third.
He had been caring for his mother who had dementia, and he didn't leave any of her account passwords or information about her estate planning.
Did I mention the third wife was from Mexico and he hadn't finished her citizenship papers? And that the kids from the second wife wanted to enforce the will from that marriage when no will could be found of the third wife? One of those kids was under 18 with no designated guardian? Oh, yes, it was a mess.
Trust me when I tell you it is less expensive to have a lawyer draft an estate package for you than to let the state and federal government defaults take care of it for you. Get a will, a living will (advanced directive), a medical power of attorney, and a general power of attorney. Don't wait.
The federal government is tinkering with the elimination of the estate tax or "death tax" with a top rate of 40 percent. This change will help the person who can leave behind over $5.49 million.
In Pennsylvania, we will still have the state tax. Your kids and grandkids will pay 4.5 percent, your siblings pay 12 percent and others will get socked with 15 percent (with a few exceptions).
Remember, too, that if you are expecting to go into a nursing home, you can't just give your assets to your heirs right before you go in and expect the government to pay your bills through Medicaid. We have a five year look-back period in Pennsylvania, meaning all the assets you dumped at the last minute will still be counted as your assets, leaving you in a bad situation. Talk to an attorney well versed in elder care law to get the best planning advice.
I don't have any coupons for lawyers, but the strangest coupon I ever found was for $500 off funeral pre-planning. And, yes, it did have an expiration date.
DAWN MARRON is a lawyer and self-proclaimed crazy couponer. Reach her at CouponerDawn@gmail.com