Issue 8 · Thursday, October 29 · 5 min read

Halloween candy costs more this year. How to find the real deal

Plus: why Oracle's stock jumped 10.7%, and the Fed holds rates steady.

Class mode Worksheet Share to Classroom

For teachers: teach it in 5 minutes

1 min. Warm-up: ask “What will you do for Halloween this weekend?” and take a show of hands.
2 min. Open class mode and go through the top story and the money lesson.
1 min. Guess the number: everyone guesses out loud, then reveal.
1 min. Pop quiz or the discussion question, then hand out the worksheet.

NC Economics and Personal Finance

EPF.MCM.1.1 Creating and managing a spending plan
EPF.E.2.1 Macroeconomic indicators and the business cycle

Words to know

Unit price: The price of one item, one piece or one ounce, found by dividing the total price by the amount.
Inflation: A general rise in prices over time, so the same money buys less.
Revenue: The money a company brings in from sales before it pays its costs.

Open class mode Print the worksheet Share to Classroom

Warm-up

What will you do for Halloween this weekend?

Trick-or-treat
Hand out candy
Go to a party or event
None of these

Top story

Halloween is Saturday, and the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects Americans to spend about $13.5 billion on it. About $4.1 billion of that is candy, and 96% of shoppers plan to buy some. The NRF also found that 79% of shoppers expect Halloween prices to be higher this year because of tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods.

One news report priced a 100-piece bag of candy at $16.96, up 3.5% from last year. That is inflation: the same thing costs more than it did before. If you are buying candy for a party, or handing it out, the price on the front of the bag does not tell you the whole story. What matters is the price for each piece.

Why it matters to you: Candy, costumes and snacks for a party come out of your own pocket or your family's. Comparing the price per piece takes ten seconds and can save real money.

Your money

Compare candy by price per piece

A bigger bag with a bigger price tag is not always a worse deal. To compare, find the unit price: the cost of one piece, one ounce or one item. Divide the total price by the number of pieces.

A 100-piece bag at $16.96 costs $16.96 ÷ 100 = about $0.17, or 17 cents, a piece. A 60-piece bag at $12 costs $12 ÷ 60 = $0.20, or 20 cents, a piece. The cheaper bag costs less, but the bigger bag is the better deal per piece.

Unit price only helps if you need that many pieces. A deal on 100 pieces is no bargain if you only need 30. Pick the amount you need first, then compare unit prices.

Guess the number

A 100-piece bag of Halloween candy costs $16.96. About how much is that for each piece?

Make a guess, then show the answer

about 17 cents

$16.96 ÷ 100 = $0.1696, which rounds to about 17 cents a piece.

Stock of the day

Oracle ORCL +10.7%

Oracle's stock rose 10.7% on Wednesday, closing at $144.54. At an investor day, the company said it expects at least $225 billion in revenue in its 2030 fiscal year and plans to limit new fundraising to $20 billion. Revenue is the money a company brings in from sales, before it pays its costs. Investors had worried that Oracle was borrowing heavily to build AI computer centers, and CNBC reports the new plan eased those debt concerns.

Pop quiz

Which candy deal is cheapest per piece?

Class discussion

When prices go up on something you buy every year, what do you cut first: how much you buy, the brand, or something else? Why?

Last bell

Spider-Man leads kids' Halloween costumes

The NRF expects Americans to spend about $4.4 billion on costumes this year. Among children, Spider-Man leads the list with about 4.6 million kids dressing up as him, followed by superheroes at 2.3 million and princesses at 2.2 million. Pet costumes add about $920 million.

Markets in 10 seconds

S&P 500	7,743.98	+0.28%
Nasdaq	26,549.85	+0.27%
Dow	52,475.10	+0.19%
10-year Treasury yield	5.05%	+0.05 pts
Oil (WTI)	about $100	+2.9%

Play today’s money word

Sources