Parents everywhere are shopping for Halloween candy this week.
If you haven't bought yours yet, however, be prepared for some spooky prices.
Shoppers we spoke with say they never remember it being this pricey.
"Like everything, costs keep going up and you have to make decisions on what to buy, and maybe not give as much as you normally would," one woman told us.
Candy prices are up 13 percent this Halloween, according to the government's latest CPI report, as a result of higher sugar, flour, and shipping costs.
But in an attempt to keep those prices down, the biggest mistake many people make is just buying the cheapest bags they can find.
For instance, many stores are selling 10-ounce bags of small candy for $3.99 each, but you may barely get 20 pieces in those bags.
Larger bags tend to be a better value, even if you have to pay $10 to $15 per bag.
We check the stores
We went to several Northern Kentucky stores, and looked online, for candy deals.
Target had a decent sale on those 10 ounce small bags of Hershey and Mars candy, where if you buy 3 you get them for $10, saving 66 cents each.
Kroger had a sale price of $9.99 for larger, 26 ounce bags, slightly better than Target's unit price.
Walgreens, however, had some even better deals.
The small bags of Hershey and Mars candy were priced at $4.99 -- a dollar more than Target -- but you get the second bag at 40 percent off, or $2.60 for the second bag.
Walgreens also had a BOGO on less popular brands of candy, like Brach's, where if you buy one bag you get the second brand free.
Amazon had some decent deals online, such as $19 for a 2-pound bag (32 ounces) of Snickers fun sized bars.
But Walmart checked in with the lowest prices we found in our search: $16.98 online for a giant 61 ounce bag of M&M's, with 160 pieces of Milky Ways, Snickers, and more. That beat every other price we found.
Walmart also won a recent price comparison by Business Insider.
Some cautions: This was not a scientific comparison of all brands and prices. Also, you may not find online prices in stores, and remember sales are changing daily right now.
So this weekend you may find a better deal at Kroger or Target, for instance, than we did during our check.
So what we found may not be available in your local store.
Finally, don't worry if you need to rush out on Halloween day to buy candy. While the selection may not be the best, stores often slash prices on Halloween to clear the shelves, so you don't waste your money.
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