Okay, so you're just weeks away from hosting the candy buffet of your dreams. You've got eight pounds of M&Ms, an ocean's worth of Swedish fish and a custom-made cake with your cat's face on it. The only problem is you don't have anything to put it in. Unless you want your guests lapping chocolate out of Mittens' water bowl, you're going to need to get your hands on some cheap candy buffet jars.

Now, we know what you're thinking. "Cheap candy buffet jars!? There's no such thing!"_x009d_

Au contraire, notre frare. Not only do affordable jars for candy buffets exist, they exist in mass quantities. You could even go out and score some for yourself this very minute if you wanted to. You just need to think outside the box – or apothecary jar, whatever. Here are a few places you should look.

1. eBay

Think of eBay as the world's finest thrift shop. At this online bazaar you can find all sorts of previously-loved goods from people all over the world – including apothecary jars and the ilk. Among the site's millions of listings you're guaranteed to find a few dozen sets of vintage apothecary jars that have been given a second shot at life for a 50% discount. No lie, we've seen five-piece jar sets that retailed for $100+ go for less than $40. That oughta hold your bulk candy bars. Now, the only catch here is that eBay is an auction, so you're going to have to outbid a few other hopefuls to steal those coveted vessels. But that's why you have a high-speed internet connection, right?

2. Save on Crafts

If you're in the mood to save on crafts, you need look no further than Save-on-Crafts.com. While the discounts here aren't amazing, Save on Crafts has a wider selection of cheap candy buffet jars than most budget glass peddlers. You can find apothecary jars, bell jars, fancy-pants contemporary jars and even candy scoops here for about 40% off of retail.

3. Thrift Stores

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thrift stores are a great place to find apothecary jars for dirt cheap. We've seen oversized display jars with lids going for as low as $5, which is affordable no matter how puny your budget is. The only problem with thrift stores is that their inventory is constantly changing, so you won't know what's in stock until you walk in the door. Also, don't expect to find a full set of matching jars at any one store. You will probably have to visit several different shops across a couple of weekends in order to assemble your bargain bin franken-set. But like our mama said, candy buffet jars don't have to be homogenous to be beautiful. She was always kind of weird like that…

4. Specialty Bottle

Specialty Bottle is an online store. They sell specialty bottles. Many of these specialty bottles are sold for around a dollar per unit. What's the catch? The catch is that Specialty Bottle requires a minimum order of one case (12 units) to process a sale. So if you need a dozen or so small-to-medium jars to complement your centerpieces, this is the place to be. In fact, even if you don't need that many jars this is still the place to be. Think about it this way – three small jars from Michael's or Hobby Lobby would cost you about $15. You could get a dozen of the same products for $12 from Specialty Bottle. That sounds like an investment from where we're sitting.

5. Vases

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Take out the flowers and pour in some candy and you'd never be able tell the difference between a glass vase and a purpose-made candy buffet jar. However, you will definitely notice the difference at the register. You can find glass vases on sale all the time at dollar stores, thrift stores and even big-box stores like Wal-Mart. Look around and see if you can't score some deals for your buffet.

6. Relatives

Brenda will never forgive you for beating her in arm wrestling. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

You may hate your cousin Brenda, but you can't hate the fact that she has a bunch of apothecary jars sitting in her basement from her wedding. Make nice with Brenda and ask to borrow her glassware. Not only will you score a set of free jars for your candy buffet, you'll also take a big step toward repairing your relationship with Brenda's family. Just don't break anything or she'll block you on Facebook again.

7. Container & Packaging Supply

This is another wholesale glass jar vendor. Like Specialty Bottle, Container & Packaging Supply sells cases of different jars for super cheap. However, the fact that they don't have "Specialty"_x009d_ in their name makes us sad inside. The great deals they offer on glass bottles makes up for that though.

Don't Smash Your Wallet for Glass

Don't let a bunch of candy buffet jars jar your checking account. Get glass for cheap by checking out one of these awesome sources. Whether you choose to deal with eBay or your cousin Brenda, they should all be able to help you score some awesome candy buffet glassware for less.

And of course, you know where to buy the candy in bulk, don't you? Of course you do. :)

Let us know what cool jars you scored in the comments section below! And stop by next week for even more awesome candy tips, tricks and recipes from the self-appointed best in the business.

Take Care,

The CandyStore.com Team