Do You Have Too Much Leftover Halloween Candy?
We’ve all seen the pictures on social media. All our kiddos laying in piles of candy, sorting out their faves. My kids had to count their’s for “homework”- over 200 pieces each! So what do you DO with all that candy? (Especially since moms and dads don’t want to end up eating too much either). So here are my ideas on What to DO with Leftover Halloween Candy.
Keep It
Let kids be kids- Let them eat the candy! We always let them sort out their favorite pieces (and they choose some for us and Poby, my dad, too.) And honestly after a couple days of binging, they kind of lose interest. But it’s still fun to have some pieces to surprise in lunches and just indulge the sweet tooth.
Eat It
Obviously these treats are great right out of the wrapper. But consider keeping some Halloween candy to use in recipes. Plain Hershey’s bars can be chopped up and added to brownies and chocolate chip cookies, or M&M’s work great too. But even further than that, create your own dessert ideas by throwing in those candy bars. For instance, how about Extra Caramel Snickers Dip or No Bake S’mores Bars. I saved out two of my faves: Butterfingers and Reese Cup- and I can’t wait to create something with them.
Donate It
After the kid’s pick out what they are keeping, we donate quite a bit! The next sort is for “hard candies“- things like lollipops, Starbursts, Sweet Tarts and Twizzlers. These candies go in a ziploc and head right into our Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes (yes you can send candy- just no chocolate, or out of date). Well, boo! after years of being able to send hard candies in shoeboxes, they are no longer allowed due to increasing customs restrictions. 🙁 My Father In Law owns a Heating and Cooling company. We also always fill a bag up to give to his workers. They love it! I am sure if you ask around your town, you can find places to donate too like to troops or food pantries.
Trade It
Some Dentists offices offer a “trade-in” program for candy after Halloween. I heard one practice in town that gives kids $1 per pound- what kid wouldn’t love that!? Hubs also heard on the radio this week that Giant Eagle was offering $1 off your total purchase per pound. And then they are going to donate the candy to troops serving overseas (that’s kind of a two-fer). You can also visit the Halloween Candy Buyback page to see if there are any locations in your area. In the past some restaurants have offered a candy trade-in- so keep your eye out for those deals too.
Switch It
Have you heard of the “Switch Witch”? My neighbors do this with their kiddos. One night, after a few days of indulging- the kids bag up their candy. Then the next morning they wake up to a new toy, game or book. The “Switch Witch” comes and leaves the item and takes the candy. Then you (aka- the switch witch) can trade or give the candy away too.
Stocking Stuff It
And finally… Yes I went there! I always “steal” out some pieces to use in stockings at Christmas. The kids never notice (I obviously don’t use the ones with pumpkins on the wrappers). This way I don’t have to buy candy. In my opinion, it’s frugal common sense!
So what do you do with all the Halloween Candy in your house?
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