Halloween candy!

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lightenup2016
lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
edited October 2016 in Food and Nutrition
I'm already thinking ahead...in years past I've bought some of my own favorites to give out to trick-or-treaters. But guess what happens to the leftovers (or heck, who's reaching into the bowl while it's by the door)??

So this year I'm determined to hand out pretzels (which I don't like) or some kind of candy I don't like. But I don't want to give out complete crap, either!

What are you going to hand out this year?

I will still have to deal with my kids' huge buckets of loot. We pay them to give us the artificially colored/flavored stuff so they won't eat as much of it, but what's left is the chocolate treats I love---ugh!!

ETA--I don't deprive myself of treats, and I'm fine fitting one here and there into my calorie limit. But a few buckets of snickers, pb cups, etc? A few of these treats can definitely make me go over!
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Replies

  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I hand out stuff I like but it's not really a problem for me since 1) we get a lot of trick or treaters so there's not usually much left over and 2) I have a husband and an adult son living at home who "help". My mom, on the other hand, always makes sure to get something she doesn't really like or want. Many years it's been regular lollipops or Tootsie Pops. Last year she did pretzels that were in Halloween wrappers from Costco.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    We don't stay home to handout candy...our kids are young and we go out with them. I feel bad steeling my kids candy, so I don't do that.

    If we were passing out candy I'd do my best to estimate how much we'd actually need based on past experience or whatever...If I had a bunch of leftovers I'd just take them to work or something.
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
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    I'm not handing out anything, bah humbug. I live in a subdivision and people drive their kids in from the country -- if you give candy out, you have to buy enough for several hundred kids. I plan to hide in my house with the lights off until it's over like most of my neighbors. And if I bought candy, yes, I would eat half of it, another reason not to play.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    We dont participate anymore - our neighbourhood is pretty bereft of kids, and the ones that come seem to be bused in from other neighbourhoods!

    What about handing out pencils, or small erasers, or other little trinkets available from the dollar store? I bet lots of parents would appreciate not having so much candy around the house at the end of it all, just like you dont want it there!

    I would suggest apples, but I know when my kids got them, I just chucked them out - too easy to tamper with and there are whackjobs in the world
  • sydnisd183
    sydnisd183 Posts: 247 Member
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    back in the day (early 70's) we'd trick or treat around our neighborhood and accept homemade cookies, apples, etc...my mom used to make a huge amount of popcorn and give it in small bags....I guess that won't work today though lol
    I just chill with the lights off until about 10p or so
  • racheljonel
    racheljonel Posts: 400 Member
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    I live in a townhouse community and there are probably 5 houses with kids, but tons of kids show up because it's an easy, short walk from door to door. So I'm definitely not handing out candy. I guess I'm a true scrooge but I can think of about a billion other things I would rather spend my money on than a ton of candy for kids I don't know.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    I just buy a box of something I like (usually it's the ones with Kit Kats and Coffee Crisp and Aeros) and snack on the leftovers, personally. Those "fun-size" chocolate bars are usually about 100 calories so one or two is generally a perfect size treat for me anyway. If we have a lot left over I freeze them as it's a little easier to ration them out.

    I'm not super tempted by cheap chocolate though so I don't have a problem stopping at one. If I were handing out Lindt chili dark, on the other hand...haha.

    If you don't think you can control yourself with it, though, I've seen some cute non-food Halloween treats around this year, like a big box of tiny jars of Play-doh (Costco, I think?) I think as long as it's something fun like that and not, like...a toothbrush, kids should still be happy with it.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I don't hand out at Halloween. I have horror movies to watch. Newfoundland is pretty sh!tty for Halloween treats - bags of potato chips. Yes, seriously, potato chips.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited October 2016
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    We don't have trick or treaters in our neighborhood so don't hand out candy. Dd doesn't trick or treat anymore. We buy some for us. I eat a piece a day usually.
    I can make candy last for months. I would be in more trouble with cheese crackers, pretzels or something like that.
    You can hand out tattoos, stickers or small toys. Doesn't need to be food.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    I don't hand out at Halloween. I have horror movies to watch. Newfoundland is pretty sh!tty for Halloween treats - bags of potato chips. Yes, seriously, potato chips.

    My least favorites that my dd ever received were lemon drops and small bibles. Potato chips don't sound so bad.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
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    We're old grumps and pretend not to be home. LOL I'm the same way. I would end up eating half of what I bought to hand out. LOL I'd just give out the candies I don't like. :wink:
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,592 Member
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    i dont hand out candy i will be too busy eating my own halloween treats and watching halloween movies
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    It an actual religious holiday for me so I am never home. I do leave a bowl of candy out that I have a neighbor refill (I give them the bag) a small amount at a time because I know if the entire bag was out, after the first group of kids it would be gone lol. Any left overs (which is rare) I'll set a few pieces aside of what I like/what my significant others like and the rest go to work with one of us.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I can't imagine sitting home with the lights off. We've turned them off if we stop getting kids but if I'm not going to hand out candy it's because we've gone out and that's rare. Maybe I'm the odd one out because even though I don't go all crazy decorating for Halloween I have very fond memories of going trick or treating with my siblings and my friends. Lots of dark houses would make it a lot less fun, and most kids today already get restricted from doing a lot of things kids in the 70s and 80s took for granted... like trick or treating without an adult tagging along.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    I don't hand out at Halloween. I have horror movies to watch. Newfoundland is pretty sh!tty for Halloween treats - bags of potato chips. Yes, seriously, potato chips.

    You're a newfie @zyxst ? I'm a caper!
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    edited October 2016
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    I can't imagine sitting home with the lights off. We've turned them off if we stop getting kids but if I'm not going to hand out candy it's because we've gone out and that's rare. Maybe I'm the odd one out because even though I don't go all crazy decorating for Halloween I have very fond memories of going trick or treating with my siblings and my friends. Lots of dark houses would make it a lot less fun, and most kids today already get restricted from doing a lot of things kids in the 70s and 80s took for granted... like trick or treating without an adult tagging along.

    The first year we bought our house, I wore a witch hat and wig and painted my face and hands with green food coloring. I had a blast handing out candy -- except we ran out because over 200 kids came to the door and less than 20 live in the subdivision. I love Halloween, the costumes, the fun, but it got to be too much from all the kids that come in from the country. Now I turn out all the lights. I wish the town would have a party for them at the rec park.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    I can't imagine sitting home with the lights off. We've turned them off if we stop getting kids but if I'm not going to hand out candy it's because we've gone out and that's rare. Maybe I'm the odd one out because even though I don't go all crazy decorating for Halloween I have very fond memories of going trick or treating with my siblings and my friends. Lots of dark houses would make it a lot less fun, and most kids today already get restricted from doing a lot of things kids in the 70s and 80s took for granted... like trick or treating without an adult tagging along.

    Our neighborhood is not gated or anything, but is had a homeowners association. About a month befor Halloween they send out a letter asking for "adult volunteers" to watch over individual blocks. To make it seem a bit more fun, they ask the adults to dress up in something "fun and spooky" however have to wear a sash so kid know who to run to if something should happen. They've been doing it for 15+ years and it works really well. We don't get much vandalism and most kids don't have a parent tagging along (unless really young).
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    We never get more than 10 or so kids, which always makes me sad because Halloween was my favorite holiday as a kid (it still is). This year, I'm buying full-size candy bars for the trick-or-treaters, and fun-sized bars for us to snack on. When I was young, finding the house that gave out full-size bars was like finding the holy grail, so if all I have to do to be the coolest house in the neighborhood (for those 10 or so kids) is spend $20 on Snickers, done.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    We live in a high rise in a city and our building gives out stickers to place on your door if you'd like trick or treaters. We don't anymore. We did our fair share for many (many) years and we're done for now.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    I can't imagine sitting home with the lights off. We've turned them off if we stop getting kids but if I'm not going to hand out candy it's because we've gone out and that's rare. Maybe I'm the odd one out because even though I don't go all crazy decorating for Halloween I have very fond memories of going trick or treating with my siblings and my friends. Lots of dark houses would make it a lot less fun, and most kids today already get restricted from doing a lot of things kids in the 70s and 80s took for granted... like trick or treating without an adult tagging along.

    It doesn't matter if the lights are on or off, kids still knock/ring the doorbell. When I grew up, if a porch light wasn't on, you didn't go to it. I turn off the outside lights on Halloween because I just want to enjoy my movies without interruptions. Hells, I have to turn off all the upstairs lights and watch movies in the basement because, for the past 2 years, any sign of life meant doorbell ringing. Sorry that I put my own enjoyment over someone else's.
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    I don't hand out at Halloween. I have horror movies to watch. Newfoundland is pretty sh!tty for Halloween treats - bags of potato chips. Yes, seriously, potato chips.

    You're a newfie @zyxst ? I'm a caper!

    Not originally. I just live here.

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