Halloween can leave you with an abundance of candy. You probably bought the kind of candy you liked, but how much did you eat before Halloween? Then with your little ghosts and goblins, Halloween candy is never-ending (or so it would seem like it). You wonder if your family can get all that candy eaten before the Thanksgiving and Christmas treats arrive? Yes, it is possible. Discover new ways to get that Halloween candy out of reach so you or your family aren’t tempted to eat every last piece.
Freeze It
Freeze those chocolate pieces to eat at a later date. You can store candies in an airtight container and use them in your homemade snack mixes, baking (cupcakes brownies, cookies) or crush chocolate candy bars and add to pudding, oatmeal, shakes or roll onto chocolate-covered pretzels.
Barter
Instead of letting the kids have all the candy all at once, set some aside. Let the kids use the candy as tokens or candy currency to redeem for skipped chores. (For example, five pieces of candy for skipping a turn on doing dishes. Then put that “money” in a movie night jar and let the kids eat the candy while watching the movie.) A great way to start a new Halloween tradition is to put the candy in front of doors or on tables (much like loose change) and then have the “candy gremlin” take the candy and leave in the candy’s place a small gift.
Crafts
With the upcoming Christmas season coming up, make some candy crafts. Create a fun pinata for the kids or keep some for stocking stuffers. Make candy wreaths, garlands or necklaces. Use some leftover candy on a gingerbread house or in an advent calendar. There are a ton of crafts to make, especially in the book “Candy Construction: How to Build Race Cars, Castles, and Other Cool Stuff out of Store Bought Candy” by Sharon Bowers. (Try at your local library or at Hobby Lobby stores).
CoWorkers
Bring a jar, bowl or make up a goodie bag for your co-workers. Remember to keep a few with you and in your car.
Donate
Ask around and see if anyone accepts candy as a donation. Go to your local shelters, nursing homes or even doctor’s offices. Some dentists have a cash for candy program because the dentists send out candy to the troops.
Friends
Have your kids give some to their friends. You could even sneak a piece here and a piece there in the lunches. If all else fails when your kids’ friends come over, have them do some fun with candy science (ideas can be found at www.candyexperiments.com).
If you don’t want to throw out the Halloween candy, try these tips for using the abundant amount of Halloween candy. Have fun.