9 Ways to Get Rid of Halloween Candy

You do your best to teach your child to eat healthily and only have treats in moderation.  Then Halloween comes around and you end up with a 5-pound bag of candy.  You know that you're going to be hearing "can I have a piece of Halloween candy?" for weeks.  

So, what can you do to get rid of some of that Halloween candy?  

Hand It Back Out

The quickest way to get rid of all that extra Halloween candy is to hand it back out as soon as you get home.  Let your kids go through the candy right away and choose out a few pieces of their favorite candy to keep. Then light up your Halloween pumpkin and have the kids help you hand out the leftovers to all the older kids who are still out trick or treating.  

Candy Buy Back Programs

Many dentists have started to participate in the Halloween Candy Buyback program. You bring your Halloween candy in and the dentist will trade you for cash, a toothbrush or other items.  Not only does this program help reduce the amount of sugar kids are eating, but the candy is then donated to troops overseas.

Switch Witch Halloween

Have you heard of the Switch Witch yet?  Just like Santa and the Tooth Fairy, the Switch Witch comes to your house once everyone is asleep. All you have to do is leave your bag of unwanted Halloween treats and candy out for her and she will swap it for a present or some cash.  

Buy Halloween Candy from Your Kids 

If you're not into creating another magical figure that sneaks into your house while you're sleeping, buy the candy from your kids yourself.  You can offer them a set amount per piece of candy or offer to buy them a new toy for the whole bag of candy.  

Save Candy for Birthday Parties

Does one of your children have a birthday party coming up soon?  You may not want your kids eating all that candy, but you can easily unload it all on their friends.  Stuff a piñata, put it in the goody bags or serve it as a birthday party snack.  Think of all the money you will save on the party!

Save Candy for Christmas

After Halloween, Christmas is the next worst holiday when you're trying to eat healthily.  You know you're going to let your kids have some treats anyway, so why not recycle some of that Halloween candy for Christmas?  Put a few favorites in your kid's Christmas stockings and save some small candies for the gingerbread house.  And of course, make sure you put some candy out in bowls for your guests to enjoy.  

Give Candy to Your Child's Teacher

Does your child's teacher use treats to reward students for good behavior?  Send a note to school with your child and ask her if she could use some more candy to add to her stash.  Sure, some of it will go back to your child anyway, but at least you will be unloading most of the candy on the other kids. 

Donate Halloween Candy

There are many places that would be grateful to take all of that candy off your hands.  You could bring it to your local food bank or a drop it off at a homeless shelter.  If you want to show your appreciation to your local heroes, take your extra candy to the police station or fire station.  You could even call up some of the nursing homes and see if they would take your Halloween Candy off your hands.

Bring Extra Halloween Candy to Work

If you just need to get that candy out of your house right away, throw it in your car now.  Take it to work in the morning and let your coworkers' pig out.  

Now that you know how to get rid of all your kid's extra candy, you can go back to teaching your kids to eat healthily, with the occasional treat of course.  Make sure you remember to keep a treat or two for yourself too. 

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Celebrating Halloween on a Shoestring

Holidays are about fun, sharing time with family and friends, and creating memories for the future. Holidays may also be a time of added expense to what may be an already tight budget. Having limited resources for entertaining and sharing doesn't have to mean you miss out on the fun of Halloween. With some imagination, your Halloween experience can turn into an annual tradition.

.   Invite several couples to your home for a Halloween "costume" party. Each couple can bring food or beverage item to share. Instruct each couple to come to the party impersonating some great figure in history. There are no actual costumes allowed. Each couple must act out the role of the person or persons they are impersonating without costumes or props of any kind. The other couples must guess the identity of the character being portrayed. Nominal prizes can be awarded for the best impersonation and to the couple most successful in guessing.

.   Take your show on the road. Enlist the help of a few friends. Cover your faces with a simple, inexpensive mask or a floppy hat and head on over to the local children's hospital or senior citizen's facility. Pass out treats and spend some time chatting with the residents. Spending time with folks who can't enjoy the holidays without restrictions is heartwarming and enriching.

.   Halloween is a good excuse to organize a cookie exchange with friends or co-workers. Have a dozen or so friends whip up a batch of their favorite cookie recipe, making enough to share with everyone. Get together over coffee and cookies to share your bounty. Each baker gets a dozen cookies from each of the other bakers while exchanging a dozen of their own in return. Freeze your cookies for a head start on the rapidly approaching holiday season. You'll enjoy the Halloween event as a precursor to the even bigger holiday events to come.

.   When it comes to children's Halloween events, remember that you don't have to spend extravagant amounts of money to make kids happy. Gather a group of your favorite kids together along with a parent and have an afternoon party. Let the children make Halloween masks out of construction paper, crayons or paints. A few games and a fashion show with the newly designed masks will offer all the entertainment needed. Provide healthy snacks and special holiday treats. This might coincide nicely with the cookie exchange group for parents with young children.

Halloween is a holiday celebrated in many different ways depending on where you live and community accessibility.  And it's not just a holiday for children. There's no need to be limited to the standard traditions of buying expensive costumes and going door to door in search of candy or passing out treats to everyone who knocks on your door. With a little imagination, this holiday can fun and memorable for everyone, regardless of age.

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