5 Genius Ways to Get Rid of Halloween Candy {31 Days of Halloween: Day 26}

Welcome to Day 26 of the 31 Days of Halloween! I can’t believe it’s almost over! My blogging buddy Candace is here today from Luxe… with Kids, and she has some genius ideas on what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy. {Besides, you know, stuff your face and gain 10 pounds like I usually do.}

 

Your kiddos have counted down the days to Halloween, picked out the perfect costumes, and collected bags of candy from Trick or Treating. If your family is anything like mine, we can’t let candy sit in our house – we eat it non-stop until it’s gone. After a couple years of making this unhealthy and sugary mistake, we now limit the amount of candy each child is allowed to keep and eat after Trick or Treating.

How do we do it without colossal meltdowns? Before Halloween night, we have a family discussion about our plan and come up with a number of pieces of candy each child is allowed to keep, and how many pieces we can eat per day. This way there are no surprises after we’ve collected our booty and no belly aches from over indulging. We sit down together to inspect the candy, then rank which pieces we like best, and make our final decisions of which to keep and which to giveaway. Because we don’t want to be wasteful and throw the candy away, we look for places where we can pass along our treasure to someone who will enjoy it.

 

Here are five ideas of what to do with all that Halloween candy {besides eat it}!

1. Head to the Dentist. Many dentist offices, especially pediatric dentists, participate in a Halloween Candy Buy-Back program. Some dentists will reward the child with a small prize, but certainly all will be happy to see healthy teeth!

2. Get creative! Use candy as decorations for a Gingerbread House, especially colorful gummy candies. Another creative use of the candy is to freeze small pieces of Snickers or Butterfingers and pop them into the blender with some ice cream for a special treat.

3. Send it overseas. Organizations like Operation Shoebox accept donations of individually wrapped candy to send overseas to our troops. This is a great way to share your sweet treats with those working so hard for our country. Be sure to check out their website for drop off locations and their requests and requirements.

4. Take it to Work. Send Mom or Dad to work with the leftover candy to share in the bounty. Your co-workers may curse you, but at least the candy will be out of your house.

5. Make a Trade. This is a favorite strategy amongst many parents: trade in the candy for a larger prize. Now parents, you can choose one of these other ideas of where to donate the candy that has been traded in, or you can store the candy out of sight and bring out small amounts here and there, although I will admit that if I keep candy in the house I will be the first to eat it!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Halloween, and that you and your children enjoy this beautiful fall season together. For more from me, visit my blog and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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