This is, in part, a recap of the advice your Chocolate Priestess laid out last year.
I want to know if any of you, Sisters and Brothers, have been using this advice this year.
I also want to talk about how I followed -- or haven't yet followed -- this advice myself.
1. Buy at least two types of candy if you are welcoming trick or treaters to your home.
Above is the pile of candy we ended up buying for our trick o'treaters this year. A lot more than 2 types, right? In fact, other than the Butterfingers, each bag is different for a total of 18 bags of candy, 17 different brands or types of candy.
2. Buy only what those in your household like.
I didn't just go by my memories of what we each like, I asked as we shopped. At least one person in the household, often all three of us, liked each type of candy. Or we believed we did. We honestly don't buy candy that often, especially the big mass producers anymore since I have a lot of reviews. We'll buy a small quantity of something new or we might get something as a gift, but we just don't randomly grab candy at the check out lines any more.
As a personal note, none of the candy we bought is only liked by me. Thus I have a built in buddy to share with so I don't go crazy eating candy myself.
3. Compare prices before you buy bulk.
I looked through fliers but I also went into stores around me including Kroger, Marsh, CVS, Kmart, and Target. For the variety I wanted and for the prices, I personally chose Kroger and just get these during a big but regularly scheduled shopping trip.
4. Use coupons and consider sales.
This drove my family crazy because I had to organize the coupons and then we went looking for the varieties on the coupons as well as comparing prices. Yes, it took a lot more time than just grabbing bags but I also saved us a total of $7 or about two bags worth of Halloween treats.
5. Hide the candy until right before trick or treating or party time.
That huge pile of candy, after we took photos, went into our Halloween box and back down to the basement. That box will be brought up a day or two before Halloween. If we want any of that candy, we have to go down a couple flights of stairs and dig around for them. Result -- we won't do it.
6. Watch your own treating on Halloween.
I set aside the candy for handing out and since we don't have kids, we don't have to worry about bringing more candy inside the house. For those of you with children, please leave a comment telling us how you control how much candy you end up with post Halloween.
7. Eat other food on Halloween.
This is so important. If all you eat is the candy your body will pay for it the next day and maybe the day after. I'll remind everyone to have a breakfast and lunch, we'll do something for dinner, maybe a pizza or something more homemade, but I'll make sure there are options and not just candy.
8. Track what you use.
Last year, we had 127 trick o'treaters that came to our house. Sometimes it was a non-stop flood of kids and their parents. I'm sure I got more than enough candy for that number and our numbers can vary by as much as 20+ kids depending on weather.
9. If you are throwing a party, think higher class treats.
We aren't throwing a party but we have invited friends to stay and join us in checking out the costumes and handing out candy. All of the entries to the Halloween Treat Challenge 2010 will be offered to the adults there doing the handing out. I'll be using their input to name our winners that night.
10. Store the leftovers.
Of all of the candy we bought, here's the photo to remind you, I'm 100% sure we will have some leftovers. These I'll store and then use in cookies, bars, cupcakes and other goods I make for the next several months. I'm positive some of our Christmas party goodies will feature broken up pieces of some candy.
However I'll also get some of the leftovers out on our Saturday indulgence days. For candy that only one of us likes, if any of that is left, then I'll give that person the leftovers.
How have you planned for Halloween this year, Sisters and Brothers?
I want to know if any of you, Sisters and Brothers, have been using this advice this year.
I also want to talk about how I followed -- or haven't yet followed -- this advice myself.
1. Buy at least two types of candy if you are welcoming trick or treaters to your home.
Above is the pile of candy we ended up buying for our trick o'treaters this year. A lot more than 2 types, right? In fact, other than the Butterfingers, each bag is different for a total of 18 bags of candy, 17 different brands or types of candy.
2. Buy only what those in your household like.
I didn't just go by my memories of what we each like, I asked as we shopped. At least one person in the household, often all three of us, liked each type of candy. Or we believed we did. We honestly don't buy candy that often, especially the big mass producers anymore since I have a lot of reviews. We'll buy a small quantity of something new or we might get something as a gift, but we just don't randomly grab candy at the check out lines any more.
As a personal note, none of the candy we bought is only liked by me. Thus I have a built in buddy to share with so I don't go crazy eating candy myself.
3. Compare prices before you buy bulk.
I looked through fliers but I also went into stores around me including Kroger, Marsh, CVS, Kmart, and Target. For the variety I wanted and for the prices, I personally chose Kroger and just get these during a big but regularly scheduled shopping trip.
4. Use coupons and consider sales.
This drove my family crazy because I had to organize the coupons and then we went looking for the varieties on the coupons as well as comparing prices. Yes, it took a lot more time than just grabbing bags but I also saved us a total of $7 or about two bags worth of Halloween treats.
5. Hide the candy until right before trick or treating or party time.
That huge pile of candy, after we took photos, went into our Halloween box and back down to the basement. That box will be brought up a day or two before Halloween. If we want any of that candy, we have to go down a couple flights of stairs and dig around for them. Result -- we won't do it.
6. Watch your own treating on Halloween.
I set aside the candy for handing out and since we don't have kids, we don't have to worry about bringing more candy inside the house. For those of you with children, please leave a comment telling us how you control how much candy you end up with post Halloween.
7. Eat other food on Halloween.
This is so important. If all you eat is the candy your body will pay for it the next day and maybe the day after. I'll remind everyone to have a breakfast and lunch, we'll do something for dinner, maybe a pizza or something more homemade, but I'll make sure there are options and not just candy.
8. Track what you use.
Last year, we had 127 trick o'treaters that came to our house. Sometimes it was a non-stop flood of kids and their parents. I'm sure I got more than enough candy for that number and our numbers can vary by as much as 20+ kids depending on weather.
9. If you are throwing a party, think higher class treats.
We aren't throwing a party but we have invited friends to stay and join us in checking out the costumes and handing out candy. All of the entries to the Halloween Treat Challenge 2010 will be offered to the adults there doing the handing out. I'll be using their input to name our winners that night.
10. Store the leftovers.
However I'll also get some of the leftovers out on our Saturday indulgence days. For candy that only one of us likes, if any of that is left, then I'll give that person the leftovers.
How have you planned for Halloween this year, Sisters and Brothers?
Comments
Great comment, Emilie!
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