A Low Chocolate Halloween!

My kids love Halloween.  They do trick or treat very far in our neighborhood, and they still seem to get a ton of candy.  Their aunts and grandma give them treats too!  The problem with all that candy is that they have been known to eat a ton of it without me knowing it, and I have been known to raid their buckets too!  Don’t get me wrong. I am not anti-candy.  I do not need it, and they do not need that much.  After a week, I divide their candy up.  The chocolate bars go in the freezer to use for Christmas baking, and a few pieces the kids really cannot live without get to stay.  The rest goes to the office for the break room.  It disappears quickly there.

Every year my children have a Halloween party at school, and they give and receive treats there also. I have baked cupcakes, bagged candy, and other Halloween toys. Over the years I have come up with a few inexpensive, non-candy ideas that the kids still like, and keep them from getting/giving too many sweets. Some of these ideas take a little pre-planning. I watch the sales after Halloween, and purchase treat bags, scary plastic monsters, etc… when they are 75%-90% off. I Store them with the Halloween decorations so I do not lose them, and have them ready for next year. I also visit unusual places that sell Halloween items that most people wouldn’t think of. I frequent my local fabric store around Halloween because they discount their decorations and trinkets about two weeks before the event. They always have unusual items too! Another idea that my youngest likes, is that I purchase boxes of crayons during back to school sales. We have stores in town that sell them for one cent per box, so I stock up, and they go over really well with a small coloring book for little kids.

My other secret is to watch the seasonal discounts. This year, my local grocery store sold big cans of play dough for $2.99 each. This week they were clearing out their summer items, and I got them for ten cents each. I bought 40 of them for my son to give out to both of his preschool classes. $4 is pretty cheap for Halloween for two rooms! These are just a few ideas. If all else fails, bags of Hershey’s bars are great-just don’t give too many to my children, as they are their Mother’s favorite! Happy Halloween!