Once the joy of Halloween passes, you may find that your family is stuck with a whole lot of candy. Although most families seem to have no problem making their way through the stash of goodies, you may find that there are some candies that no one is willing to touch. Of course, if you try to monitor your child’s sugar intake then you may end up with a lot more candy than you expect long after the holiday has passed. Luckily, there’s a lot of great ways to handle the candy epidemic in your home that doesn’t involve throwing out your excess candy. Better yet, these candy tips shouldn’t force you to spend money to get rid of your candy stock.
1. Freeze It
Without a doubt, candy can go bad if you leave it long enough just like any other food. Before you know it, you may bite into something stale or tasteless that might turn your stomach. There’s one easy way to make your candy stash last a whole lot longer though. That is, freeze it. Simply place chocolate and other candies that may go stale in a bag and place them in the freezer. You may find that this will help you keep everyone from overdoing it on the candy too, especially children who try to sneak candy when you’re not looking. Apart from being able to keep the candy good for longer, the chocolate is perfect for cold desserts that the whole family will love. For instance, you can easily toss your child’s favorite candy in a milkshake for an occasional treat that will keep you away from pricey ice cream restaurants.
2. Bake It
Since the weather is cooling down and the holidays are around the corner, you may want to consider firing up the oven and baking a few treats. Your Halloween candy will make a great addition to any treats you choose to bake. For instance, you can choose your favorite brand of chocolate candy and melt it away into a brownie mix or cake. This will add the perfect flavor to the mix that will drive the family wild. You can even crumble some of the candies on the top of the cake to add style and flavor. These treats can be given away as holiday gifts too, especially to co-workers. Decorating Thanksgiving cookies will also be a breeze with all of the candy corn your children collects. This candy makes a great tail for turkey cookies, which will have all of your family and friends excited about dessert.
3. DIY Advent Calendar
Halloween pretty much sparks a long list of holidays that will be heading your way in the blink of an eye. This makes it the perfect time to start building your very own advent calendars. The Halloween candy your children collect can really help make the holidays great. All you need to make your own calendar is some cardboard, markers and, of course, your leftover candy. Simply glue together cardboard if you can’t find a thin enough box. Once you do this, add shelving to separate the sections on the calendar. This can also be made with cardboard, but you can do it with thick paper, like poster board, as well. When you have everything ready then cut doors into the calendar. You can make a calendar for just about anything too. For instance, Thanksgiving, winter break, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s are just a few of the options. You can even give away the calendars if you’re feeling generous.
4. Snacks
Believe it or not, but you can make healthier snack options with some of the candy as long as you keep the candy aspect to a minimum. For instance, trail mix is a great after school snack or a snack for a sporting event to help kids keep up their strength. Simply use candies like M&Ms to the mix with nuts, raisins and other classic trail mix treats. Oatmeal bars are another great option when it comes to healthier snacks for the kids. These power bars can be made with even one snack size piece of candy, so you can keep your child’s sugar intake under control. If you’re not worried about the sugar aspect, then try popcorn balls with your child’s favorite candy in there. Another option, which is often a family favorite, is to melt your favorite candy into a batch of rice crispy treats.
5. Rewards
If your family works with an incentive method then you may want to use your Halloween candy to save you some money here. You can set aside some of the candy for your children to enjoy for the holiday. However, the rest can go into a stash for rewards. You can hand out a piece of candy for just about everything. For instance, the small pieces of candy, like bite sized chocolates, make a great reward for getting chores done on time. Other candies that have pieces, like candy corn, M&Ms, Skittles and so on are perfect for homework time. You can open a package and distribute a single piece for correct answers. These also make great teaching aids for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions. Apart from that, you can make goody bags of the candy and children can trade their points in for the sweet treats.
6. Donate to Servicemen
Giving back to the community is always great and will teach children how to be generous and respectful of those who protect them on a daily basis. When you’re finished with your Halloween candy, you might have the family sit down together and place a variety of candy into goodie bags. These can be delivered to police stations and fire stations to help say thank you to the men and women who serve the community. You might also want to include drawings or thank you notes to make the gift even more special. If you want to thing bigger, then there is actually a program that allows you to donate your candy to military members that are deployed. This will deliver your candy to a sailor or soldier who could use a pick me up while they’re away from friends and family.
7. Liven Up Hot Chocolate
There’s no doubt about it, when the weather cools down nothing warms the body and soul quite like a mug full of steaming hot chocolate. Although most hot chocolate is pretty sweet on its own accord, you may want to use your leftover Halloween stash to add a little extra to your favorite drink. Generally, it is best to do this over the stove, but you can also easily add the candy with a microwave too. Simply begin making your hot chocolate in the typical way. As the drink blends together then unwrap a couple of pieces of candy and add them to the drink. If everyone is torn by the candy they’d like to add, then simply pour the chocolate and crumble the individual candy into each mug. The drink should be hot enough to melt the chocolate on contact, so simply stir it in and serve the drink when it’s cooled enough for your child.
8. Christmas Decor
Halloween candy can really amp up your Christmas decor game. Each piece of candy can go far when it comes to crafts, especially when it comes to the candies that aren’t Halloween themed. For instance, you can use the foil wrapped candies in a clear ornament to create a colorful look that everyone will be drawn to. Another option is to create cute frames and other shimmery designs that will add fun to the season. There’s lots of great craft ideas for candy online, so make sure to browse around and find something fun and adorable that the family can make. You can also use your candy to decorate your gingerbread house. This will save you some money too and will allow you to have more diversity when it comes to your decorations.
9. Piñata
If your family loves to host birthday parties with piñatas then you’re in luck, as your Halloween candy can save you a whole lot of money when it comes to this party accessory. When the time comes for your party, simply pull your leftover candy from the freeze and wait for it to thaw. This is so the candy won’t create moisture in the piñata. Then, you simply add the candy to the piñata and get ready for the fun to begin. You may have to buy a little extra candy if your Halloween stash wasn’t large enough, but this should still cut back on the amount you spend. If you’re feeling ambitious, then build your own piñata to save even more money.
10. Candied Apples
Take a recipe out of your favorite Halloween cook book when you transform your leftover candy into candied apples. You can start this task by following the classic candied apple recipe. Then you simply melt the chocolate and layer it onto the apple. After sitting in the fridge overnight your apples should be ready to be enjoyed by the whole family. You can also use some of the candies, like candy corn or M&Ms to decorate the outside of the candy. This idea is perfect for late Halloween parties, but you can also sell the apples to bring in a little extra money for the holidays. If you’re not dedicated to selling your sweet creations, then send them out as gifts to friends and family. The tasty treat is sure to lift spirits, especially in places like the office.
Halloween candy doesn’t have to hang out in your home for months after the holiday. These handy tricks will help you find simple ways to get rid of the candy taking up space in your home, or to keep your family from going to town on it. With a little luck, your candy stash will make its way through the home, so you’ll have plenty of space for holiday leftovers and sweets that will be coming your way in no time at all.
