After a hard night of trick or treating, you might be looking at your child’s stash and wondering what on earth you’re going to do with all of that candy. It’s not always wise to let your child eat every single piece they collect for a wide variety of reasons. Luckily, there’s a whole lot of things you can do with you’re the candy that won’t leave your child crying for the missing treats. You might even find that some of the ideas help to keep your budget on the frugal side, so you can keep saving for the rapidly approaching holiday season.
1. Bake It
One of the best ways to ditch some of your candy is to bake it. This works best with chocolate treats in most cases, so you might want to raid your child’s Halloween stash to see what you have to work with. One of the easiest things to make is fun cakes. You can even make them Halloween themed if you want to carry on with the holiday fun. Of course, you can also set some of the candy aside to bake a delicious Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert that the whole family will be thankful for. Another fun option is to make cookies out of the candies. Your cookie dough can also be frozen, so you can make treats all year long without having to spend money. Some of the hard candies can also be used in baking, but make sure you crush the items and work with a recipe to make sure they cook properly.
2. Advent Calendar
With the holidays coming up, an advent calendar can be one of the best ways to enjoy the Halloween candy your trick or treater received. You can make an advent calendar out of just about anything you want. You can also choose the theme to suit each child you’re making a calendar for. One of the more popular advent calendar options is a countdown until Christmas, but you can easily make one that counts down until Thanksgiving or any other holiday you celebrate. You might also consider making one that suits any month. This will ensure children only receive one piece of candy a day, so there are no tummy aches to battle during the fun season.
3. Science Experiments
Believe it or not, but you can transform your Halloween candy into a variety of experiments that will suit a wide variety of age groups. Best of all, you’ll be taking part in National Chemistry Week without even knowing it. There are an abundance of things you can do when it comes to experimenting with candy. For starters, you can have kids look at different candies through a microscope. If your children receive Mentos, then place them in soda and watch the magic. Another great one is to chew up Wint-o-Green lifesavers in the dark. You can also melt down candies or dissolve them in a variety of liquids. There is an abundance of experiments online to check out, so you can find the perfect options for your household.
4. Save for Decorations
You might not think about using your candy as décor, especially as you glance at the Halloween themed wrappers. However, you might be surprised as to how handy these candies can be. For instance, if you have a wide assortment of colorful candies then you can free them from their packaging and use them for decorations on your Gingerbread houses and cookies. Candy corn can be thrown into a clear bowl as a great centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. You can also use it to let the kids decorate turkeys that can be hung up. Other candies can be opened up and placed in colorful wrappers for Hanukkah and Christmas. You can even pass them out around New Year’s if you plan to store the candy properly.
5. Gift Baskets
With the holiday season coming up, you’re probably looking for quick and easy ways to find gifts for everyone on your growing holiday list. One of the easiest options is make gift baskets. You can fill these lovely gifts up with just about anything you please. However, Halloween candy makes a great addition to the baskets and can even help prevent you from spending a large amount of money on extra treats. You might want to avoid placing Halloween mini candies in the baskets, unless they have wrappers that aren’t Halloween oriented. Larger candies can be a great option though, because the packaging tends to be uniform with candy sold throughout the year. These candies are easy to spice up with Christmas bows and wrapping paper too if you really want to go all out on your basket.
6. Blend It
Although the weather might be cooling down, your kids probably won’t turn down a delicious milkshake that features some of their favorite candy. This can be a fun treat for good report cards and so on. You can also use some of the candy to make yourself a Frappuccino that would make a café jealous. Best of all, the ingredients for these items will cost you a fraction of what you would pay in a restaurant, so you’ll be saving a lot of money on your favorite treats. If you don’t want to blend it all at once then toss your favorites in the freezer and you can use them in a treat later on in the year. You can also use the blender to chop up some of the candy to be used in other snacks like puppy chow or trail mix. These snacks are great for entertaining guests too, which is certain to cut back on your entertainment budget.
7. Reuse for Parties
Another great option is to throw a bag of candy in the freezer, so you can pull it out and use it at parties. You can always open up a few of the packages and place them in a bowl for upcoming holiday celebrations. However, one of the more common uses is to toss them in goodie bags for your child’s birthday party. This will help save money on treats you need to appease children. Of course, you can also use this candy to stuff into a pinata for a larger birthday bash. The colorful wrappers will even add even more fun to the party as they fly out of the pinata.
8. Candy Trade Ins
Lately, many dentists have taken a stance against the amount of candy children consume during the Halloween season. So, many dental offices will allow children to come in after Halloween to trade in their candy. Generally, they will give points or a special money for the candy children bring in so children can trade it in for prizes. If you don’t have this option, then you might consider doing a trade in within your family too. You can give a point value for each piece of candy, so children can earn prizes. If your children are saving up money, then offer a penny or so for each piece they trade in. This will make the holiday rewarding without having your child consume so much sugar.
9. Get Crafty
Candy can also be a lot of fun to use in your seasonal crafts. For instance, you can use some of the candy to make flowers that will help make a fun center piece for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table. You don’t always have to use the candy for these tasks too, as the colorful wrappers will work just as well. This is great for anyone that doesn’t want to waste the foils from candies they’ve eaten or used for other projects. Another fun craft for kids is making special bracelets. You can even have kids pass these out to friends as a holiday gift, which is certain to save you quite a bit of money. Some candies can be glued onto paper in order to create colorful designs that will inspire children to show off their creative energy. You might even consider layering candy in a jar with other ingredients for cookies, cake or even hot cocoa. These make great gifts, especially when dressed up as Santas, reindeer and snowmen. There are lots of fun candy crafts online to explore too, if you’re not sure where to begin.
10. Care Packages
If you want to do some good with your candy then you might want to make some care packages with your leftovers. You can send these packages to loved ones, like students away at college. However, there are many others that would appreciate the kind gesture. For instance, you can drop some of the treats off at nursing homes or hospitals for those who can have candy but rarely receive it. You can even pass your candy out at a fire station, police station or hospital to thank everyone that works tirelessly to keep us safe and healthy. Another great option is to package it up and donate it to soldiers that are deployed. The candy is certain to be a welcome treat that might make them feel like they are at home for a brief moment. Make sure you package your candy in a plastic bag in case of melting and send it off to a charity that will help distribute your candy.
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed by all of the candy your kids bring home. These ten tips will give you options that will make the children happy to share their loot. Now, you can worry less about cavities and weight gain during this season, which is certain to help improve on your budget and happiness.
