You walked the equivalent of at least 5 miles…in the dark…wearing a costume…collecting pieces of Halloween candy one-by-one, and now you just wish it would all simply DISAPPEAR? Hey, you worked hard for that candy – don’t let go of it so easily. It may serve a good purpose besides making sure your local dentist stays in business another year.
Read on for 10 creative ways to get rid of unwanted Halloween candy:
Halloween Candy Buy Back. Yes, there is a national website HERE, where you can check and see if there is a buy back location near you. The buy backs are sponsored by local dentists and other businesses. Bonus: The candy is sent to the military overseas through Operation Gratitude and other services.
Operation Shoebox – Mail in your candy donation and they send it to the military overseas in care packages. Learn more HERE.
Freeze it. Most unopened candy will last for months in the freezer — freeze it to enjoy later.
Decorate a gingerbread house or holiday baked goodies. Candy corns work great for edible Thanksgiving crafts like these OREO cookie Turkeys. Make Christmas tree ornaments, table centerpieces and other decorations.
Give it away. Friends, Neighbors, Teachers, Local charities…ask around, someone may have a use for it. If you are really motivated, put up a free candy ad online.
Take it to the office. Candy never lasts long in any break room!
The Halloween Fairy. Some wonderful parent who is a lot nicer than me started this tradition, which involves sneaking the kids’ candy away while they sleep and leaving a toy in its place. Kids wake up, see the toy and no longer care that their candy is gone.
Chocolate is useful. Leftover chocolate candy can be CRUSHED to make ICE CREAM TOPPINGS, MELTED to flavor HOT CHOCOLATE/MILK and COFFEE.
Recycle it by filling the kids Christmas stockings (As long as it’s not packaged in Halloween themed wrappers, they will never know!)
Create a candy bouquet. It’s easy to make DIY candy bouquets, which are perfect for anytime gifts. Get the directions at my DIY Candy Bouquet blog post.
Joanna says
Brilliant post, love it!! I especially like how to store it. I have no problem with keeping it I am worried about my kids overeating on it. My fav is the Choc is useful tip.