Did you get more Halloween candy than you know what to do with? You won’t believe some of the cool things you can do with your extra or leftover Halloween candy!
If your family is like mine, now has newly acquired overabundance of Halloween candy. Over the years, I have had an opportunity to find new and unique ways to use all the Leftover Halloween Candy. My favorite is to just eat it…but my hips say another thing.
This year there is no reason to let all that excess candy go to waste. Let’s do something different. Hey, let’s be frugal.
We know without a doubt that in total, each child will probably come home with over five pounds of candy. YIKES!!! That doesn’t include any left over candy that you may have in your bowl to hand out. While it is fun for the kids to collect a lot of candy, let’s be real. They are not going to eat it all.
I choose to be sneaky about what I do. This was I don’t hear the complaints. Right after my kids go to bed after having an evening full of fun, I get right to work. The first is going through all that candy. I sort and make up little bags for Christmas (see #3). Then I sort by solid chocolate I can use for baking (Mini Chocolate bars (see #4). Just a few of the ways I use up my candy.
Go ahead and try some of these ideas this year. I have tried all of these helpful tips below.
10 Fun Ways to Use Leftover Halloween Candy
Trade it in at the dentist.
This is the simplest idea. Many dentists across the country do a Halloween Candy Buy Back. In exchange for kids’ Halloween candy, dentists give out healthy rewards like toothbrushes, stickers, small toys or even small amounts of cash.
The dentists then donate the candy to members of the military. I just found out our local dentist is participating. C-YA! Out of sight and out of mind.
Donate it to the troops.
However, if you aren’t interested in stopping to see the dentist, you can send Halloween candy to U.S. troops through an organization like Operation Shoebox or Operation Troop Treats. This one I love. Our troops on deployment look forward to extra packages. And they won’t turn down candy. They miss special treats from home.
Let’s send them ours. It is a win/win situation.
Put it away for Christmas.
Most candy can last longer than 6 months or more without any issues. Additionally, you can take some of that candy and put it away for the kids’ Christmas Stocking. Just be careful not to grab the ones marked for Halloween. (the kids are smart and will figure out your frugal ways). I find the ones that are generic.
Use it for baking.
Many of the candy collected for Halloween can be used in holiday baking. Use hard candies to decorate cakes and cupcakes. Bake chocolate or peanut butter cups into cupcakes or cookies. M&M candies are great in cookies. The possibilities are endless.
Freeze it for later.
Chocolate freezes well, and you’ll be less tempted to break open the bag and eat it until you have the proper occasion for it or eat it on the go. Did I mention frozen Twizzlers are my favorite? Chopped candy will also freeze well. Freeze it in 1 cup increments for maximized baking.
Make your own trail mix.
Turn your leftover candy into a fun, creative trail mix. A little bit of candy goes a very long way with all the healthy extras. A little sweet find is always fun in a handful of nuts and fruits. Makes snacking extra special.
Use it to make Gingerbread houses.
This is our personal favorite. Each year we collect our favorite Halloween candy and place it in a separate bag marked for favorite house creations. It is so simple to make on your own. We always enjoy watching the kids making their houses special.
Plus, all the decorations were absolutely free. Here is a picture and recipe of our houses. HA! You can see skull candy being used, and it is still perfect!
Use it to educate.
Match, sort and count your way into math fun. Make counting fun with treats. How many rectangle candies, How many rounds, which ones are chocolate? How many snickers, skittles or starbursts did you receive? The list goes on. You can also use Halloween Candy to play math games.
My favorite is “You have 3 snickers and mommy eats one, how many do you have left?” – don’t forget to eat it… 🙂 or subtraction never really happened.
Drink it up warm.
Melt chocolate in warm milk for a yummy hot chocolate drink. Those solid, fun-size Hershey candy bars work great. Fun for the kids after a full day playing outside in the cold. Yummy!
TREAT TIME Reward!
I typically don’t like to give out rewards, but kids love them. Did they have a good day behaving or using it as a prize after having a family game night? Leave random pieces of leftover Halloween Candy for your kids and spouse to surprise them. I would think about not using candy with the Halloween wrapper. This way they don’t get to upset. We don’t want our secrets out.
What are some FUN ways you enjoy disposing of your Halloween Candy?
Other Fun Halloween Articles
DIY Frugal Frankenstein Mason Jar Beverage Cups
TEN Great Items You Should Be Purchasing at Dollar Tree for Halloween
Fatima Ali says
Great tips! My baby is small so he didn’t collect candy this time but in a couple of years these tips will be handy!
Fatima | http://www.blogsbyfa.com