Are you wondering what in the world to do about the candy excess after October 31? Throw it all away? Donate it? Let the kids eat all they want of it until they are (literally) sick of it?
Here is a post-Halloween candy sorting system that works amazingly well:
The day after Halloween, sort all the candy. Throw away all the yucky stuff and the item that no one likes. Be ruthless about this! No mercy! If you have tons of chocolate candy bars, do you really think anyone is going to want the smooshed chocolate frankenstein head? You have to decide. Keep all the GOOD stuff. Divide what you have inso ziploc bags accordingly:
- Lollipops for mom's purse/the car/the pantry (moments where a little "bribery" may be needed in an emergency!)
- Chocolate bars. Chocolate bars can be melted, shaved for cake decor, chopped for cookies, added to recipes, or just snacked on later! After the first week, throw this bag in the freezer and it will save for a long time!
- Soft fruit flavored chewy candies like Starburst, Skittles, etc. can be saved for future use as garnishes for cocktails (cut a slice out of the side of a lemon candy and place it on the rim of the Lemon Drop martinis for your next cocktail party!),
- Hard candies (Jolly Ranchers, Lifesavers) can be crushed and used for holiday cookies.
- Small novelty candies (Nerds, candies shaped like fruit, food, body parts, etc.) are perfect for decorating cakes and cupcakes for upcoming birthdays and holiday parties.
- "Real food" items like pretzel bags, raisins, and gelled fruit snacks can go in the pantry for lunches and snacks.
- Anything remaining can be divided further or thrown away.
Separating the candy into clear bags will help you see what you have, and takes away the "mystique" of the big bowl of candy that seems to draw the children in. Once they can actually see what they have to choose from, they go for what they like the first week and then the rest is picked over fairly quickly.
The last (and best) use for your treat or treat goodies is to use up as much as possible when decorating gingerbread houses in December. What is still left over at that point can be tossed out without the guilt of being wasteful. With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, you can end up using so much of your Halloween candy in holiday baking and decorating and save some holiday money in the meantime!
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