Cash for Candy
Filed Under: Parenting
My kids are candy fanatics. While some children might tire of their halloween candy after a week or so, mine will be begging me from breakfast to bedtime for their treats until every last Kit-Kat is gone.
We get A LOT of candy. My kids trick-or-treat with their cousins in a large neighborhood where people often give out full-size candy bars to each child (what’s up with that?). In the past I’ve ruled that they can have one piece of candy after lunch and one after dinner. Then I endured the constant arguments: “How much do I have to eat before I can have candy?” Or, “But this is just one little tootsie roll! Can’t I have something else small, too?”
This year I have a new plan. Cash for Candy. My son is pretty motivated by money right now, so I’m hoping my tactic will be a success. I will offer him $3 per pound of candy that he hands over. I haven’t decided exactly what to do with the candy yet, but perhaps I’ll find somewhere to donate it or just freeze it.
How about you? Do you have any innovative ways to cut down on halloween candy consumption?
PHAT = Parenting, Homeschooling And Technology. That about sums up my life at the moment. 
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genia | Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
My rule always was “Eat all you want on Halloween” (or the day after if you get home late), then it gets rationed. I usually found that, after being able to eat as much as she wanted for even a day, my daughter grew tired of it pretty quickly. I used to freeze it but it was too much of a temptation for me so I started to drop it off at our local senior center, food bank etc…I also used to drop it off at school but with the new state nutrition guidelines in place, they can’t take it anymore
Shannon | Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
Genia - we let Luke do that on his birthday. He can eat as much of whatever he wants all day. But he never seems to tire of it. Maybe it’s just the age and it will pass.
Tsoniki | Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
Oh great idea! Cash for candy! Then DH can take the candy to work and share with his buddies….who are all too old to go trick or treating but really really really really want to. LOL
Lorien | Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
We let her pick out five pieces of candy, and then leave the rest out for the candy witch (we are pretty sure the candy witch has rotted teeth). The next day the candy witch has left a fabulous toy in place of the candy. It has worked great for a few years, but apparently the toy was not fabulous enough last year. She has decided to keep all the candy this time around!
Laurel | Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
We keep the candy in the cupboard and have a piece now and then (not often) to celebrate exceptionally good behavior. There’s still a lot of candy left from last year. Since I seldom allow it, my daughter seldom thinks about it.
Laurel
Trixie | Oct 29, 2006 | Reply
I can’t wait to hear how your “cash for candy” plan works! Kinda makes Halloween a bit pricey though, doesn’t it? First you buy candy to give away to the trick-or-treaters and then you buy *more* candy from your kids. My kids are the sort who tend to tire of candy after a brief while and end up not even noticing when I eat it (which happens way too often) or give it away (that is, take it to work)… so I haven’t had to come up with any creative “candy control” solutions (yet). Have a happy Halloween!
P.S. Last year all my kids (even the 1-year-old!) got KING SIZE Snickers bars while trick-or-treating on our street. I think Daddy ate all three of those.
He was psyched.
Shannon | Oct 30, 2006 | Reply
Wow - y’all are lucky your kids don’t care much about the candy. I suppose I have myself to blame for my kids’ love of it!
Trixie - we don’t have to buy candy because we live in the woods and no one comes to our house. But even if I did, I think it’d be worth the money if the Cash for Candy concept works.
Linda | Oct 30, 2006 | Reply
I usually let my 3 have a pretty heavy go at the candy for the first few days. Then, with their consent, I put the candy in a communal bag to use when decorating gingerbread houses for Christmas! No one has ever had a problem with it, since they’ll get to “use” the candy later…and somehow not much gets eaten when they use it to decorate the houses.
Heather | Oct 30, 2006 | Reply
We don’t even celebrate Halloween, so candy shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Well, it shouldn’t be… but my husband must hit EVERY candy sale after-the-fact. He brings home bag upon bag of discounted candy and makes a semblance of hiding it — in plain sight.
Perhaps I can find a way to bribe my husband NOT to buy all that candy this year? LOL — I think I’d pay $5 a pound for hime not to buy it all!!
Charity | Oct 30, 2006 | Reply
I decided this year I would have a little party with their friends, followed by a family movie, instead of trick-or-treating. That way, I can control the amount of candy they get.
Chrsitine | Oct 30, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for the wonderful idea. I’m trying to find ideas on how to cut down on the candy. I’m also going to trade chocolate for a small toy,sticker or pencil.
Fairly Odd Mother | Oct 31, 2006 | Reply
This year, we are going to ‘try’ to follow a plan they were handing out on little sheets of paper at my children’s dentist—they recommend letting your kids eat as much as they want for three nights after dinner. After they finish eating each night, they must brush, floss and rinse their teeth. After three nights, Mommy gets to eat the rest—oops, I mean, it gets thrown out.
Realistically, I will probably pull out the lollipops and hide them for when I want to give them a treat. And the little chocolates go in the freezer for me—those long PMS-y days. The rest of the ‘junk’ (the Nerds, Now & Laters, Tootsie Rolls, etc) is donated to our local elementary school b/c the teachers have a ‘penny candy’ sale at their Spring Carnival.
Sue | Nov 1, 2006 | Reply
I take the snacksized candy that doesn’t show Halloween on it and freeze. I then pull it out at Christmas, use it in advent stockings, St. Nickolas Day and Christmas stockings. Saves me from buying candy that time of year when things are always tight!
Belle | Nov 1, 2006 | Reply
That is innovative! I should totally be freezing ours and then getting out small doses up till Christmast or something.
Here via CHBM!
Kelly | Nov 3, 2006 | Reply
Visiting via CHBMs…great idea!
Kris | Nov 5, 2006 | Reply
My husband wants me to raid their stash and put some away for their christmas stockings. Sounds good to me! They each got 4lbs! Plus, we had so few trick or treaters that I still have my two pounds as well. And I’m hoping not to add to my extra 25 pounds!