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Monday, October 17, 2016

Hallowe'en is just around the corner!


Just have to have some candy corn around the house for Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving, here. And of course, I need treats to hand out on Hallowe'en.

For the candy corn, I found WinCo has the best prices in our area on candy corn, in their bulk bins, at $1.48 per pound. Compare this to the other budget candy corn venue -- Dollar Tree, at $1 for an 8 oz bag (equals $2 per pound). Dollar Tree is still a pretty good deal, when compared to buying name-brand, bagged candy corn from the grocery store.


Last week, at WinCo, I did buy our candy corn for the season, a little over a pound. We'll use some of it to decorate Jack O Lantern cookies, and some will go on the Thanksgiving table.

As for the trick-or-treats, I have a set budget per treat of 15 cents. We get around 30 trick-or-treaters at our house.

While at WinCo, I deliberated the merits of all kinds of treats, -- juice boxes, bags of chips, fruit snacks and candy. I weighed the pros and cons of many treats. I wanted just the right treat to hand out. I didn't want any kid to feel like I gave out rotten treats. But I also remembered that my own kids would occasionally get something other than candy, and really appreciate the variety. And I didn't want to add to the sugar overload from the huge pile of candy. Nor did I want a bunch of candy left over in my own home. Wow, so much to consider. I spent close to an hour trying to find the one right treat.


I settled on individual bags of pretzels. Pretzels may not be the most impressive treat, but I'm together enough that my ego will stay intact if I don't impress every child in the neighborhood. And the treats that I give out don't need to in some way "fix" the lives of every kid who knocks on my door.

I felt okay about my choice of treat, okay in a good way. Because I don't have to feel super-duper fantastic about every detail of my life. The treat, itself, is just a token. It's the fact that I open the door, and wish the trick-or-treaters a happy evening, and I ooh and ah over their choice of costume, and I make them feel that I have enjoyed this moment of time with them at my doorstep. All of that is what matters to the kids, isn't it? At the very least, I made at least one mom pleased that their child got something other than candy on that night.

And just so you know, WinCo also has a lot of pre-wrapped candy, in the bulk bin section, at awesome prices, if candy is your preferred treat for Hallowe'en.


20 comments:

  1. Hi, Lili--

    All sounds good, but I have one question...

    How does the WinCo candy corn TASTE?????? :)

    Some candy corn isn't very good, and I'd rather skip it altogether than save money and have tasteless (or weird-tasting) candy corn.

    We need answers to the IMPORTANT questions!(wink) Have a great week! Sara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sara,
      I think it is less salty than the name-brand. But still good. It's softer than what I remember Dollar Tree's candy corn, last year. Candy corn is one of those treats that I love only in fall, I think for nostalgia, mostly. My turn to bring treats to church is later this month, and in addition to cookies, I'll be bringing trail mix, with candy corn in place of chocolate pieces.

      Yes, the all important question -- taste!

      Have a great day, Sara!

      Delete
    2. Thanks for clearing that up, Lili! :) I doubt I'll get any this year, but I DO like to get some every couple of years. I also like the "mellowcreme" pumpkins, every once in a while.

      No trick-or-treaters at our place (dark and too far from the street, as others have mentioned). Most years I only make a half-batch of some sort of cookie for two families we know with children.

      I do LOVE to carve pumpkins, though, and love the smell of a pumpkin hot from a candle in it. :)

      Have fun! Sara

      Delete
    3. Sara, I bet those families love the cookies that you bake for them. that's such a sweet gesture!

      Delete
  2. Halloween is NOT my favorite day at all. In my country home, we had no trick-or-treat visitors and our first year in the "city" we had a fair amount. But I don't like trick or treating and so the second year we just closed the house down.

    I don't buy candy anymore either though the prices are good, I just don't need that in my diet. When my kids were young, they weren't even allowed to go trick or treating mostly due to our religious beliefs about what the day really means. They turned out fine.

    I'll be the outcast here but it is what it is!

    Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      Nobody is an outcast, here! I respect and appreciate your beliefs.

      I really don't need candy in my diet, either. But I've made a lot of progress in recent years (and even weeks). I do have some nostalgia attachments to certain candies. Candy corn, gum drops (the big ones), and old fashioned ribbon candy are a few. Those remind me of my mother.

      Have a great day, Alice!

      Delete
  3. I like candy corn too! I am not sure if I will buy some this year. The cookies are cute. I think this year I am handing out spider rings,orange pencils and suckers from
    Easter. If I can remember or find the spider rings from last year. They used to be in my cake decor box but I can not seem to find them. I will keep looking. I found treat bags 30 for 25 cents at 99 cents only.
    If I do not find the spiders a pencil and a couple of
    suckers it will be. I only had a couple of Trick or Treater's last year one little kept coming back. He has about 2 and really cute.
    have a great day.
    Patt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Patti,
      Oh, I love your trick or treats. I think the kids will love them!
      have a great day Patti!

      Delete
  4. For some reason, we never had trick or treaters since we lived here. I think our street is a very long walk with houses mostly dark, including ours.

    I don't have any particular memories of candy corn. I think I've tried it at least once, and wasn't too impressed. On the subject of holiday candies, I still have my Christmas clearance candy in the refrigerator. Those gooey cherry chocolates. Since buying these, I haven't bought any other chocolate, except a $10 birthday freebie from Godiva chocolates. At least I know now how to curb our chocolate cravings lol

    Have a most pleasant day!!

    YHF

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi YHF,
      I am amazed that your cherry chocolates haven't been all eaten! In our house, I don't think they would last very long. And the birthday freebie from Godiva must have been yummy.

      I hope you have a great day, too, YHF!

      Delete
  5. Halloween treats are sorta pricey for us. We open our doors for trick-or-treaters (varies from 30-50/year, good thing we are on the main road or we would be closer to 150), my daughter's elementary school does a trunk or treat celebration in the evening instead of an in-school party (we make a point of attending that, as it's the best place for her to see her friends and to admire each other's costumes), and our church also does a fall festival with a trunk or treat as an alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. Sooo I buy for all of those events. This will be my daughter's last year in elementary school so next year we can cut down on some of the treat purchases!

    I hear ya on "what to buy, what to buy". I have purchased pretzel bags in the past--my kids like them as treats in their lunches, and they are great for road trips if you have leftovers. As a mom, I also preferred food that was less sugary and when my kids were tiny, I felt like pretzels were "safe" (less likely to cause choking). Some of my neighbors give out crazy huge amounts of candy--I'm not that into Halloween but I have fun memories of it from my childhood, so I hope I am contributing to a fun event for our local kids.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      That does sound like it would get expensive! Yeah, my kids would come home with way too much candy, IMO. And there doesn't seem to be the variety that there was when I was a girl. I remember getting baggies of popcorn, or potato chips, fresh fruit, raisins, cookies and popcorn balls, in addition to the candy. but now, with safety concerns, most of that won't work. I'm glad I bought the pretzels, this year. At least I won't be contributing to the huge bags of candy.

      have a great day, Kris!

      Delete
  6. Candy corn is very sweet, but I do enjoy a few pieces around Halloween. There is someone at work who always brings it in this time of year, so I can get my fix without buying it for myself. I'm not sure what we're giving out this year for Halloween, but I try to buy something I don't like, like malted milk balls, so I'm not so tempted with the leftovers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      ha! that's a good plan! Usually people say they try to buy something they would like, so that they will eat the leftovers! I'm glad you can find a small amount of candy corn to enjoy, without buying the whole bag.
      Have a great day, live and learn!

      Delete
  7. I usually have 100+ kids.
    I have in recent years given out a bagged chip/popcorn treat made by a local manufacturer.
    I gave also given out strips of "freezies" . Usually 4 per trick or treaters. I have gotten bags on sale between .24-.49 cents each. They would 24 plus in them.
    I think I mentioned before that one year I gave out "clicker" noise makers. I had purchased the box at my church rummage sale.
    When I was a child I went to a faith based school and the costumes had to be of a saint:) I think we celebrated on Nov1 on All Saints a Day. I was frequently St.Francis of Assisi:) you always knew the kids from our school trick or treating.
    I think I have also mentioned for my children's parties at Halloween I would take a disposable plastic glove and put a candy corn down the fingers to be nails and fill the glove with popcorn and tie with leftover ribbon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Teresa,
      You do get a lot of kids at your house! I think that is an excellent idea, to give out something locally made. Your choice is not sugary, plus it benefits a local company, thereby putting money in your neighbors's pockets. I like the freezie idea. I do find those on clearance at the end of summer. I'll have to remember that for next year. Great idea with the disposable glove!

      Delete
  8. Winco (at least ours) has their cheapest bulk candy on sale the week of Halloween every year. I wait until then to buy it. It includes things like caramels and peppermint patties, so I buy some of those for Christmas stockings, in a bag separate from the one I have for Halloween.

    We don't get a lot of children so I don't have to hand out a lot each year, but I do get some. I know at least 2 children moved into our neighborhood this year. Some years we have only had 12 children. Because of that, a few people in our neighborhood have handed out full-sized candy bars in past years! We've had a lot of people move in (and out) this year, so I don't know if we'll get more or not.

    One year there was a family making hamburgers in their front yard on their grill and handing them out to children! My children thought that was fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brandy,
      Thanks for the tip. I'll be sure and check our WinCo the week of Hallowe'en. Ours had marked the candy corn down from $1.58/lb in September to the $1/48/lb this past week. They also had other autumn themed candy on sale.

      We also have a couple of neighbors who give out full-sized candy bars. Out of our budget, but my kids always loved it.

      I love the idea of your neighbor to grill burgers. I would imagine that would build a sense of community amongst the neighbors.

      Have a great day, Brandy!

      *In case someone, here, doesn't know this, green price/shelf tags indicate an item is on sale at WinCo.*

      Delete
  9. I think I am in the minority here as I can't stand the taste of Candy Corn.....sorry. Although, a friend introduced me to a mix of peanuts and candy corn. If I put one piece of candy corn in my mouth with a handful of peanuts it is not too bad! But, I do love it as decoration because the colors are so cheery to me so I used to buy a couple bags of candy corn and pour some into little glass globes and then nestle a tea light down in there. At night they created such a pretty and warm glow. :-)

    I have stopped buying and handing out treats. We live on a cul de sac and usually only get a handful of kiddos and if the weather is too cold or wet then we don't see any kids. My husband and my youngest are not big candy eaters anyway so I would be the one eating up the candy and I definitely don't need that temptation. ;-) The malls and churches seem to be the place for trick or treating around here nowadays also.

    Have fun with your candy corn and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi KCMama,
      Okay, you twisted my arm -- I'll eat your share of the candy corn!

      I know what you mean about the cheery appearance. Even if you don't enjoy eating them, candy corn has become symbolic of early autumn, to me.

      Your tea lights sound so cheery, and would make a great table centerpiece, this time of year. Lovely!

      Have a great day, KCMama!

      Delete

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