UNITED STATES—If you have been to any retailer, you have seen all that candy that has been doused in the aisles as there is that hope the American public will come in to purchase. There is a slight problem; the cost of candy has sky-rocketed to crazy prices. I literally recall the price for a bag of Halloween candy being around $1.75. No, that is not the cost today, you’re looking at around $3 to $4 for a bag of Halloween candy where you only get about 15 pieces.
Yeah, that’s a lot of money and if you’re one of those homes that pass out candy, you’re easily spending close to $50 to have a decent amount (probably not enough) to pass out candy to all the kids that come to your home. We’re not even getting into those so called monumental bags of candy that some of the retailer’s offer that is supposed to give you like 150 to 200 pieces, but they cost like $20 to $30. Yeah, you might think that is a lot of candy, but if you’re giving 3 to 4 pieces of candy per child, with about 30 kids that bag of candy is gone.
Are their homes that only give out 1 piece of candy per child? Yes, and if you have actual candy bars, I would be doing the same thing. There is no need to go overboard if you don’t have to. However, we have to chat about the various types of candy. You have sugar, you have sweet, and you have chocolate. I am really not a chocolate person, but I am starting to lean that way more and more as I age.
I love sugary candy though. In particular, sugary and gummy candy, like gummy bears, gummy worms and Dots are my absolute favorite. I love licorice, but not Twizzlers. Gosh, that has to be the worst candy ever, but you would be surprised by the amount of people that love it. Dots and sugary gummy candy is not good per the dentist because it gets stuck in your teeth. Chocolate you have to be careful because if you over-indulge it feels like you can easily get a stomachache.
So it is all about a careful balance, but I think with most kids after about a week, they get tired of that candy. If we’re talking about a list of some of the favorite candies of all time I would have to think Snickers, Reese Cups, Starburst, Skittles are at the top of the list. However, you have plenty of other candies, like Dum Dum suckers and plenty of old school bits that are favorites for kids and adults. However, NO CANDY CORN. It just has a horrid taste.
Just a tip, if you do plan on passing out candy, you can indeed head to the Dollar Tree, where they have smaller bags, but much more affordable if you’re passing candy out or hosting a Halloween party. Twenty bucks at the dollar-tree goes a lot farther than $20 at Target or Walmart. You might be thinking how can I get all that candy away from the kiddies you can bribe them with money or toys. I use the money tactic quite often that works because the kids can use that money to purchase something they really want or like.
With the toy aspect, what kid doesn’t like a toy? Just be aware that the kids will absolutely love to try to barter with you saying 1 small piece of candy equates a $10 to $20 toy. It does not, so don’t allow the kids to get one over you because trust me, they absolutely will. That is the fun of candy you can barter with the kids but remember just because you’re the adult doesn’t mean you can always outwit them. Those kids are much smarter than you give them credit for.
Written By Zoe Mitchell
