Candy Hangover? 6 Smart Ways to Get It out of the House

The aftermath of Halloween is here…excess candy is lurking around your home, costume parts are randomly scattered about, stringy spider webs are stuck in your hair.  You may have survived temptation Halloween night passing on sampling the treats you gave the kids, but having extra candy lying around is a recipe for unwanted, unstoppable snacking that can quickly lead to weight gain.   Getting rid of leftover candy or at least out of sight is far more effective than a battle of will to resist temptation.

Here are my top 5 tips to get that candy out of your house:

1.) Donate to local businesses that send care packages to military service men and women overseas, a children’s shelter or pediatric hospital ward.

2.) Don’t bring it to work.  Okay this, isn’t a way to get it out of the house but do yourself and your co-workers a favor by abstaining from contributing to the already challenging food environment full of donuts, bagels, desktop candy dishes and everyone else’s leftover Halloween goodies.  Work is often the place people struggle most to resist making food choices that aren’t part of their healthy eating or weight loss plan.  If you want to stock up the break room, bring in a bag of local apples to share.

3.) Freeze leftovers.  My grandmother always kept Halloween sized candy bars in her basement freezer; growing up I learned to love cold chocolate!  While I thought it was to save money and reduce waste, looking back I think she created an easy system for portion control to enjoy an occasional treat.  Frozen candy takes longer to eat, can be more satisfying and reduce the number of treats you ultimately consume.

4.) Create crafts.  Stale candy corn is perfect for many art projects.  Try making a wreath, garland, or picture frame.

5.) Toss it.  I hate wasting food but weighing benefit and risk throwing out leftover candy can win out.  That candy isn’t offering nutrients or any other benefit and while you may lose a little money, it could add up to less than you’ll need to spend later on bigger clothes or weight loss programs. Even better, share it with the homeless person on the street.

6.) Buy less.  OK this one applies to next year. If you have two bags of leftover candy, buy two bags less next year.  We are always afraid of running out so stock up with Halloween themed pencils, erasers, stickers, tattoos, etc. so you have plenty to pass out without excess candy to tempt you on November 1st.