We’re gearing up for Halloween around here. The costumes, pumpkin patches, creative carving, and buying of candy… followed by buying more candy, because a nameless adult has poor self-control. (Me, I’m the nameless adult).
But what about when it’s all over? Do we really want to be eating massive bags of candy for weeks? (In my case, even more weeks). Do we want to send our pumpkins to the landfill? And what to do about those spiffy costumes? If these all important questions keep you up at night, hold onto your trick-or-treat bucket because I’m about to share some options to ease your worried mind!
Trading Sugar For Something Sweeter
In our family, we love giving our kids the freedom to choose some favorite candies to keep. The rest we “buy back” for $0.10 a piece. At the end of the night our kiddos are happily munching on their goodies, playing a download they just purchased or surfing Amazon for a fun toy.
Less sugar crashes, cavities, and poor health choices. More enjoyment in moderation, with an exercise in budgeting while we’re at it! (Whoa, did you just see us sneak math into Halloween?) From here you can either freeze the bought back candy for later use, share it with others, or look up a local donation site.
Supper For Swine
Now onto our beloved pumpkins. They graced our entrances during September, were carved into lanterns for October, and now they risk molding your doormat or ending up in the landfill. No thanks!
Those gorgeous gourds are not only a great addition to your personal compost bin, but they might be a sumptuous snack for your local farm life. Pumpkins For Pigs is a great site for finding farms and sanctuaries accepting your carved pumpkins and other garden goodies.
Halloween Costumes
Since we’re past the era of printing super heroes on plastic tablecloths and wearing them (thank you, 80’s memories) we are often left with costumes that can be used again and again! My kids were Spidey and Ghost Spider last year. And they played Spiderman in those outfits for as long as they could squeeze into them.
Robin Hood, a fireman, a princess, and more have gone from one night uses to a year’s worth of pretend play inside couch forts and table tents. And for those that are too bulky for repeat play or were too quickly outgrown? Pass them on for future use to your local Buy Nothing group or favorite consignment shop.
No matter what you do to wrap up your October festivities, I hope your homes are full of joyful memories… and a little bit of left over chocolate.
