The holiday that celebrates sugar is just a few short days away. As the temptation mounts each time we step foot into a grocery store to purchase (and indulge in) an 8-pound bag of Snickers, Milky Ways, Reese’s, lollipops and Starbursts, here are three surefire ways that will allow you to relish in the sweetness of this fun holiday, but not split the seams of your costume.
1. Plot Before You Shop
Before you step foot into the store, figure out how many bags of candy you will need, (not how many you want). And most importantly, don’t buy candy that you love. If you know that you have the capacity to lose all self-control around peanut M&Ms, do yourself a HUGE favor and opt for another choice instead. Select only the candy that you are not tempted by. If you’d prefer to eat steamed salmon and broccoli over Mounds or SweeTarts, then stock your grocery cart with just those items that won’t trigger the sugar addict in you. And remember, that kids don’t care: All they want is the treat whether it’s chocolate or SweeTarts.
2. Don’t Buy Candy
Yes, this may appear sacrilegious, but more and more parents are opting to distribute healthy snacks or non-edibles for Halloween. You can buy a box of colored pencils online for about the same price as a few pounds of candy. Small boxes of raisins, organic lollipops and granola bars are all great alternatives to traditional candy. And don’t worry about looking like the odd-ball in the neighborhood. In fact, you’ll probably have parents running up to your door thanking you for your thoughtfulness.
3. Pack it Up, Send it Out
So Halloween is over and you’ve once again over-bought. So what do you do with this gigantic bowl of leftover candy that is just sitting on your kitchen counter screaming for someone to eat it? Rather than take it into your workplace where you’ll still be tempted by it, send it off with your spouse or drop it off at a local food bank, foster care facility, senior center or homeless shelter. With the holidays approaching, you can also consider putting together a care package for US military men and women who are stationed overseas and include these leftover treats.
The idea with Halloween is to relish in this sugar-coated holiday, but not go totally whacko with sugar. One Reese’s peanut butter cup tastes just the same as the ten additional ones you are pondering about eating.
Happy Halloween!
