How to Buy Just Enough Candy for Halloween Without Going Too Far
The hardest part of Halloween (besides choosing the perfect costume for you or your little kids) is figuring out how much candy to buy. Obviously, running out early is not fun at all, but given that good things cost more than $ 10 a bag these days, neither is outbid. (It turns out that extra candy brings more fun when someone pays for them – is another.)
If you’ve ever dreamed of a magical formula for buying Halloween candy, you might be surprised to know that it really does exist. Most sources, including Martha Stewart herself , advise dividing the number of trick enthusiasts in your area by the number of servings per bag of candy. This tells you how many bags to buy. Easy, right? Not so fast! While this method works as a last resort, it ignores what is actually in the bag and how the kids handle the candy. Here’s a better way.
Get the strength
First things first: you need headcount. How many tricks do you expect this year? This is the number of servings you will need. Your rating doesn’t have to be perfect, but try your best. Use past experiences and / or collective experiences and contributions from your neighbors to communicate this assessment.
Once you have a headcount, you can start looking at the packages to see how many servings they contain. Unfortunately, you can’t always trust the numbers on the packaging – the serving sizes suggested rarely reflect how much people actually eat, and this is especially true when you’re dealing with kids and candy.
Estimate real serving sizes
This Reese Pumpkin Pack has 16 servings. Given the suggested serving of two pumpkins, this equates to 32 pumpkins per bag. Here’s my question for Reese: in what universe would anyone voluntarily limit themselves to two such pumpkins? Not this one! Personally, I would increase the serving size to 3 or 4 just in case, bringing the “real” number of servings per bag down to 8 or 10 – about half the manufacturer’s estimate.
Use this method to estimate the actual number of servings in each bag of candy you buy. (If you are unsure about your estimates, ask your child for his or her opinion.) Ideally, you want the total number of actual servings to match or slightly exceed your size. There are two ways to make sure you are on the right track.
1. Add up the actual number of servings for each bag, compare to your size and adjust if necessary.
2. Subtract the actual number of servings per bag from your number until it is zero.
These methods won’t tell you how many bags to buy, but that’s the point. Not all Halloween candy bags are created equal; focusing on your content will give you a better chance of buying only what you need.
Get rid of bags and assorted packages
Speaking of what’s inside the bags, disposable bags are best. Buying oversized random bundles of unnamed treats is a great way to end up with leftovers that no one wants.
Popular candies are popular for one reason: kids know what they like and there is no point in fighting it, let alone Halloween. If Skittles and Reese are getting popular year after year, make sure they are well represented in your candy bowl. Give the kids what they want – buying anything else is a waste of money.