It's All In the Strategy

For most of my adult, Halloween-candy-giving life, I have struggled with . . . not eating the treats before the trick-or-treaters arrived.  Over the years, I tried all kinds of things to prevent myself from snacking on Snickers bars, but none of these strategies were terribly effective.  For example, I tried storing the candy in the freezer . . . only to discover that frozen Snickers bars are nearly as tasty as room-termperature Snickers bars.  I tried buying my candy at the last moment . . . only to discover that the pent-up desire for a snack-size Snickers bars is even stronger when I wait to the last moment.

Anyway.

After years and years of struggling, I have hit upon a Candy Strategy that Works!  
(A 3-part strategy, of course.)

1 -- Buy ONLY as much candy as you will need to give out.  Don't buy extras-just-in-case.  And if you do run out?  Big win!  Turn out your lights and call it quits.

2 -- Have a plan for "donating" your leftover candy (your office candy jar?  an upcoming curling tournament?  your art class? so many possibilities. . . ).  Think about who might actually WANT it (or even just tolerate having it) and bag it up for them as soon as your trick-or-treaters call it a night - and then go put it in your car so you can deliver it the next day.  The key here is to get it out of your house!

The best strategy of all, though?

3 -- Step away from the Snickers bars!  Only buy candy you don't like and won't eat!  As you can see in the photo of my treat bowl - all ready for this evening - there is no chocolate.  None.  Only (sugar-bomb) Skittles, Nerds (what even ARE those?), (mouth-destroying) Sweet Tarts and Sour Patch Kids, (tasteless) Twizzlers, and the like.  NOT my candy!  Biggest WIN ever!

How about you?  What's your best strategy for avoiding Halloween candy?  (Or . . . is it your guilty pleasure???)

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Happy Halloween!  I hope your day is full of treats!

(Tom and I dressed as "robbers" for a Halloween party last weekend.)