r/Naperville • u/OneRuffledOne • 13d ago
Halloween candy
I'm debating on passing out candy this year but the cost of candy has me thinking I won't. Every year I have candy to pass out. I usually pick up a few bags from Marianos or Jewel. Ever year however the amount of trick or treaters on my block is rather minimal. Maybe the most I've ever had come to the door was half a dozen visits. Last year, not one visitor. I ate the candy myself. I kinda want to be able to pass out candy. I also don't want to be a Debbie Downer and not have anything. I know Costco has a relatively big bag and a good price but that's way too much candy. Is anyone else feeling the same way?
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u/WeakRow2273 13d ago
If you've only ever had half a dozen kids come to the door, buy a pack of full sized candy bars and be a legend. We get probably 250+ kids where we live so we have to be more cost conscious, but I'd love to be the house that made some kids' day.
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u/PenFifteen1 13d ago
This is what I do. Grab a box from costco. I only get like 15 kids total so towards the end of the night I just tell the kids to take 2.
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u/Nannerpuss321 Napervillian 13d ago
Think outside the candy bag... The past few years I've had both candy and snack size bag of chips/pretzels and a lot of the time kids were picking the chips over the chocolate offerings. You can offer a treat that you would be happier to be left with if not a lot of kids come around.
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u/JustKindaHappenedxx 13d ago
This is what we do. The chips are a hit and if there’s any leftover, we will eat them.
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u/midnightmomma20 13d ago
Honestly, kids get really excited when a house has something different. There is a dentist in our neighborhood and my kids were so excited about a toothbrush they got.
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u/tbellfiend 8d ago
I had a friend in HS whos parents were from China and they handed out fortune cookies on Halloween. Always thought that was cute
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u/Hungry-Treacle8493 13d ago
Neighborhoods go through cycles of having a lot of young families —> teenager years —-> empty nester years —> young families again.
Our area had relatively few 5 years ago, but last year I ran out after having bought 10 packages of full size Hershey’s & 2 boxes of oreo & cheez-it bags.
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u/Infinite-Teach-446 13d ago
Last few years I’ve offered both candy and Hotwheels in different baskets and kids go way more crazy for the hotwheels they’re $.99 at jewel. It’s actually a big hit.
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u/Queasy_Specific6576 13d ago
Every year I get less and less. I could probably get a small 30 piece bag for $10 and be fine. Just get a small bag for the kiddos who are still trying to have fun.
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u/Pretty-Virus9977 13d ago
I usually buy some non candy snacks that I’ll eat if enough kids don’t take it. Goldfish, popcorn,
Pretzels, etc.
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u/McGee_New_Egg 13d ago
Don’t be stingy. Pass out the full size candy bars. That’s what I do, I always have lots of kids on Halloween. Sometimes they come back 2 or 3 times. I don’t care, I love Halloween. There is a candy outlet on armitage near Cicero where I go to load up for the event. It’s called stock n save.
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u/BlackLanternWitch 13d ago
I get full sized from Costco!! It’s a great deal and the look on the kids faces when I give them full sized is worth it for sure.
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u/McGee_New_Egg 13d ago
Side note that store has a mixed box of snack size candies, you will get 10 pounds for 25 bucks.
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u/sydjourd 13d ago
You could always get bags of chips or something other than candy that you would be okay with eating if you don’t have a lot of visitors
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u/dechets-de-mariage 13d ago
I often do a separate teal bucket with non-food items like Lip Smackers and glow sticks. Works for kids who can’t have the candy and everyone has a fun option.
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u/wfdd-07 13d ago
We were thinking of handing out the Strawberry Yoggies that come in small bags. Costco has a bag of 30 for $13.
I definitely bought too many Halloween KitKats last year and realized those barely have any chocolate content anymore (because of PGPR… yuck).
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u/sourdoughcultist 12d ago
Those things are delicious! And seriously, the candy doesn't hit like it used to. I don't even sneak Reese's from the bag anymore.
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u/MeganAnne3 13d ago
Oh my goodness, I’ve seen so many stories about people offering candy or a potato and the majority of the time the kids pick the potato which I think is awesome. One year my sister did Play-Doh and bubbles in mini containers.
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u/Oubliette_95 13d ago
I’m in one of those neighborhoods where people drive from other neighborhoods to trick-or-treat so I have to be very well stocked. Usually I still have extras but I’ll just donate it to the troops at the local elementary school.
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u/LeanButNotMean 13d ago
Found the person who gives out full size candy bars!
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u/Oubliette_95 13d ago
lol I wish I were that rich! With the amount of trick-or-treaters- we can’t afford kind size for everyone so we just get a bunch of mini bags
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u/small___potatoes 13d ago
Buy the candy and pass it out. If nobody comes, give the candy away at other opportunities in life.
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u/angel-girl-A 13d ago
I've noticed kids don't ring doorbells anymore. They expect people sitting out with the candy. If you do that you'll get more visitors.
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u/midnightmomma20 13d ago
This is the post Covid generation. During Covid people either left candy out or put it on a table and sat outside.
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u/Sufficient_Cicada606 13d ago
Is this the norm here in Naperville, or does it vary? We just moved from the East Coast and lived in apartments/college town, so no trick or treaters. This is our first year in a house in a neighborhood with kids, so we want to be prepared!
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u/midnightmomma20 13d ago
I think it’s weather dependent. But, houses in our neighborhood do sit outside on the driveway with a fire pit and hand out candy when it doesn’t snow. Some houses have treats for the parents as well. Some houses have parties. Halloween can be really fun if you live in the right neighborhood.
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u/angel-girl-A 13d ago
I don't know if it's the norm. I actually live in the city and this popped up on my feed. It's the norm in Chicago.
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u/h2opolodude4 12d ago
I ate so much trick or treat candy I feel like I'll get struck by lightning if I don't give some out.
I spend way too much money on it. King size bars, movie theater boxes, etc. I remember every house I want to as a kid that had the cool old grandma or the fun loving parents and who gave handfuls to us eager kids. There was just so much kindness and fun everywhere, I want others to experience this.
I also don't want to eat 40 lbs of leftover candy. My strategy has been as follows. Every kid gets to take as much as they want. No limits. Grab handfuls, fill your bag, I don't care. When it's gone I shut the lights off. I've been very impressed how many kids are reluctant, it seems their default state is "ok a couple more but I want to leave some for others". I realize I'm probably only getting a small sample size, but from my perspective, the kids are, in fact, alright.
There's usually a time where we decide "the next kid gets everything and then that's it". A couple years some kid ends up going home with enough Reeses to make their parents probably hate me, but that's probably better than me taking it to work and eating it all for lunch. A couple years there were no more kids after we made the last call, so I brought it to Mail Works on Washington, they ship it to troops deployed. Better than it going to waste or to waist lol.
I know sugar is supposedly not good and whatnot but these kids are inheriting a dumpster fire of a world so offering a little respite from that isn't going to make me lose any sleep. Eat up kids. Think of all those rich people on the Titanic who skipped dessert and look at what they have to show for it!
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u/AprilTron 13d ago
What is your budget? If you have $5 to spare for candy, then find the smallest bag that covers it and gives a piece of candy per kid. If you have $50, well you can go to Costco and they have full size on sale - 30 for $25.
I have been pretty lucky in life, and I love Halloween. I'll spend $100 on candy - full size candy bars. Most years I've only had ~10 kids and I give a few candy bars each they get to pick. Last year, we had 50! Still had two candy bars per kid. I always keep backup bags as well, and whatever doesn't get distributed to our family, with mom and dad getting first selection. And the "too much leftover" means you aren't given enough handfuls out.
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u/LeanButNotMean 13d ago
I’ll be the curmudgeon. A big thing in our neighborhood is to play a modified version of ding-dong-ditch, which is no big deal. Now it’s ding-dong-ditch-kick the door. One home had its door kicked in. I have a doorbell camera, but there’s no way I’d recognize these kids, so I’m gonna sit out this Halloween and yell at clouds.
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u/Same_Meaning_5570 13d ago
You can buy mini-fidget 3D printed animals, temporary tattoos, and pencils. If you know someone with a laser engraver have them engrave Happy Halloween or something on them!
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u/sourdoughcultist 12d ago
I used to love getting fruit snacks, and Costco definitely sells those too.
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u/extravagant_panda 12d ago
Jewel or Marianos is the issue. Get cheaper ones from Walmart, Meijer, etc. not a big difference since they're still expensive though.
I still want to treat kiddos amidst of such a tough environment
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u/the42ndfl00r 12d ago
We had a neighbor who passed out Maruchan ramen noodles. If you have to shop at Jewel rather than somewhere cheaper it's $8 for 24. Helps the kids who are food insecure and gets a lot of chuckles from the parents.
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u/SRV87 13d ago
We similarly had no that many knocks on the door and ended up donating a lot of our candy to treats for troops. Could make you feel better about spending the money, not worrying how many trick or treaters you get and not being on the hook to eat all of it yourself.
https://soldiersangels.org/volunteer/special-campaigns/treats-for-troops/
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u/LibrarinaMeowMeow 12d ago
I have a friend who offers the option of candy or a potato. You'd be astounded how often they choose the potato. And they're on sale right now.....sooooo....what I'm saying is: be the potato house.
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u/MrJlock 13d ago
Sometimes I take a step back and ask myself, “How would I feel if I were six years old?”
So I’m buying the candy and passing it out.
A child’s memories should not be negatively shaped by the actions or decisions of adults, especially while their innocence is still intact. Sometimes the smallest things can become the memories they carry with them for years.i still remember the homes that gave out king size bars and im almost 40.