Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and now we’ve made it to the real holiday — Post V-Day Candy Shopping! The aisles of Target are lined with heart shaped boxes with big “ON SALE” signs posted in front of them, and they are calling our names. However, trying to find the best candy and still afford to pay rent can be a struggle, so we have the breakdown of which candy to buy and which ones to stay far, far away from.
SNAG: Russell Stovers. The inventor of the magical, wonderful, perfect chocolate holiday that we call “Valentine’s Day.” Literally any form of Russell Stovers chocolate is worth your time. It doesn’t matter if it’s the biggest heart-shaped box of chocolates that they offer or the individually-wrapped delicious goodness, every form of RS is worth every penny.
SKIP: Sweethearts. If you want to feel like you just choked down an entire box of chalk from the chalkboards in the Levan Center, go ahead and buy these! If you’re like the rest of us and know how terrible the Sweethearts are, then you already know to skip these bad boys. No matter what cute sayings these hearts have on them, they just aren’t worth it.
SNAG: KitKats. Oh hello, heaven is calling! The wonderful, delicious, beautifully crafted Red Velvet KitKats are BACK, which means they are in the discount aisle RIGHT NOW. Now hold on before you go running to get your shoes, let us build up the anticipation. These bad boys are coated in a white chocolate that is perfectly blended to taste like cream cheese icing, and the wafers on the inside taste like the best red velvet cake at your grandma’s birthday. Does it get any better? Oh wait — it comes it minis! So yeah, it does get better.
SKIP: Cinnamon Lips. I mean, the idea is cute and all, but who REALLY wants to be chomping down cinnamon lips? Do everyone a favor and don’t just skip these, throw them in the trash on the way out!
SKIP: Peeps. As if we can’t get away from these hardened marshmallow nastiness in the spring, Peeps had to expand themselves to all holidays — including Valentine’s Day. I don’t care what time of year it is or how cute they make their “candy,” Peeps are never and will never be a thing to spend your hard-earned money on. SKIP!
SNAG: Jolly Ranchers. Suckers are a classic, Jolly Rancher suckers are a must. Every V-Day Jolly Ranchers release their Valentine’s Exchange suckers that carry the flavorful kick of a Jolly Rancher in the shape of a heart on a stick. These babies are flashbacks to elementary school Valentine’s party, when the coolest kid in the class would bring these instead of the classic paper cards like everyone else. These suckers come with a place to write who it is to and from, so you can write on each one and remind yourself that you “treat” yourself right!
And there you go! We wish you a week of crying over delicious, truffle-filled chocolates as we all prepare for midterms.