It’s the day after Halloween and the time has come for Target to put all of the candy on clearance. The aisles are still packed full with chocolates and lollipops and the decision looms over your head; which one do I get? After rationalizing that it’s on sale you get one of each and hurry along to the self check out line so you don’t feel so judged by the cashier. We’ve all been there, whether it’s the day after Valentines day, Christmas, or Easter there is always a good candy clearance. Since no one can pass up a great deal we usually end up with a surplus of Halloween candy. You can only eat so much chocolate and then you remember there are other foods in the world. So, let’s fix that!
The first thing you can do with the candy is to give it away. There are various non-profit groups that accept candy to send over to troops overseas. If you can’t find any drop off areas near you then try to give it away to friends as a thank you. No one can pass up free candy and a cute thank you note! That small act of kindness can go a long way.
Another thing you can do is start baking! M&M’s go great on top of a cake. Use those Hershey bars to make s’more dip (yes that’s a thing, please go look it up.) Reese’s are so yummy in brownies and you can put all of the candy together to make candy bars (cookie batter with so much chocolate.) If you find yourself overwhelmed with baked goods then have a bake sale and donate the money to the charity of your choice. You’ll feel good about it and be able to get rid of them before they go bad!
You can also use all the candy for a milkshake night. Invite all your girls over, get the face masks ready, movies playing and make your own milkshakes! All you need is milk, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and a boat load of candy. Everyone can mix and match to create the milkshake of the dream. Just don’t forget the whipped cream and a cherry on top!
If you’re set on keeping the candy then be sure to freeze some so it will last longer. You can take it out to defrost throughout the year and it’ll still be delicious. Keep it for studying, one page of notes equals one piece of candy. Answered 80% of the practice test correctly? Bam you get eight pieces of candy. It’s a great incentive to study (especially with finals week slowly creeping up on us) and it’ll be good to space all that candy consumption out. No one wants to end up with an upset tummy, that just means our parents were right all along.
One piece of candy with a little note can go a long way with anyone in your life: roommates, sorority sisters, boss, coworkers, etc. Spread the love and happiness that candy brings to everyone. Enjoy the clearance bin hunt!