Halloween Aftermath: What to do with all the candy?

The ghouls and goblins have all gone to bed and woken as tired, tummy-aching children who still have to go to school and you have to figure out what to do with all the candy that under NO circumstances can be kept around the house.

1. Remove and save actual food items and non-food items that you like-- goldfish, animal crackers, pretzels, pencils, erasers, etc.

2. Each kid gets to fill a sandwich size bag with whatever candy they personally want to keep and eat over the course of the next week.  Make sure to set a timeframe!

3. Decide what YOU want to keep
     - bag of parental prerogative goodies because we all have our favorites!
     - future baking ingredients: I now have a stash of plain M&Ms in my freezer ready for cookies
     - emergency tantrum kit for the car: I fill a bag with non-melting candy (Starburst, Skittles, Nerds) and keep in the center console of the car.  This is particularly handy for a) long drives or b) a child who is losing his mind

4. Donate the rest (and get paid!)
Find a local participating Halloween Candy Buy Back location and take your candy in to be weighed.  You get $1 per pound and the candy is then donated to military service members overseas and veterans in VA hospitals around the country.  Most of these buy-backs are hosted by dentist offices so you usually get a free toothbrush and toothpaste too!  Win-Win  To incentivize my children even more, I offer to double their money (if they sell back 2lbs and get $2, I'll give them another $2) so that they have a chance to buy something a little more pricey with their new found spending money.

Happy November!