Getting ready to buy some Halloween treats for the goblins and ? in your neighborhood? Well, so was I! This year, though, I did it differently.

I love Halloween candy, which is half the problem. Candy is just too tempting for my sweet tooth. I hate to even bring it in the house. So this year I looked for alternative Halloween treats–sans the candy.

Here’s what I found:

1. Why not fruit? It is good for them, and their parents will thank you. I love the little mandarins that they’re selling in our supermarkets.  What great Halloween treats.

Want to meet the little fellers halfway? How about a candied apple? They are super simple to make, too, especially the ones made with red hots. You can find the recipe on my Pinterest board here.

2. Every kid I know loves stickers. Dollar Tree has lots, and they can be handed out on Halloween night.

3.  Speaking of Dollar Tree, check out these Water Balls. Give one to each kid. Later they introduce water and the little balls soak like a sponge. Can you say “water ball fight?” Many of us in the southern states still have warm weather.

4.  Kids love whistles. You can find a bag of them at the dollar store.

5.  Glow sticks are perfect for lighting things that go bump in the night, especially on All Hallows’ Eve.

6.  Spooky spider rings and other accessories are great. Kids love things like fake vampire teeth and fake mustaches.

7.  Toys from the dollar store. Today’s dollar stores are our equivalent to yesterday’s dime stores. If you have a manageable number of kids, you can pick out 20-25 $1 gifts. Dollar Tree is perfect for this. Of course, this is quite expensive if you live in one of the popular neighborhoods where throngs of kids roam.

8.  Pencils, notepads, sharpeners, or erasers are perfect for this time of year.

9.  Coins make great Halloween treats, but not for the toddlers. Dollar bills work too unless you live where the hordes roam. I remember getting these in my bag. Mama did it one year because she forgot to buy the candy. She and Dad raided his piggy bank that stayed on top of his dresser.

10. Pokémon Cards are great Halloween treats especially if you really want to be a big hit with the little boys.

Every item here except for the fruit was $1, even the packages. And one package, the skull rings, had 50 rings in it. That’s a better bargain than candy, and you don’t have to worry about allergies. All these were bought at Dollar Tree, even the Pokémon Cards.

I like to offer these from my trusty Skull and Serpent Candy Bowl. I’ve had mine for over a decade now. It came from Spencer’s in the Tallahassee Mall.

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I found a video that shows how it works. Every time they reached into the bowl for candy, the snake popped out its eye socket and said numerous things like, “Gotcha!” and “That’s My Candy”.   It used to totally freak out the kids. I found a YouTube video that demonstrates how it worked.

However, the snake is missing now. I guess he wasn’t all that scary. He poked his head out one time too many, and our grandson Rhett wrenched him out of his den. The bowl still talks, but the snake no longer moves.

So those are my ideas for alternatives to candy.  Have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

Have you found anything else that works? Please do share!

 

In case you don’t have time to go out and shop, here are a few links for Amazon.