Halloween Primer - Treats A-plenty (But Hide Them Well!)

Now that we're into the final half of October, there is no denying that Halloween is coming up and coming up fast!  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I've been having lots of fun decorating and planning for the big event!

While planning the perfect costume / party / menu / all of the above, it's important not to forget a very pivotal part of the Halloween experience - buying the treats!  It may sound obvious, but think back: how many times have you had to make a quick trip to the store on October 29 or 30?  And were you sometimes shocked to discover that there was almost nothing left to purchase? If you mentally raised your hand to either, then you know that it's time to add "Buy treats" to your to-do list.

The next item you'll want to write on that list is "Hide Treats."  Why?  I'm willing to wager that a good portion of you who have made that emergency treat trip did so because you did the unthinkable and dipped into the stash.  It is a well-known fact that, once opened, a bag of mini chocolate bars will not last long (or mini chips, or mini licorice, take your pick).  Regardless of your choice of treat, once its containment perimeter has been breached it's not long for this world.  And so, to prevent this from happening, you should hide your treats, and hide them WELL!!  My treats are residing in a basement storage room with my Christmas decorations right now, and they have been there undisturbed for over a week.  This may be a new record.

There are other steps you can take to protect your treats (and, subsequently, your wallet and your waistline).  One is to not pick out the treats yourself.  My husband picked out the treats this year (our last trip to town was a "two carter" at the department store and he swung by seasonal before I did).  He picked out Pringles and mini bars.  A good pick; although I do love chocolate, I am entirely more likely to rip into Twizzlers or Nibs.  And while I will eat a chip or two if a bowl is placed in front of me, they just aren't tempting enough for me open an entire case.

If you are faced with picking out the treats yourself, you could pick out something that there's no way on earth you would ever, ever eat.  Like those bags of sour powdered sugar objects, or things that look like slime.  I could have a truckload of those items and would feel absolutely no temptation to dip into them.  Now a Tootsie Roll or Pop, that's another story....and that's why I didn't throw a bag of those in the cart!

Do you have a Halloween Treat survival (or disaster) story?  If so, we'd love to hear them in the comments!

Have a great week!  See you on Wednesday!