I LOVE that idea. Seems like the candy costs about as much as the .50 piece anyway. Way better than the dentist down the road who hands out toothbrushes! Although as a parent, I love the toothbrush idea. :)

Last year, my daughter got Free Friendly's Ice Cream Cone Coupons for trick or treat from our neighbors.  It was a nice and welcome change from all the candy.  She saved it and used it to treat herself after her dance class.

That's a lot of money to hand out once all is said and done. We had probably a hundred trick or treaters through here last year... fifty cents a piece... ouch.

I don't ever keep candy in the house, but I think Halloween is one of those cut-loose-and-go-with-the-flow days. Let them binge and have fun and enjoy it, and then secretly throw the rest away on November 2nd or 3rd :)

That being said, I guess stickers or little pocket games would be cute. Although, the big kids wouldn't really appreciate them. I know I always threw away anything that wasn't candy when I was a kid. And though I was NOT involved, the house that gave out fruit got egged every year.

What fun ideas! But I have to agree... seems a little pricey. I think I'll stick with candy this year!

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Gina said ...
That's a lot of money to hand out once all is said and done. We had probably a hundred trick or treaters through here last year... fifty cents a piece... ouch.

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Though as a kid, I always loved the candy, I think I would have equally loved a fun Halloween charm bracelet (Even cheap stuff from the dollar tree can be SUPER cute when the kids get it for free) :) 

I like the little coupons you can get from Wendy's and other fast food restaurants for Frostys etc

I know it's still not "good" for you...but at least it's not candy.

I never hand out candy.  My neighborhood has lots and lots of young kids, and so for the past few years I've done little Halloween coloring books and crayons, tattoos, stickers, or glow in the dark bouncy balls.  I get all my stuff from Oriental Trading, and I don't think I spend any more money than when I buy candy. 

This year I'm gonna do Silly Bandz!  (But the cheap, generic kind!)  

Tara, that is an awesome idea!   Holly ________________________________

I love it when people come up with fun alternatives for holidays.  I think it goes a long way in making things fun for kids.

One website I came across that suggested alternatives to candy is Green Halloween.  The movement was started in Seattle and gained momentum after mom bloggers (!?!) started posting about it on their websites.

(You might even notice a familiar graphic on their homepage.)

-Francesca

Growing up we had a neighbor who would give out hot chocolate...steaming hot and ready to go in a styrofoam cup!  We always loved stopping by their home near the end of our Trick-or-Treating route as sometimes Halloween night could get pretty chilly!  We loved that it was different and unique!