10 candy-free goodies for Halloween

Sort of.
We are crossing items off of our Fall bucket list left and right, and having a lot of fun while doing it!
We'll be decorating our pumpkins the first part of next week and I've been thinking about painting mine (Mike and our little dove will definitely be carving theirs, they love that). In fact, I'd already been thinking about some turquoise spray paint I had when I came across {this article}.


Have you heard about the Teal Pumpkin Project? Nobody in our household has food allergies (yet, knock on wood) but we know so many people who have different gluten, soy, dairy, or nut issues; it seems like a good idea to have a few non-candy/food items. In the past I've usually tried to have a couple of options and have always been surprised when kids go for something other than candy! SO here are 10 ideas for a candy-free Halloween.

2. Loose change: How many of us have a big jar of loose change floating around? This is another one I remember from growing up; there was one house where the guy had a HUGE bowl of loose change and he had a big serving spoon in it, how ever many coins you could scoop and keep in your spoon, you could keep! It was kind of like a carnival game at the doorstep. You could take this a step further and have your child participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, which is such an easy and fun way to give back! I did that a couple of years growing up and had a great experience! This is a great option if your kid has a lot of allergies, that way you're just avoiding the candy all together and your child has a sense of pride in helping others.

3. Mini flashlights: Oriental Trading has some cute Halloween ones, and the price isn't too bad. I know this would be a great option for my neighborhood because there are no street lights and it gets dark so early! You still have time to order if you choose express shipping. And while you're at it, check out all the little Halloween toys they have.

4. Glowsticks: Another way to light up the night is with glowsticks. With prices ranging anywhere from 5-15 for $1, this is a very economical decision if you live somewhere where a lot of trick-or-treaters come to your door. One of the best places to get these is at your local dollar store. I have passed these out before and kids loved them! And as my husband pointed out to me the other day, they last longer than a piece of candy does. :)

5. Frosty coupons: So this treat isn't diary-free, but it is safe for those with gluten, soy, or nut allergies. Head over to your local Wendy's fast food restaurant and purchase a Frosty coupon book for $1. Inside each book will either be 5 or 10 coupons for a free Jr. Frosty, and 90% goes back to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This is another great way to do some good at this time of year! And what a fun and different treat for the kiddos to get!

6. Crayons: This is another option that can help stretch your dollar if you get a lot of trick-or-treaters. You can either purchase individual boxes (Crayola sells small boxes for a $1, or you can generally find big packs of boxes of 4 at your local party store or seasonal aisle at Target), or purchase a big package and separate them into groups of two or three and tip them up with a pretty ribbon or some baker's twine.

7. Applesauce pouches: Here is another safe food item you can hand out. My kids are big fans of the individual apple sauce pouches, and I'm a big fan of the fact that they don't make messes! You can even go the extra mile and spookify them {like this}. I can usually find these on sale at one of my local stores.

8. Playdough: This is one of my favorite things to pass out at Halloween; even I think they're fun! You can find Halloween colors in the Halloween aisle at stores like Target and Wal-Mart, or you can find them in regular assorted colors in the toy aisle near the rest of the Playdough. Dollar tree also sells an off-brand.

9. DIY Bead Kits: time consuming, but relatively simple to put together, these might be a good choice for those that don't get many kids coming to your door, or it would be the perfect treat to make for your daughter's playgroup or Preschool. Check out {this post} to see the cute and fun  (and allergy safe!) treats that one momma made!

10. Bubbles: These are another great choice that kids love! And you have so many options for size, shape, and cost of bubbles! You could pick up Halloween ones from a seasonal aisle, you could pick up plain ones from the wedding aisle at a store like Michael's or Joann's, and sometimes in the Fall you can find small bottles on clearance left over form the summer season.