Tips to Store and Organize Halloween Candy

Did your kids come home with an overload of Halloween candy? You don't want the candy hanging out in their bedroom neither for bugs nor for the lure of nightime candy snacking. So what do you do with it all now? There's too much to just eat and get rid of quickly, but if you let the kids have a little at a time, they'll still be eating it in June—say nothing about the extra trips to the dentist! Here are some suggestions for organizing that candy clutter:

• Start by sorting it. Give your kids some zipper sandwich bags and let them sort and count it all up. Putting like kinds together will also help to keep the candy from getting that awful mixed candy taste and smell. :-|
• Store It Properly. Do not mix treats that absorb moisture. For example, don't mix hard candy with treats that lose moisture like fudge.
• Use your candy for baking. Here are 10 Recipe Ideas for Halloween Candy from Real Simple.
• Freeze the Chocolate. Chocolate can be frozen for up to 6 months. The trick is to wrap it tightly with freezer wrap or bags and acclimate slowly in the fridge before freezing.
• Donate it. Check out Halloweencandybuyback.com. Here you can find local places to donate your candy to troops deployed overseas.

There are plenty of alternatives to gorging on all of that Halloween candy. If it's organized properly, like anything else in life, you'll make better use out of it, you'll enjoy it more and it will last longer.