DH found out today than a family that is supposed to have one of the games wil not be at the Fall Ball so my DILs have gone to get more candy and prizes ...  So my cost this year will double no double

I spent $10 and got 50 pieces (fun packs) of M&Ms and 100 pieces of sour twizzler things.  DH will pass out the candy while I take DD door to door.  I'll have him give 1 of each to each kid and when the chocolate is gone to give out 2 pieces of the sour stuff.  The town has a good number of kids but our street only has a few; all of next-door and across-the-street and kitty-corner neighbors are older folks with great-grandkids or grandkids who live in other cities.  I have no idea how many people around here allow/don't allow or believe in/don't believe in Halloween, so I'm kinda wingin' it!

Not as much as I used too! When we lived in town, we had 80-125 trick-or-treaters, depending on the year. Now that we're in the boonies, we've had 1 trick-or-treater in 8 years. In town I started out going to Dollar Store and got Halloween pencils, erasers, etc. and filled treat bags with those. I moved on to candy in treat bags. I don't know how much I spent then, but I spread it out over a few weeks. Now I buy one bag of candy that I like just in case someone does show up. This year DD has picked out suckers in the grocery store checkout and forgets about them when we get home, so I have a big stash of suckers. In case we have smaller kids come, I bought small bags of animal crackers. I can eat those and they aren't as bad for me as chocolate! I miss living in town on Halloween. Last year I took DD to the Halloween street party and she got a bag full of treats. I think I just threw out some of that hard candy this week!

We spend no more than 20-25 dollars.BUT_ we only get the kinds WE like, like  choclate bars, reeses, etc.What  gets me is the hgh school kids like to come out, and they are here even after the litle ones have gone home and to bed.Even if I turn the porch lights off, they kock at the door.One year I had to send hubby (6'2" tall,  250 lbs out to ask them to leave my driveway.I wonder if we will see  less trick or treaters this year/

I try not to spend more than twenty-five dollars, but there have been years when I've had to send the hubs out for more candy.  I don't want to sound like a Scruge,  but I find this to be an expensive holiday,  On the other hand, the streets are bustling with happy kids and young families.  It's like a Norman Rockwell painting, and the joy of the happy sounds, makes up for the cost.

What I do find annoying, are the teenagers that are too old to be going house to house.  Another thing that bothers me are the people that come from out of neighborhood, dropped off by car, with babies.  I give the kids treats and have had the mothers ask for something for the little ones...little... as in seven months or so. (I think it's so funny.)

This year, I will be out of town.  I hope my house doesn't get egged.

bnfrugal:

What I do find annoying, are the teenagers that are too old to be going house to house

Why are they too old? I think dressing up and participating in what amounts to a community event and family fun, especially if they are with their own families is good for them. I would rather see teens trick-or-treating with friends for fun and laughs or accompanying their parents and siblings in a family event than have them at a teen Halloween party with underage drinking or drugs.

I guess I am of the mind that maturity is not leaving behind pasttimes that others consider childish but in no way harm others or one's self. I see maturity as the ability to carry one's own responsibilities, the ability to make sound decisions and balance life.

 

bnfrugal:

Another thing that bothers me are the people that come from out of neighborhood, dropped off by car, with babies

I don't have a problem with this either. I lived in an area for several years where only the neighborhoods in the middle of town had people handing out candy. Anyone who lived outside of city limits or such went to those neighborhoods if they wanted to trick-or-treat at all. Here, it's common for parents to choose large, safe and well lit neighborhoods for this activity regardless of if they can walk to or have to drive to them.

bnfrugal:

have had the mothers ask for something for the little ones...little... as in seven months or so.

Now that I would find odd. Are you supposed to have orange colored teething biscuits on hand?

 

 

 

Back home in VA there was a law that kids could not Trick-or-Treat past the age of 13.  I think as long as they are being respectful it should be allowed.  The biggest problem we had was that there were a few teens (not many and certainly not the majority) that made it bad for everyone; if you didn't give them big handfuls of candy your house was guaranteed to be egged and you could NOT leave your pumpkin outside if you were hoping to salvage the flesh b/c they would smash it.  The worst part is that no one knew them; they drove over from other neighborhoods.

I don't know the laws here, but I'm sure they'll be posted in the paper next week.

Brandy:

Why are they too old? I think dressing up and participating in what amounts to a community event and family fun, especially if they are with their own families is good for them. I would rather see teens trick-or-treating with friends for fun and laughs or accompanying their parents and siblings in a family event than have them at a teen Halloween party with underage drinking or drugs.

They are not with their families, but rather in packs of about twenty (unsupervised) kids, and although I do agree that it is fun to dress up and be in the spirit of the holiday, regardless of age, I feel that if you are over thirteen, you shouldn't be going house to house.  It's not a maturity thing. You don't see adults doing it (unless they have their children with them).  Instead, it is my feeling that if you are over thirteen and want to participate in the fun of Halloween, then have a party at home (supervised) or else attend the (supervised) events being offered in the community. 

Brandy:

I don't have a problem with this either. I lived in an area for several years where only the neighborhoods in the middle of town had people handing out candy. Anyone who lived outside of city limits or such went to those neighborhoods if they wanted to trick-or-treat at all. Here, it's common for parents to choose large, safe and well lit neighborhoods for this activity regardless of if they can walk to or have to drive to them

I don't know where you live, but I live in a residential community.  There are residential communities for about twenty minutes, in every direction from here.  These carloads of children are being driven here, because their parents think the "loot" will be better.  The kids tend to be wild and not as polite as the neighborhood children.  That being said, they are kids, and I am happy to be a part of their joy, regardless of where they come from.  It's just the mothers with the babies, who ask for something for them, that gets me.

Personally, I love this holiday.  I hope you all have a good, safe time, no matter how it's being celebrated.

honestly I think you do get too old 17/18 and you can find other things to do...clean fun on halloween.  most of the teens don't bother to dress up at all.  if they make an effort then ok.  they can always take little kids out for halloween.

In our old townhouse neighbourhood, we had people just come for candy..because the rec center where we had hot choc and fireworks after trick treating 8pm was at the road going out and there would be a stream of cars leaving and interrupting the celebrations.

We won a prize for best decorated one halloween there!

Our neighbours son was dating an Australian lady who never had halloween because they don't do that here so she trick and treated at our house for fun!

We did take dd out for her first halloween dressed up ..she didn't let go of the candy once she fiqured it out! our neighbours loved it plus when ds did it.  he would walk up and said thank you thank you so many times. its so fun when they realize they get candy lol.

lots of fireworks so the animals have to be locked in the house.

 well, let's see- couple bottles of wine, an hors d'oeurve or 2, costumes...oh, you mean for kids!!  nothing for kids- we're on a busy street, no sidewalk on this side, house not visible from the street- we never get any kids trick or treating.  killer party for grown-ups, though!