# How much candy?



## Darkwalker (Jul 4, 2010)

This is my first year doing a large yard display/haunt.
And we haven't given out candy in a few years cause we've gone out to do our own thing on Halloween night. I have no idea how much candy to buy and I'm scared to death of running out. I asked my neighbor how many kids they had last year and she said about fifty. That is a low number. But I think the fact that they were the only ones on our street giving out candy that night. May have gotten them passed by by more than one tot. 
I have 180 treat bags ready to be filled but I'm concerned about word of mouth.
I could get those fifty or sixty kids from last year then they tell other folks in passing and before you know it I've got hundreds of kids marching toward my house. So I need some ideas on how to prepare for this. Got any?
That don't involve me spending two hundred dollars on candy.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

If you're not advertising ahead of time, don't expect too many more than what your neighbor has seen. How long before Halloween will you decorate (that will determine word of mouth)? Buy extra candy you like yourself, so if you have extra you won't mind. It always works for us.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

It is always a guessing game. I just make sure that I have a ton, and then I either eat it for weeks or take the leftovers to work with me. I guess how many kids and then buy extra. You can always start out by handing out several pieces per kid, but tapering it down if your stash gets low. 

I plan on counting kids this year to get an idea.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

You're likely to find that 180 bags of candy will be more than enough. I worry about the same issue every year as well, but so far we haven't run out.


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

You could have a few extra bags of candy as a back-up when and if you run out of the bags. Hand out just 1 or 2 of those and it should last. Just because you have a rockin' haunt doesn't mean you have to dish out large or expensive treats.

We have a black plastic tub that's 24" x 12" that we fill to the brim (takes about $60 to fill it). It would last all night if Wifeypoo would quit giving handfuls...


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

You can always buy a fun-size bag of mixed candy that has 190 pieces or something like that. That way you know you have enough if you run out of treat bags.

I get an average of 250 each year.
I bought an extra bag last year "just in case" and didn't even open it.


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## Doc Doom (Aug 28, 2008)

Hard to estimate candy when its your first year. I think you're probably ok with what you have. We bought our candy on sale a month ago. Finally made the jump to little chocolate bars. Last year we had over 1,500 TOTs and expect more this year.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: I have been decorating for years and I get at least 250 trick or treaters per year, and sometimes more. I buy full size candy bars for the usual trick or treaters, but then I also have a couple of bags of mini bars and a bag of dum dums. The latter for those over age trick or treaters with waist bands to their knees, no costume and no manners. The mini bars for real trick or treaters if I for some weird change run out late in the night. Good luck and have fun! :jol:


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Yeah, it is a crap shoot. I always get too much candy and usually have left overs. If I have plenty of candy at the end of the night I always give out larger portions.


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## HauntedHacienda (Sep 16, 2008)

Where I am, I expect about 100 or so Visitors and ToT'ers.
If you Advertise now, expect that much and more.
I have been pulling All Nighters in some cases, preparing for this year.
As for Candy, I plan on doing enough for as many as 200 ToT'ers.
I just get a Big Tub, that holds 5 Gallons of Candy, let the ToT'ers just reach in and grab as much as they want.
We often have far too much left over that we give to the Food Bank to give to the less than fortunate.
I agree with everyone else, that without adequate Advertising, expect what your Neighbor has seen.
In my Sig Line, I have my Website Link. Go there and go to Haunt Exchange as well as the Links Page, I have Sites that you can get Free Advertising for your Haunt.
I also recommend, that if you are going to do a Large Haunt, a Great Free Advertising Tool is a Free Website.
I have done that and it has been the best piece of time I have spent on that end.
If you need help with it, holler.


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## Darkwalker (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks for the advice everyone. This is one area I cannot afford not to be prepared for.
As for advertising. My two teenagers are spreading the word to their friends so I expect quite a few visitors based on that. I do have a facebook page for my yard haunt and a website is in the works. However I may try the free site stuff until I can get the permanent site going.
I'm glad I live in a small town cause some of you guy's (like Doc) get a ton of Tot'ers
But we do have a bunch of kids here! Over a thousand in the high school alone. 
Which I don't expect a lot of those to come.
I bought several bags of candy this weekend and plan to make a second equal purchase next weekend so I'm hoping I'm covered.


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## slightlymad (May 25, 2006)

We went through that last year and bought way to much at the end of the night the kids were having goober fights lol. I was a custom to having candy for 400+ kids in my old neighborhood (the poor guy that moved in afterward had to listen to the kids complain about his lack of display) but moved to neighborhood where the house is at the end and the closest house that gave out candy was 4 houses up. Even with my teenagers bragging and the cemetery being up for a month we had way extra. We bought for 100 and bought the big back up bag.


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## NickG (Sep 12, 2006)

the first year we had a "haunt" we had a little more than usual TOTs because of word of mouth, cell phones, "Get over here" the second year we had about double the TOTs, third year slightly more, second year, no real change, last year, slightly less. I always get a bag of dumdums and a bag of tootsie rolls to keep just in case we run out of bagged candy. This year though, I'm pretty sure it's just going to be a bucket of the latter.


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## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol: The latter for those over age trick or treaters with waist bands to their knees, no costume and no manners. :jol:


I just have to laugh at the picture painted here.

As for me, I worry about it too. I usually get around 100 tots and I have that little annoying voice telling me that I might run out. but still I should be okay...I hope


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