2014′s Best and Worst Cities for Halloween

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

1. Have children estimate retail cost of Halloween Loot prior to eating. Then have them calculate how many hours they would have needed to work in order to purchase this amount (after taxes of course)

2. Require siblings to combine their take and divide equally, teaching percentages and redistribution (much like the income redistribution that occurs within our society today)

3. Require siblings to donate a percentage of their candy to the neighbors or a nearby retirement home to teach tithing, savings, volunteering, and charity.

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

1. Purchase a plastic tub (color coded orange or black so you easily recognize it next year) and store all decorations to prevent repurchase

2. Rent a costume or resale it online to Party City, through online auctions like eBay or at local consignment shops like Kid2Kid

3. Purchase candy at a big box store like Sam’s or on the day of Halloween in order to receive the discounted price.

4. Store face paint in the fridge in order to reuse next year or for the school play later in the year.

5. Theme family costumes in order to save on additional items

What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?

1. Costumes that are only used once (see above for how to recycle after use) and consider purchasing from a second hand store or renting a costume instead of purchasing

2. Candy - consider items other than candy to pass out. Organize a Trick option for your tiny visitors and maybe you will hand out less candy this year for those that desire to be tricked instead

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

1. All people out should wear reflective material, necklaces, rings, or lights of some kind

2. Teenagers should be given strict parameters as to neighborhoods and buddy system

3. Llittle kids should stay with adults or use buddy systems

4. Only adults should operate motorized vehicles such as golf carts and no child should be placed in a wagon or other device not properly prepared for rough roadways

What measures should local authorities take to ensure kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

1. extra patrol cars in neighborhoods on the night of Halloween - should be a great night for traffic law enforcement

2. educate community prior to event

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

1. frozen yogurt sticks

2. unfrozen sugar free pop cycle sticks

3. salty snacks like pretzels, pickles

4. popcorn

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

Well, there are definitely ties to watching your weight and watching your finances. Although having too much money, might not be a bad thing. The major similarities concerning the issues of finances and food consumption can involve planning and monitoring. For children, who are overwhelmed with bags of candy on the one night of Halloween, it is important to sit down with them and set-up a plan to ensure that they do not splurge and consume all their candy in one night. (Of course this is age-dependent, as a 3 year old would typically need much more monitoring compared to a 9 year old.)

Once parental concern is that too much candy in one evening might make a child sick, but for a child, it might make more sense to explain how they can save their candy and spread it out over time to be able to enjoy it for a long time. I know my younger brother definitely got this concept very young; to a point that he would make sure that he saved his candy longer than me so he could "rub it in my face".

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

Halloween has become quite commercial and one thing that many parents have learned is that there are often bags of candy left over... Also, while it is great to see food companies promoting healthier options (pretzels, pencils, carrots), these options are significantly pricier than candy. I would suggest for the one night, candy is OK... but buy half as much as you anticipate. Give out less... It is better for the children anyway... When the bag is gone, turn out the light.

But there are many ways to break the bank during Halloween beyond the candy... Hosting parties, costumes, etc... I am not sure I have time to talk about these issues. I would look on the internet to find ideas for games and inexpensive costume ideas. I did purchase my daughter's costume on eBay this year... slightly used, but only once. Then I can sell it when she is done with it.

What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?

I think too much candy... Too many decorations... There are more and more things to buy each year. Limit your budget to the basics... maybe go out for only one holiday of the year. If this is your favorite... Then great.

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

Make sure that kids go in groups with a parent/adult. Ensure children have flashlights, safe costumes. Trick or treat only during the recommended times. Only approach homes who have lights on and nearby. Check your candy for open or torn wrappers and throw those away. Children with food allergies need to have their candy monitored for foods that can cause reactions... Peanuts, gluten etc... I have heard rumors of the potential of marijuana laced candy being offered to children where the drug is legal... Unfortunately this is new... And it is recommended that parents again monitor the candy and discard things that are unfamiliar and tampered with. Preferences are now for kids to group at friends’ homes and skip the trick or treating altogether... This saves money and few cavities and allows parents to feel more comfortable their children are at a friend’s home.

What measures should local authorities take to ensure kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

They should have recommended times and routes and show a presence. I think educating parents on safety measures is important too.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

Well, my daughter loves stickers so those can go a long way. But one day a year is not too bad for candy... if there is a plan and moderation. I think great healthy snacks include nuts and seeds... But care needs to be taken for allergies. Nuts and seeds last a long time and are filled with healthy fats and fat soluble vitamins. Also there are now lots of nice small packaged fruits and vegetables, but as mentioned before... All these healthy options do come with a price.

One thought is to carve the pumpkin, roast the seeds and package those... Although parents might be a bit alarmed from receiving something homemade if they do not know where it was made.

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

I guess one thought that Halloween could just be about having fun and doesn’t have to provide a financial lesson to children. I actually think it’s important to emphasize the non-monetary value of the experience, such as the happy memories that are being created and the relationship building that’s going on between friends and family while trick-or-treating. In the end, these are the things that really matter and contribute to increases in overall well-being. The candy will just get eaten with only momentary pleasure and then be gone. However, if parents want to find a financial lesson, I can think of two relevant things. First, the process of trading candy with friends and siblings after trick-or-treating can be an important lesson in supply and demand, as well as how personal preference of a particular type of candy might increase its value (i.e., you’re willing to offer more in the trade to get it). Second, parents could take the opportunity to help children value helping others by having them select some portion of the candy to keep and then donating the rest (e.g., to soldiers serving overseas). Doing something for others is also associated with increases in happiness and well-being.

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

In terms of celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank, I think we need to get back to homemade Halloween costumes, which are not only more economical, but also increase child creativity. My children are involved in competitive dance, so I spend A LOT of money every year on dance costumes for competitions and recital. I told my kids that if they couldn’t wear one of the many costumes we have from previous years for Halloween, then they would have to save money to buy their own. This year, my 7-year-old did that (and asked to do extra chores to earn money over and above her allowance to afford the one she wanted). However, my older daughter (11 years) chose to make her own. Because they are allowed to dress up at their dance classes every day this week, she has created at least 5 different costumes to wear. Interestingly, my younger daughter has worn the one she bought to every class. When my oldest asked her why she wasn’t wearing different ones like she has usually done when I bought the costume, she said it was because she had bought this one with her own money. So, I think she learned a lesson about getting your money’s worth out of something when she had to buy it herself.

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

In terms of safety, we definitely escort our children while their trick-or-treating. We allow our older daughter to go ahead with her friends, but she can’t leave the street we’re on without us. I also think there should probably be an age limit on trick-or-treating. I’m quite surprised to see high school aged children showing up at my house asking for candy. I definitely didn’t trick-or-treat at that age, but it’s quite common in the neighborhood I live in now. There should probably also be a more visible presence of police patrolling, especially after traditional trick-or-treat times when parents escorting their younger children have gone in for the night, so there is less adult supervision. I definitely remember being heartbroken as a child when I woke up the morning after Halloween and saw that our pumpkin had been smashed after we worked so hard to carve it. We only keep ours outside on Halloween night while we’re actively passing out candy. Otherwise, we keep it inside in a window so that it is visible to the outside.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

I really like the “teal pumpkin project” that I’ve seen going around on Facebook. The idea is to put a teal pumpkin out to indicate that you have non-candy items for kids. I guess I never really thought about how disappointing trick-or-treating must be for children with food allergies. I have good friends who have two daughters with Celiac disease and it still didn’t occur to me to offer non-candy items until I saw the campaign on Facebook, which actually reminds me that I still need to purchase something as an alternative to candy to give out.

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

Young children typically come home from trick-or-treating with enormous bags of candy. This presents challenges and opportunities. The challenge is that you have a mountain of candy, and the temptation is to eat it all at once.

But here’s the opportunity. Young children can practice basic counting skills, and can even divide their candy (as they tend to do without any prompting) into piles of “more desirable” (like Snickers) and “less desirable” (sorry, Tootsie Rolls) piles. So, the first step, instead of just jumping into eating until you feel sick, is really “taking inventory,” which sounds dull but is actually pretty fun to a preschool aged child.

They learn through this not just counting, basic math, hierarchical classification, but also planning and *self control.* You can discuss how long you’d like the candy to last, and how much the child can eat each day in order to reach that goal. These are obvious foundations of financial planning—and things that a lot of adults have difficulty with.

You can also talk about pro-social skills like sharing, for instance with other family members (parents often like to get in on all that candy—it’s better not to just steal it). This, in a very basic way, is getting at the concept of planned charitable giving, which is also an important part of financial planning.

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

Oh, Halloween needn’t be expensive. Aside from putting out some jack-o-lanterns (lots of places have sales on pumpkins, so this is a small expense), you and your child can also make costumes yourself. Look to Pinterest for some cool and inexpensive ideas. For example, my son already had a suit and tie, as well as a sonic screwdriver. All we have to do is fix his hair, put a brown trench on him, and he’s the 10th Doctor Who. My favorite consume as a child was “robot”—a costume made of spray painted cardboard boxes, basically. Anyway, this can be a really creative and fun activity for families. The less you spend, the more creative you get. Much more beneficial that going out and spending lots of money on a costume that requires little thinking or creativity on your part (or on the part of your child).

What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?

Probably costumes. Some people go a little nuts spending money on outdoor decoration, which is really fun, but, like costumes, your decoration is something you can do relatively inexpensively. Again, I would refer anyone to Pinterest to look at some cool examples.

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

Children should really be accompanied by an adult. You should know the neighborhood, and you should have a kind of regular route. You should also be sure to wear something reflective or glow-in-the-dark since it gets dark early this time of year.

What measures should local authorities take to ensure kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

I think that trick-or-treating is actually pretty safe. The biggest concern I have are people who drink and drive after Halloween parties, so most communities have patrol cars out looking for any signs of people driving under the influence. Some communities have trick-or-treat on nights other than Halloween, especially when Halloween falls on a Friday or weekend, to help reduce this risk.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

This is an important one. Not only should we be concerned about the amount of sugar and artificial coloring (some of which is associated with increased hyperactivity in children), but we need to be concerned about food allergies, especially nut allergies. So—this time of year I love to go apple picking with the family. You can get a really large bag of apples (you can choose smaller ones for Halloween treats) for a good price. Now, I know that there’s concern about pins or other things being put in apples, so some parents may not like this. However, if you know your neighbors, it’s less likely to be a concern. If you give fruit to trick-or-treaters, have alternatives available for those who don’t want fruit or who have concerns.

I know that people fear unwrapped candy, but again: if you know your community, if you know your neighbors, this is not as scary as it might seem. According to Snopes, “poisoned Halloween candy” is an urban myth. You could go to Pinterest or other sites to find some really cool ideas for holiday treats that are healthier and, in my opinion, tastier than cheap bags of candy. Focus a bit more on quality not quantity. Still, have alternatives for people not comfortable with homemade treats. Your kids will enjoy making treats with you.

We do need other options for kids who are diabetic or for whatever reason can’t have candy, or who would prefer not to have fruit or other treats. I always have non-candy options like stickers, small glow sticks, plastic rings, pencils (I know it sounds boring, but children actually do like them), plastic eyeballs, plastic insects, that sort of thing. These can be bought inexpensively at dollar stores. There are some great ideas here.

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

Halloween offers a great opportunity to teach children about personal finance. Here are some financial lessons you can teach through candy:

Earnings

This one will be hard for kids to understand, but you must fight hard against the notion that your kids are receiving candy for nothing. Explain to them that the time, money and work that went into the costume and the time to go from door to door (theirs and yours) is being rewarded with the treats. Kids who don’t put in the time, money and work don’t get candy and those that do, get rewarded. You are teaching the principle that reward comes from work, not just from being cute in their costume.

Budgeting

Help your child do the math of how many pieces of candy they need to save in order to have enough to last them 30 days or 60 days or more. By prolonging the treats, you are teaching them the principle of delayed gratification and the payoff of disciplined saving.

Spend. Save. Give.

When you come home from the night of trick or treating, have your child spread out and count their haul.

Then help them decide how much they want to eat right away (spend), how much to save for enjoying through the next few weeks (save) and how much they could share with others (give). Have them make separate piles for each purpose and even package them in different containers so they can see how saving now means they have some for later. When they go to eat that saved candy, be sure to reinforce that the reason they can have it now is that they saved it on Halloween. For the portion they choose to share, consider taking it a step further and donating it to a kid-friendly charity or to military overseas. Let them participate in the giving and see the impact of sharing.

Taxes

It’s never too early to teach kids that they don’t get to keep everything they make. You could create a trick or treating ‘tax’ or fee. Concerning income taxes, self-employment taxes are generally 15.3%, and the lowest tax bracket is 10%. These rates do interact with each other, so they cannot normally be summed, but a tax rate of 25% (1/4) of the candy might be easy for a child to understand.

The truth is, some of these practices might result in tears at first, but it is important to find teachable moments that set a foundation for a life of financial literacy.

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

Halloween can get expensive. Between elaborate costumes, decorations and candy to give out, there are a lot of ways to overspend. Here are some tips to help keep things in control:

Costumes

Be intentional about how much you’ll spend on kids’ (or adults) costumes. Pinterest and other sites are full of ideas of DIY costumes that can be done on a small budget. Get creative and get the kids involved instead of buying a pre-made costume that only gets worn once.

The sack or bucket that your child uses to collect candy can be as simple as a pillowcase or reusable bag or as expensive as a lavish store bought confectionery vessel. Remember that this candy receptacle will likely be used for 1 day and stored for 364.

Candy

The candy you give out does not have to be Halloween themed. So, watch the sales in August and September and stock up when prices are cheapest. It helps if you purchase candy to give out that your family doesn’t like. You’ll be far less likely to eat it before the big day if they are treats that you don’t care for. Buying candy right before Halloween because you ate all the stuff you were supposed to give out is no fun and more expensive.

Decorations

Each trick-or-treater to your home is there probably a total of 2.5 seconds, and will probably not notice the beautifully decorated doorway. A few fall plants, some pumpkins (fake ones can be re-used) and a wreath and you’re good.

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a great website on Halloween tips for families.

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

Trick-or-Treating might be one of the best metaphors for life. Effort is required whether we’re having fun, saving for our first car, or planning our retirement. I think kids discover early on that more effort means more fun and a better pay off. We adults take away from that lesson when we tell them things like, “Don’t fuss so much over your costume and just go have fun.” Allow your kids to put some effort into their costume that best fits their interests or personality. Let them imagine what it might be like to go out in different costumes. The more effort put in, the better the costume. The better the costume, the better chance of more rewards. You shouldn’t hire a financial planner without putting effort into research and imagining what it might be like to work with them.

Help your kids put some effort into planning their route. Teach them the value of a good advisor who keeps them away from risky neighborhoods and diversifies among houses that hand out candy, money, and toothbrushes. Just as in life, your child might run into some scary things along the way. But with your encouragement combined with their own efforts before they leave the house, your kids are more likely to come back with a wealth of goodies.

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

Be creative. That’s the simple answer, but it’s rarely coupled with an explanation about how to be creative. Creativity comes with time and practice. Read Halloween stories to your kids from the local library. Do that for a couple of weeks before the big day and I’m willing to bet your kids will latch on to at least one story and begin to act them out on their own. Pay attention to them and what they use around the house as they act it out. Join in with them and before you know it, you’ve both created a costume from stuff around the house you’re both proud of.

You can also search online for local Halloween events put on by non-profits, churches, hospitals, etc. Lots are free or only ask for a small donation of a bag of candy to help with the celebration.

What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?

My wife and I aren’t sure how we got on the mailing list for costume catalogues. We’ve never bought expensive costumes. But we get the catalogues. It can be challenging to keep our 5 year-old twins’ appreciation on what they have instead of coveting the $500 princess and $500 prince costume that comes with the requisite king and queen costumes for mom and dad with lifelike swords and scepters for the entire family; all no less than another $750 each. Unless this is one of your indulgences you plan for, your young child will likely have no appreciation for it. They are likely to wear it only once, especially after she drops the caramel coated candy apple down the front of the dress as she fell into the muddy pot hole in front of the neighbor’s house.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

Kids can be drawn to coins, especially unusual coins. Certain foreign currency can be inexpensive to get and pass out. An unusual coin, even if it’s not monetarily worth much, can charge a child’s imagination. It provides a conversation starter about coins and their value that otherwise wouldn’t take place with just your average lollipop.

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

While Halloween is a hard holiday around which to teach children much about personal finance without sounding like Scrooge, the process of sorting and trading candy can be used to talk about numbers, revealed preferences, and making trade-offs. Some candy is worth more because it tastes "better" to you, so is one of this candy worth two of that candy or even more? For young children, counting and sorting the candy, identifying numbers of different colors, ordering by size all help with basic math skills.

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

There is no reason to go overboard at Halloween or any holiday, really. Halloween costumes can be created from materials in your home. Parties don't require much more than apple cider, homemade cupcakes decorated as pumpkins, and apple-dunking.

What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?

"Store-bought" costumes and decorations are big money wasters. This is one holiday where “make your own” really works. This is especially true for costumes. Raid your closets and drawers for various clothes and accessories. Or try cardboard, a little aluminum foil and tape, along with paint and magic markers.

With a little help, kids can come up with all sorts of interesting and creative costumes can be created. Start this when the kids are young and making costumes can become a fun family tradition.

The same holds for decorations. Pumpkins and ghosts (sheets with a little stuffing for the head) are easy and cheap decorations.

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

Trick-or-treat in areas you know well. Remember the goal is not to fill an entire pillowcase with candy, the goal is to be out in the neighborhood enjoying the evening with all the other trick-or-treaters. So, take the trick-or-treating at a leisurely pace, enjoying the costumes and the decorations along your route.

When children are old enough to trick-or-treat on their own - and young teenagers often have a hard time giving up on trick-or-treating - set boundaries on where they can go, set a curfew, and talk about safety before they leave the house.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

In this day, homemade treats and healthy treats like apples are generally not a good idea. Given the stories we've all heard, parents aren't comfortable with anything not sealed in a factory. Young kids will enjoy the occasional sheet of stickers or small trinkets, such as plastic necklaces or little cars. But, the reality is that Halloween is all about the candy. So the key for parents is to keep the collection of candy to a reasonable amount and then to help their children ration it over the next few weeks.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

Kids might enjoy:

• cereal bars

• small box of raisins or other dried fruit

• sugar-free gum

• snack-size packages of peanut butter and jelly

• individual packages of pretzels

• juice box

• package of trail mix or nuts

Or try non-food items such as: Halloween pencils, stickers, spider rings or tattoos

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

Not an appropriate question for preschoolers. Perhaps for elementary students

What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?

Too much candy…props/decorations.

What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

Go with them and check their candy when outside time is over; go only to houses you know.

What measures should local authorities take to ensure kids are safe when trick-or-treating?

Disseminate information to parents.

What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?

Trail mix, apples, dried fruit, etc.