Eight Ways to Get the Most Trick-or-treat Loot Every Halloween

Trick-or-treating is meant to give children treats, goodies, candy, or, as I like to call it, loot. Below are eight tips to get the most loot this and every Halloween. Be ruthless like a pirate in your trick-or-treating, as it is a cutthroat business of candy, sweets, money and all sorts of booty.

Big and Extra Bags

Always bring big bags that are easy to fill with a wide opening but not so large as to be too heavy to carry. It is a good idea to have a few extra bags in case the pickings are exceptionally good.

It might a good idea to only fill each bag to half-filled or less so that the people handing out candy will pity you and possibly give you more candy.

Vehicle Nearby

It is a great idea and safer to have a vehicle or ride nearby to quickly unload your loot and head back out for refills. This means that your bag will be empty more and you might get more candy from some houses.

Extra Costume

This is a great tip to double dip. You should have an extra costume or two to wear so you can go back to each house more than once. As a last resort, you can carry a simple bed sheet with holes cut out for your eyes and just toss it over your costume.

Be Nice

Be nice to the people you are visiting at least until after you get your candy and loot once or twice. Afterward, prank away with toilet paper or eggs but be sure no one can recognize you, lest you be remembered next year and receive zilch.

The Right Neighborhood

Location, location, location! I cannot stress this point enough. You need to choose just the right neighborhood to trick-or-treat. Do your looting in a nice suburban neighborhood with people with enough money to have good loot but not too rich as to be full of snobby and think trick-or-treating is a faux pas. Now, this might not always be the case because some rich areas might yield more loot and give pricier loot, such as watches, while some suburbs might yield very little.

Also, choose neighborhoods with houses that are close together to cut down on travel time and increase the number of homes you visit. I do not recommend apartment buildings because many have rules against soliciting -- unless the apartment building promotes trick-or-treating, I would avoid them. Some neighborhoods with homeowner's associations might have guidelines against soliciting, so be sure to check beforehand.

Know Your Stomping Grounds

You need to be aware of the city and neighborhood you visit because most areas have specific trick-or-treat dates and times. Most dates are the last Friday before Halloween at 6-8 p.m. but check with your papers or news when planning your looting schedule.

You also need to know where all of the houses, which you plan on visiting, are located in proximity to one another. Use this information to plan a route with the shortest distance to travel to get the most loot in the allotted few hours. It is also a good idea to visit the same neighborhood as the year before so that you can remember which houses to skip (people who are cheap or think Halloween is evil probably because they did not get loot as kids) and which should yield the most loot.

The Right Houses

This is the single and most important ways to maximize looting: actually getting the loot. Once you find the perfect neighborhood on trick-or-treat night, you need to visit participating houses. In my area, participating houses are told to turn on their porch lights but that is not a guarantee all will give out treats or loot.

Contrary to logic, the most heavily decorated houses do not always give out treats or very little. Some people decorate for the sake of decorating or to compete with neighbors.

Visit Businesses

Many malls and businesses offer trick-or-treat loot at designated times. Check your local newspaper or mall to see if they have anything official planned. Bars are a good place to get loot (money) when men's wallets are a lot more open but be sure it is not an unsafe one and go with an adult.