Halloween Trick or Treat Strategies

It's not all about the place where you trick or treat, it's about how well you present yourself. I was a really lucky kid - I was born on Halloween. So I'd go out with my brothers, smile and do the cute-and-adorable kid thing, and get my candy. Then I'd announce, "It's my birthday, too!" You would not believe how much extra candy I came home with. It was a great strategy!

You don't have to do that to maximize the candy take on Halloween (though if one of the trick or treaters shares my birthday, I highly recommend it). But there are a number of things you can do that will increase your chances, and get you that little extra bit of good candy from each house that, over time, makes your arm hurt from the weight and your teeth hurt from the sweetness.

The Cuteness Factor. If you have a great cooperative pet, dress him up and bring him along for the ride. Or have the kids in your party dress according to a theme: pirates, angels and devils, etc. If you can make everyone sigh with gooshy feeling, you'll probably double the candy take. Other things that will help: singing and dancing, having a special little trick-or-treat chant, or bringing great props. If you entertain your targets, you'll get more candy.

Keep the bags close to empty. Emptier bags wake up the generosity of people who might otherwise not dole out as much candy. And - this is kind of pathetic, but if you use a bag from the grocery store instead of something fancier, the candy-givers are more likely to give you more because they assume you can't afford the fancy stuff. Pillowcases are also a good choice.

Start early, hit malls later. Neighborhoods run out of candy relatively quickly, particularly in kid-heavy areas. Hit the streets as soon as you see the other kids moving out. Trick or treat until about 7, then hit malls and businesses. Don't forget McDonald's; they almost always give out free food coupons, and a lot of other restaurants do the same thing.

Don't follow the crowd. Especially in small enclosed neighborhoods, if all the other kids are headed clockwise, you go counterclockwise. You'll hit the houses that are wondering where all the trick-or-treaters are first (thus will give out more candy), and the houses that have a lot of extra candy left over last (thus will give out more candy).

Most importantly, if you're in the middle of a huge crowd of kids, the rationing mentality will take over; the person giving out candy gives out less, even if they have a huge vat. Don't trick or treat alone, but don't get into a huge mass either.

Trick or treat in the right neighborhoods. You don't want to bother with apartment complexes for the most part. Instead, trick or treat in the wealthy, yet dense, neighborhoods. Find out where your doctor lives. Go to military housing areas, and hit the nicer houses. Go through neighborhoods where kids are rarer, but you see a lot of Halloween decorations out.

This requires preparation and observation prior to the big day. Scope out neighborhoods from the car. Take note of the ones that look promising. Be ready to maximize your take.

Trick or treat!