Halloween Candy Break-Down

My roommate thinks I'm a nut. Here we are, shopping at Kroger after our healthy dinners, and BAM! I announce that I need to find my Caramel Apple Pops (not the tootsie roll ones- the green suckers with the caramel on the top), because they're 1 point snacks (but 2 suckers = 3 points!) and because people have been bringing Halloween candy into the office already.  In my brain, I say "well, I walked to their office to get the candy- I earned it!" and that's, well, not enough exercise to "earn" the candy. And... I wanted them because I saw a bag of them at home last weekend that I *should* have kidnapped when I had the chance.. At WW this week, we talked about shopping smart at the grocery store and how the Halloween candy is everywhere and oh-so-tempting. I spoke up and defended the candy, saying that the suckers are only 1 point and, dammit, I'm going to have them this season. Besides, you can't deprive yourself- that's one thing I learned on the program. If you want it that badly, have it, but PLAN for it. So I planned... to have suckers :)

So, we start looking for the suckers. We did 2 laps around the store, and no suckers. I did, however, find the Weight Watchers candies- coconut flavor at Kroger- being discontinued. WHAAAAT? Maybe it's just Kroger getting rid of them...? Either way, they were only $1.75/bag, plus I had a $.65 coupon for them... CHEAP Halloween candy for my office! Win!Too bad it was the last bag at that particular Kroger, but I will be looking for more later!

We give up on the sucker search, check out, and head to Meijer for frozen veggies and some other odds and ends. We circle Meijer twice looking for the suckers. Again, no luck. I even asked 3 staff people for help- one had no clue what I was talking about, one pointed me to the Halloween candy section, and another pointed me to their normal candy aisle. OK, I need to rant for a second. WHY do you have a half aisle dedicated to candy ON TOP of the Halloween display? Are you trying to make people nuts?! Anyway, no luck. Now I'm angry. How are these wonderful pieces of heaven-on-a-stick missing from these large stores?? I remember there is a Wal Mart on the way back to the house..

I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart. I'm not going to get all political, but I will point people to one of the best websites ever... So, I tell my exhausted roommate that we need to stop and check for the suckers, or there is going to be a major meltdown. NO SUCKERS to be found anywhere. The cashier at WalMart said they haven't received the suckers yet, but "should soon." She also said I should check QD for a "fix." So... I do.

I get to QD. Roommate stays in the car, thinking I am utterly ridiculous. I go in the store, right to the candy asile... and there is ONE sucker. Not one bag, but ONE SUCKER. I don't flinch- I take it and run right up to the register and ask if there are more in the back. Of course, they are out until Monday, but *WOOO!* QD carries the suckers YEAR ROUND. Whoa.

So, I have one sucker that is sitting in front of me for a treat later. However, I was told by a friend that she may have seen them at Target... so I'm going for a lunch run to the big red...target. I also called my sister and asked her to pick me up some and drop them off to me on her way back to CMU this weekend. My mom is going out on her lunch today to pick up bags of them for the two of us to take back to our respective cities. GO MOM!

I also took a minute to print out a list of mini-candies and their point values, just in case I stumble into someone's office and there is candy- it's preparation! The list, which is *really* comprehensive, is at http://www.freewebs.com/thewwchick/halloween_candy_points_cheatsheet_thewwchickdotcom.pdf