This Simple Formula Tells You How Much Candy to Buy for Trick-or-Treaters

Running out of candy on Halloween night is a nightmare, not to mention the bags of extra candy left behind because you bought too much.

Thanks to the Birmingham, Alabama-based delivery companies Shipt and Mars Wrigley, the two have created an online calculator that has surfaced the world wide web, calculating how much candy you should buy this spooky season.

The first section of this formula calculates the total amount of candy you’ll need for all of the trick-or-treaters that stop by in the neighborhood.

To calculate the gross (total), you’ll need to multiply time × kids × generosity. 

Next, figure out how much extra candy you’ll need to purchase now for the 31st, just incase anyone in the house has been secretly stealing a few chocolates before Halloween.

To do so, remember to multiply the number of days before Halloween × your household size × sneakiness level.

Finally, the last part of this equation gives you the adjusted candy total (how much candy you should really buy for the holiday); simply add the totals from part one and two together to get your final, total.

Keep in mind that if the weather outside doesn’t permit, for example if the forecast is calling for rain, you should automatically divide your total by 1.5, reducing the amount of candy bags to purchase.

Whether your selection of candy is king sized candy bars for trick-or-treaters or a wide variety of mixed candy flavors, this formula was created to make it easier on the adults when it’s time to buy Halloween candy for the year.