Where, oh Where is all the Candy?

I want candy...lots of candy. It's a commercial for some candy and I think it was played at the end of the Hershey's Chocolate World ride for a long time. Anyone remember a little diddy that went like that?
Maybe I'm crazy.

Anyway, we all love candy, right? Well, most people do.

My kids love it just as much as anyone. And, that's the problem.

Our house had way too much candy that was just tempting my poor kiddos after Halloween last fall. Right on the heels of Halloween comes Christmas candy. Then, it was the twins' birthday. Then it was Valentine's Day. Then, along comes Easter. Literally...swimming in candy!

I saw a great idea from Family Fun magazine a few months ago and we decided to implement it. A candy bank. The kids can choose to eat some of their candy or put it in the bank. Each kid has a bank (a brown paper sack for this first go 'round). There were 2 markings on each bag. A line halfway up the bag indicated the $5 mark and the top was labeled as $10. Once the candy reached that level, the kids could cash in the bag of candy for the money.
After Easter we decided they would all cash in at $5 and we'd be done with the candy accumulation for now. They were getting a little crazy about the bags and how much they put in. Next time we'll use something with firm sides.

I watched my kids dump their entire bucket of Easter candy into their bag because they wanted $5 (or $10, which was really their aim) more than a bunch of candy. They can use the money to buy anything of their choosing (well, there are some regular guidelines for our house that must be followed). We also suggested a happy meal at a fast food place as an option. That got them really excited! (We only buy off the dollar menu and they are fascinated by the seemingly cool toys you can get with a real meal.)
This has been a great way to keep our kids from eating a bunch of candy. Almost every time they have received candy in the last few months, they have chosen to eat one or two pieces and then put the rest in the bag. I'd say it's worked really well for our family during this season!