This Formula Could Tell You Exactly How Much Candy You Need For Trick Or Treaters

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There are different ways of calibrating needs of course, especially when it comes to candy. But while we're going with this expansive interpretation, it's worth noting that there have been numerous attempts at establishing exactly how much candy to buy. Popular Mechanics has devoted serious time and attention to the issue and acknowledges the importance of psychological factors as part of the picture. Inflation is the worst it's been in 40 years, especially of the candy kind, and certainly will play a part in how much shoppers buy. To that end, Apartment Therapy has come to the rescue. Like any formula, however, this one requires a few data points to work its magic.

There are four key elements to plug into the candy-buying equation. Look at how many servings are in a bag of candy and determine approximately how many kids are in your neighborhood. The third element is the quality of Halloween decorations in your neighborhood, based on a 5-point scale, and finally, the day's weather on a 5-point scale. Per Apartment Therapy, divide the candy by the estimated number of kids, multiply by the sum of the decorations and weather added together, then divide by two. Voilà! 

Too much math for you? You can also try out the Omni Trick-or-Treat Calculator. And hey — if your costume doesn't end up causing the splash you'd hoped, you can still rest easy knowing you bought the exact right number of Reeses.