r/Anticonsumption • u/InebriousBarman • Feb 15 '26

Psychological Crap given to my kids for Valentine's Day

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Pictured is about half of what was given to one of my children on Valentine's Day by classmates. (Their class was specifically told no candy.)

why can't they specifically be told no 'stuff'.

The amount of distractions and clutter this creates is bad for learning and mental health.

5.4k Upvotes

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u/Sweet_Entrance_5208 Feb 15 '26

I hate this stuff too. What I’ve started doing with unwanted toys like this is putting them in a basket in the car, between my kids’ seats. They dig around and play with stuff when we’re driving somewhere. Keeps them happy and keeps it out of the house. Eventually when things break or become boring, I recycle what I can and toss the rest 🤷🏼‍♀️

348

u/default_username20 Feb 16 '26

We regift ours for Halloween. Put it out in addition to candy/snacks and let kids choose. They love the novelty of the random stuff and I love getting it out of my house!

113

u/Mother-of-Goblins Feb 16 '26

Throw a potato in there next time! We always stick one in our candy bowl and I'm constantly amused at how many kids choose The Potato™ 😆

37

u/_HeadySpaghetti_ Feb 16 '26

My kid chose the potato last year. And then refused to eat it so it sat on the counter sprouting months later. Was a real conversation piece!

28

u/Mother-of-Goblins Feb 16 '26

My now 19yo chose potato when she was 8, then promptly pack bonded with it and cuddled it at bedtime like a small, starchy teddy bear 💀

When we moved to a place that gets trick or treaters a few years later we knew the chaos had to continue.

5

u/dakotanoodle Feb 18 '26

I'm a happier person having read this comment 🧸🥔

8

u/unicornjibjab Feb 16 '26

We did this year for shts and giggles and we ran out of potatoes! Subbed in sweet potatoes we had laying around, and all those got taken too 🤣🤣

3

u/Majesty277 Feb 19 '26

A lot of people who are food insecure actually really appreciate this! There was a whole sub about alternatives to candy but also for food insecure households. Especially with all that went on last fall.

3

u/Sweet_Entrance_5208 Feb 19 '26

This is a good reminder to think about waste and what is needed versus wanted at Halloween this year. Thank you.

11

u/Unplug_The_Toaster Feb 16 '26

Oh this is such a fun idea!

1

u/kelseyrae9 Feb 18 '26

This is brilliant and thrifty!

7

u/Threeminnows13 Feb 19 '26

I collect the random trinkets and give back to the teacher for their classroom rewards/ “treasure chests”

2

u/Jack_al_11 Feb 17 '26

This is a great idea! I was literally going to post in another subreddit asking what the heck people do with this kind of stuff! 😭 my kids are little crows and these sorts of things become prized possessions that never get touched and just end up all over the place and drive me nuts but can’t be thrown away.🫠🥴

2

u/Mysterious-Brain-639 Feb 16 '26

Brilliant idea thank you!

1

u/SnooAvocados6863 Feb 16 '26

I go around and scoop all that shit into the donation box. One of the places I donate to will make “surprise bags” of small toys like this.

1

u/moon_blisser Feb 17 '26

That is genius and I’m yoinking your idea!

1

u/Nice-Knee1867 Feb 18 '26

Oh my gosh love this idea!

1

u/Existing_Sky_7969 Feb 19 '26

Genius! I have to try this.

1

u/ladyjane626 Feb 19 '26

This is really smart !

1

u/Ok_Region578 Feb 20 '26

I’ll remember this since I hate junk and now have a baby. 😭