Won't Be Home on Halloween-how to Inform Trick or Treaters.

I would NOT put up a sign. that's an invite for mischief or thieves. just leave lights on as normal. they will ring, wait and go away!

Looks like you have plenty of great ideas already, just which one to choose??

We did the bowl of candy as well, but our sign said something scary along the lines of, "Please take only one handful, We're watching you!" That way they think you are home and just don't want to come to the door - and it's in the Halloween spirit....

Have whomever is checking your house for you put up a sign that says "Sorry, ran out of candy early - Happy Halloween." They can take down the sign the next morning so no one notices that no one is there to take it down.

We are going to be home on halloween but have a baby and a dog in the house. If someone knocks, the dogs barks and the baby wakes up. So... we are going to put a sign on the door - "Baby sleeping. Please don't knock.". I remember seeing some of those when I was a kid. I'm hoping that works for us. Maybe your neighbot can put a sign up for you. I also like the idea below of a sign that says you have the flu...no one wants to get sick!

You don't want to voluntarily tell people you aren't home -- you're just inviting someone to break into your house. I'd change the timer on the lights.

change or turn off the timers for your porch lights.

In our area, if the front porch light is on, it's a go. If you don't want trick or treaters, leave off the front porch light but don't feel obliged to leave off every light in the house! This is trick or treat, not an obligation to the neighbor kids. I would just leave off the porch light and the lights in the living room or whatever room has the windows that overlook the front yard. But lights elsewhere in the house, well, you have every right to have those on. You don't want to leave the whole house dark if you're away. Yes, you can have a neighbor put out a bowl of candy -- or not, because fun as Halloween is, it's just not obligatory to provide for trick or treaters.

leave a note that says "out of town tonight - take a raincheck" and leave a bowl of bits of paper that say raincheck. That way, you can give out candy when you return!

OR

put a note on your door saying, "candy from this house is with my neighbor to the right" and give that neighbor your candy ahead of time to hand out for you.

I don't know i think before i go i would put a sign in the door or have someone put a sign in the door saying your not giving out treats.

This is a sticky situation. On one hand if the trick or treaters see the lights on they may think you're home and ignoring them but then if you leave a note indicating that you're not home or out of town that may make your home more susceptible for theft. Could you set the lights to come on a few hours later than usual to avoid both situations?

unscrew your porch light

Haha! I like the idea of putting a sign saying you have the flu. That cracked me up. Just make a big, scary looking sign that says "swine flu, do not enter" LOL

Ask a neighbor to put a bowl of candy on the porch so people think you are out trick or treating and ask if a neighbor can watch your house.

Additionally, put a sign on the door saying you have the flu and can't answer the door bell.

Do not put a sign on the door saying you are out of town for the whole night.
You have several options.
1. change the timer on the outside light to later.
2. kids can't read. you could put a sign on the door that says 'no candy' in a circle with a line.
3. One year we had just bought a house on Halloween, and wouldn't be there. I put a BIG bowl of candy on the porch that said 'please take a handful, but leave the bowl'. It worked, altough we did have candy wrappers in the lawn.
4. Put a BIG bowl of candy on the porch that says 'sorry we missed you. take a handful'. Our neighbors do this.

M.