I love going to the movies. Who doesn’t, really? In the past month I’ve seen Cloud Atlas, Argo, Lincoln, and this weekend, Life of Pi. (Does it seem like I’m bragging? I kind of am. MOVIES!) Good times all around. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself watching each film. But you know what sometimes sucks about going to the movies? The snacks. Here’s why:

1) They all cost about 8 million dollars per snack choice.

2) They are not healthy. At all.

3) They aren’t filling, because they are filled with empty calories.

4) They are so oversized that if you are hangry, you might find yourself snarfing the whole box of candy or jumbo sized popcorn that has about 8 million calories per bag (again with the 8 million–it’s a standard movie number). After hanger snarfing is over, you’ll find yourself in a shame spiral that will ruin the whole movie for you. I say it will ruin the whole movie for you because let’s be honest, the previews are 22 minutes long–I’ve timed–and you will want to squelch your hanger ASAP so you’ll snarf pre-movie. Then you’ll realize you snarfed 8 million calories when you promised yourself that you wouldn’t finish the whole “thing” yourself…But you did anyway, hence, movie isn’t as enjoyable. That’s no fun. No fun at all.

If you’re reading this blog you’re most likely health conscious, so I’m sure you’re privy to what you should do to healthfully movie snack. You know, make sure you go to the theater with a full belly so you’re not tempted to eat the calorie laden movie popcorn or jumbo box of M&M’s; bring a healthy snack with you (almonds or a granola bar, anyone?); buy the water instead of the soda; yada, yada, yada. But what if you want a little chocolate treat to enjoy because hey, the movies are fun and it’s a tradition to un-healthy snack whilst watching? This weekend, I discovered a way you can get around the healthy snack rules without guilt commencing, for only $1:

Have you ever seen those big candy dispensers in the movie theater lobby? Well, what I learned is that they have these little plastic bags hooked onto the side of the dispensers (pictured above), so you can spend a buck (50 cents per spin) on a bit of candy that won’t melt in your hand (let’s face it, M&M’s melt in your hand regardless of their claim) and won’t cause you to over-snarf. This Saturday, I didn’t need a huge bag of candy, I just wanted a little bit to satisfy my craving. And satisfy I did. I did follow the “never go to the movie theater hungry” rule because I didn’t want hanger to ruin it for me, but I was able to eat a little treat without the “I’ve overindulged” guilt.  I also shared this bit of  said candy with my boyfriend. This girl is not selfish (except when hangry).

GO FORTH TO THE MOVIES IN UN-HANGER AND $1 CHOCOLATE ENJOYMENT!