# No, a 42oz bag of M&Ms will in fact NOT last for several months. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562 "2016-02-19T16:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/1 "2016-02-19T16:36:00Z")
So I’m at the store. I notice a big giant bag of M&Ms on sale for $9. I thought to myself: “Those would look really cool in that candy dish I never use.”. So, on a whim, I bought it. When I got home, I had the right of mind to not put the candy dish on the coffee table. As it would be too easy to lean over from the couch and grab a handful. So I set the dish up on the bar and out of reach. That way, if I wanted an M&M, I’d have to get up off my fat ass to get one. At the time, I thought using this strategy, the M&Ms would last for several months. They lasted two weeks. :o ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/2 "2016-02-19T16:38:00Z")
Heh. I’m always 😕 when I go to friends’ houses and they still have cake from a birthday earlier that week. IOW, you did well – two weeks is a long time! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/3 "2016-02-19T16:47:03Z")
Ha! Yeah earlier this year my dad was going to Walgreens while I was visiting and he asked if I wanted anything, as he always does. And I was like “a big-ass bag of peanut M&M’s.” My dad is always willing to oblige so he comes home with the 42oz party bag just for ME to take home. I think for the first couple days I skipped lunch because I was full up on peanut M&M’s (hey, protein!) But I eventually put the bag away in a cupboard and yeah they lasted about 2 weeks. Not for lack of trying 🙂 Hey at least you got a lot of exercise from getting up to reach the bowl, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/4 "2016-02-19T16:56:41Z")
The same thing happens to me when I try to buy heroin in bulk. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/5 "2016-02-19T17:14:11Z")
I’m the opposite. I have thrown out candy which went chalky and dried out(chocolate) or absorbed too much moisture and became chewy(toffee) in the past because I just don’t eat much candy at all. Savory is my poison. I will go through nachos and jerky like most people go through M&Ms. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/6 "2016-02-19T17:23:15Z")
The idea of _not_ eating an entire bowl of M&Ms that’s just… sitting out is completely foreign to me. Don’t understand it even a little bit. My brain just isn’t wired that way. It’s why I don’t buy snacks hardly at all, let alone in bulk. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/7 "2016-02-19T18:05:00Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > I’m the opposite. I have thrown out candy which went chalky and dried out(chocolate) or absorbed too much moisture and became chewy(toffee) in the past because I just don’t eat much candy at all. Savory is my poison. I will go through nachos and jerky like most people go through M&Ms. > > Enjoy, > Steven You’ve used words that are familiar but the way you arranged them does not make any sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/8 "2016-02-19T18:09:21Z")
Several months? I’d’ve made a major dent in that bag during the car ride home. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/9 "2016-02-19T18:57:40Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Several months? I’d’ve made a major dent in that bag during the car ride home. That was my thought as well. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/10 "2016-02-19T19:00:07Z")
Next time, fill the candy dish with pretty marbles and leave the M&Ms at the store. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/11 "2016-02-19T19:40:03Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Next time, fill the candy dish with pretty marbles and leave the M&Ms at the store. Sounds like a good way to chip a tooth. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/12 "2016-02-19T20:13:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > The idea of _not_ eating an entire bowl of M&Ms that’s just… sitting out is completely foreign to me. Don’t understand it even a little bit. My brain just isn’t wired that way. It’s why I don’t buy snacks hardly at all, let alone in bulk. Seriously. And with M&Ms there’s no wrappers to slow you down. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/13 "2016-02-19T20:20:31Z")
First of all, I have never been brave enough to attempt the whole candy dish thing. It sounds almost torturous. I have, however, had the good fortune/misfortune to have been gifted sweet things, such as a box of chocolates. In those cases, I eat the chocolate at a furious pace. My rationale is that as soon as the chocolate is finished, I will no longer be distracted by the knowledge that there’s chocolate in the house. Though I have also been known to throw out a batch of brownies after eating one or two, using the same rationale: Once it’s gone, I’ll stop thinking about. This method is a lot healthier, and I should probably employ it more often. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/14 "2016-02-19T22:16:01Z")
When I was a kid in the '50s, we used to go out on both nights of Halloween, to every house in our extended neighborhood. We each wound up with 4 paper shopping bags filled with candy. You’d think that would last all year. Nope, only a month or two. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/15 "2016-02-19T22:22:16Z")
I am the same way with chocolate\*. If it exists in the house I shall consume it immediately. I have to learn to buy less of it. \*_Though not M&Ms, as I do not like them_ ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/16 "2016-02-19T22:33:23Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > I’m the opposite. I have thrown out candy which went chalky and dried out(chocolate) or absorbed too much moisture and became chewy(toffee) in the past because I just don’t eat much candy at all. Concur. My mom still gives me Easter candy, and every year I find _last_ year’s basket in my pantry, which I’ve only half eaten. I don’t dislike candy, but I have no desire to eat unlimited amounts of it. I _can_ eat unlimited amounts of nachos and jerky. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/17 "2016-02-19T22:53:38Z")
I don’t really like regular M&Ms, but my brother in law always has a large bag of them and I can’t seem to stop eating them when I visit. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/18 "2016-02-19T23:02:57Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > I’m the opposite. I have thrown out candy which went chalky and dried out(chocolate) or absorbed too much moisture and became chewy(toffee) in the past because I just don’t eat much candy at all. Savory is my poison. I will go through nachos and jerky like most people go through M&Ms. > > Enjoy, > Steven +1 I was a big kid, and people used to always joke about how much candy I always had stashed away. They never realized that the reason I always had so much candy is because I never ate any of it. The reason I was a big kid is that I could eat two Tony’s pizzas for dinner every night for a week and once made a sandwich for lunch out of a loaf of French bread and a pound of bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/19 "2016-02-20T00:27:12Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Concur. My mom still gives me Easter candy, and every year I find _last_ year’s basket in my pantry, which I’ve only half eaten. I don’t dislike candy, but I have no desire to eat unlimited amounts of it. I _can_ eat unlimited amounts of nachos and jerky. I’m the same way with the Halloween candy I buy to give out. I used to bring the leftovers to work but now that I’m retired they just sit around. I often find that I still have some of last year’s Halloween candy still around when I’m getting ready for this year’s Halloween. And, yes, that includes bags of M&M’s. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562/20 "2016-02-20T00:34:15Z")
I want to know who the heck has candy dishes anymore. My grandmother gave up on her Depression-glass dish full of Werther’s Original circa 1992. I haven’t seen one since. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-a-42oz-bag-of-m-ms-will-in-fact-not-last-for-several-months/746562.md?page=2)