Whether you’re a grumpy old man with no Halloween spirit or have a baby who needs to go to bed early, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to avoid greedy trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Here are a few ways to keep them at bay.

The most obvious method is to simply leave some candy on the porch. Whether your lights are on or off, they probably won’t bother you—they’ll just grab the candy and leave. Of course, this creates the problem of mean kids who will just take all the candy out of the bowl, and if it’s obvious you’re still home, people will probably knock on your door if there’s an empty bowl. If you don’t want to give up your God-given right to leave your lights on at night, an automatic candy dispenser can solve all your problems. Photo by Ginny.

If you’re a Halloween hater and don’t want to give those little rascals candy, you’re going to have to get a little more creative. You could always put some caution tape or a “Beware of Dog” sign on your fence, but the easiest way is probably to just put an empty bowl on your porch. Paired with a sign that says “We’re Going Out Tonight, Bring Some Candy,” it’ll look like you’re out and partying, but some mean kid came along and took all the candy. As long as your lights are off, no one has to bother you. Photo by Jakub Hlavaty.

If you want to get a little more creative, Instructables has a great guide to building an anti-Halloween light sensor . With just an Arduino and some fancy bits of electronics, you can build a sensor on your sidewalk that turns off the lights whenever any festively dressed children approach, as if to say "I'm going to bed, so please go away." It's a little more time-consuming, but also hilariously badass if you really want to disappoint some of those poor kids.