We don’t tend to think of Easter as being an expensive holiday. We tend to only really think about Christmas as a big money spending holiday. But Easter can be. Between dying eggs, fillers for plastic eggs for Easter egg hunts, and Easter baskets. Not to mention Easter dinners.
We all know that Easter isn’t all about egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. We know that Easter is about celebrating the fact that Jesus is Lord. It’s about remembering what He did for us. However, especially those of us with children, many of us still participate in the more secular fun things of the holiday. The cost of doing those can add up. If you’re on a budget, it can be a struggle to find ways to still do those fun things without breaking the bank. Here are some frugal Easter ideas that might help you.
Skip the egg dye kit
We dye eggs using the vinegar and food coloring method. It really isn’t any harder than the kits are. Plus, I bet most of us already have vinegar and food dye in our pantries.
Only dye a few eggs
It can be super tempting to dye a full dozen (or more) eggs because it’s so much fun! If you have a large family or like hard boiled eggs, go for it. But if you are like us and only one member of the family likes hard boiled eggs (me), only dye a few. I usually have Abby dye only six eggs. Fun for her and a manageable amount for me to eat before they go bad.
Hide the dyed eggs
Hear me out on this one. As a child, I always had Easter egg hunts with the eggs we dyed. Looking back, I now realize my parents just didn’t have the money to fill plastic eggs. I never knew any different. It was just as fun looking for the eggs as it was getting candy. Just don’t forget where you hide one. That could be rather unpleasant. 😉
Use coupons
When it comes to plastic egg fillers and Easter baskets, it can get expensive. Using coupons for candy, etc. can help stretch your budget. Easter candy coupons are really easy to come by too.
Shop the dollar stores/section
I just started getting items to fill Abby’s basket. I found the cutest little water bottle and a notepad of one of her favorite TV characters at the dollar store. I plan on checking the cheaper section of Walmart as well as another trip to Dollar Tree.
Don’t buy junk
I have made the decision to not buy a lot of junk for my daughter’s Easter baskets. There is nothing worse than spending money on a slinky or wind up toy to have it break the first day. Yes, I buy cheaper items but not junky items. I also try to buy one book or one nicer art supply to go in the basket. Those are items that are going to last more than a couple weeks and will be worth the money.
Save your child’s basket
We buy one Easter basket per kid and save it. I keep it in storage in the basement. Rather than buying a new one every year, we just keep reusing it. It may sound simple but many people don’t even think about reusing the baskets.
Buy post-Easter
Just like Christmas (or any other holiday), the holiday-themed items are much cheaper when the holiday is over. We have only 24 plastic eggs right now as we only have one child. But I paid around $0.30 for all those eggs. If Abby’s basket has any mishaps this year, I’ll buy one on discount the week after Easter and put it away for next year. This doesn’t help this year, but it will help you stay frugal for future Easters.
Those are my favorite frugal Easter ideas. What are some of yours?
Leanne | The Transplanted Southerner says
Great tips! I used the same basket all through my Easters, and I think it made it more special. My kids used the same ones for years sand then I went to theme Easters and the (reusable) container is part of the theme.
One year they got movie themed “baskets”. A big popcorn bowl each, popcorn, a box of theater candy, a tiny canned coke, and a DVD from the $5 bin. Inexpensive and they loved them 🙂
Julie says
I love the themed basket idea!
Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
Luckily my kids love hard boiled eggs, and I buy little trinkets for stocking stuffers/Easter basket stuffers on clearance all year round and put them in a box in the closet (I hope the kids never read this.) But we really don’t get too commercial about it, or at least try not to. It helps keep our focus on Christ if we don’t go too nuts on baskets and bunnies and stuff.
Julie says
My parents never went nuts either. I think there was a good balance of the religious and fun aspects. I need to start remembering to look for trinkets on clearance too. I don’t mind something breaking in a few weeks if I only paid a few cents for it. 🙂
Jill S says
We skip the ‘stuff’ in the baskets and just do a small amount of candy. They already get candy from egg hunts from their church stuff anyway. Instead, we do a small ‘gift’ at the table away from baskets that represents God’s gift. They already got theirs this year, just because our oldest saw hers, so we gave her it along with something for the other 2. I have another friend that basically just does books.
Sheila says
This brought many memories: I have my first Easter basket and still use it 55years later. It is woven reeds or something – not the junk out there now. The “Egg” List” for hiding real eggs….Use your imagination here – It is July in MN and you finally find the reason for THAT smell behind a flower pot on a top shelf. We do a plastic Easter egg hunt when it is warm enough and the snow gone outside.. The big kids were losing interest until we added money. Took the change jar and a $5 bill and jellybeans. Little ones go first for a bit. All have fun. Likely only $15 worth between cash and jelly beans to cover about 8-10 kids at Grandmas. The adults get the fun of hiding. Don’t have to worry about a list either.
Julie says
I didn’t do an outdoor egg hunt until I was 9 or so when we moved to Maryland for a few years. We always hid them in the house since it was usually still cold and snowy. Or at least very muddy. An egg list is a great idea! 🙂