Inexpensive ways to create, put together or purchase easter baskets and their filler as suggested by the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas in the feedback.
By Darlene
By LRP
Be sure to recycle afterwards!
Mary Ellen from Flagstaff, AZ
By Beth from Tucson, AZ
When my second child, a son, was a baby, we gave both of our kids sunglasses for Easter. They looked so cute, so we took their picture, and it's one of my favorite family pictures! My son looked SO CUTE in his hat and sunglasses!
By Marie from Idaho Falls, ID
By Martha from Metairie, LA
For the "BIG Kids" I do a small basket with items I purchased after Easter last year (this year's basket includes some FRESH Candy, a chick/egg salt and pepper shaker and a chick that lays jelly bean eggs, a Nerf football, note pad,etc.)
For the little kids, I search all year long for items post HOLIDAY. I am including lip gloss, watches and some EASTER books purchased at the 1/2 price day at our church's kids consignment sale. Target occasionally offers items in it's dollar shop which have been marked down to 25 cents. I have picked up Tweety bird totes, coloring books, playing cards, hair decorations, etc. I've glued decorative buttons on sunglasses for an Easter theme (Jesse James buttons and E-6000 glue). They are darling! You can make seasonal earrings or pins by gluing hardware to the back of buttons or resin items purchased from the craft store. Place these on your own Business Card or make one stating this is from the BUNNY BOUTIQUE.
Clean out your jewelry box and give away the unused seasonal items you haven't worn in years!
I also go to the Outlet Mall during Spring Break and stock up at the Paper Factory for seasonal items. Valentine heart shaped playing cards appeal to the girls as do Racing themed items for the boys. Think outside the season.
I redeemed my receipts at an outlet mall one year and got FREE stuffed bunny Rabbits. I supplemented these with POST holiday purchases and every child will get a BIG plush bunny this year. Their eggs will have a puzzle piece in it-fit it together and redeem for the prize. I'll make the puzzle out of card stock - a decorative clip art egg cut into 3 pieces, one piece in 3 different plastic eggs.
Purchase ring post, individually packaged chips or cookies that can be taken in the lunch box extend the holiday in to the next week.
For items too large to place in an egg we have a ticket made on the computer that says "Redeem for a prize" We recycle these too! My sister always has a pinata too!
For the best RECYCLING idea: We also hunt for the RADIOACTIVE bunny and the kids LOVE this part the best. The bunny is a chocolate bunny from 1991 that graced my husbands basket and he NEVER ate it. We finally shrink wrapped it. There is always a prize for who finds this (usually an 8 pack of Reese eggs or marshmallow bunnies-so they can share). The radioactive bunny is 17 this year and still going.
We have a potluck and have so may great photos and memories. the big kids NEVER want to miss the egg hunt and several are married! Happy Easter! Remember the reason we celebrate it!
Editor's Note: For more thrifty ideas, check out this page.
Feel free to post your ideas in the feedback below or submit them as a new post by using the "Share" tab. Happy Easter!
This page contains the following solutions.
Last year I made a wonderful little Easter basket for my 5 year old granddaughter using an Easter bonnet from the dollar store instead of the traditional Easter basket.
When creating your Easter Baskets, get together with friends/neighbors or relatives who have children in the same age range and share multi packages of trinkets/toys or candies. Then your baskets will have more variety and save you a lot of $$$.
This is kind of a "buyer beware" concerning those pre-packed Easter Baskets the stores sell in the spring. My daughter bought a superhero one for my grandson this year. It was filled with small inexpensive toys, a few other odds and ends, and a box of cookies.
