Basket Fulls of $avings!

Saving money can be difficult when you have kids, add to it the cost of Easter baskets and all that other 'frivolous stuff' and you might end up in the poor house!

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Here are a few ways we save $$ on Easter:

Easter Baskets
Everyone has their own Easter basket that is used year after year.  We don't buy new baskets -ever - at least not for Easter.  ;)  Buy baby's first {and only} Easter basket after Easter when they are on 75% discount.  Believe me, if he's anywhere in his first year he won't know the difference.  He's too young to eat candy, too young to remember that he didn't have a basket on his first Easter morning.

Oh, yeah, and at our house, the empty Easter basket is all he gets his first Easter {beside a new outfit for church}.  Like I said, he'll never remember!  :)  Throw a few colorful eggs his direction, and he'll play happily for hours without a second thought!  Be sure to get a basket that's big enough for him when he's a 'big kid' since he'll be using this basket until he moves out! 

Easter Grass
Reuse it!  Every year the grass gets changed from one basket to another so that every basket is different than it was the previous year.  When, and if, the different colored grasses start to get mixed up, or they've gone around each kid, I mix them on purpose.  Then we have a year of mixed up colorful Easter grass in our baskets!

When we need more 'grass', I go and buy 4 more bags of it.  One for each kid, and, at 75% discount.  I can get all 4 bags for $1.00!  These bags will last me at least 4 years.  That's .25 cents per year on Easter baskets for 4 kids and a husband!!  And, yes!  I get my husband an Easter basket too!  After all, men never grow up!!  ;)   Your really can get buy with buying one bag of 'grass' per 2 or 3 baskets, but I like to have a different color in each basket - just to switch it up. 

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Easter Eggs
Easter Eggs can be re-used too!  We have Easter eggs that are 8 years old and the kids love them!  They have more memories that way.  When eggs are broken, lost, or missing, we simply wait until after Easter and buy more - you guessed it - on 75% discount.  Once again, we can buy around 4 dozen eggs for the following year for around $1.00.


Easter Basket Content
We also buy small toys and trinkets for baskets and eggs on discount after Easter for the following year.  I spend roughly $5.00 on each basket.  This is estimating high, and makes a grand total of $20.00 on Easter baskets per year since we have 4 children.  This price includes the grass and eggs.

Ideas on practical things to include in Easter baskets:

• Things that are necessary - sandals, hair bows, hair brushes, tooth brushes, pencils, erasers, shampoo, soaps, nail files.... 
• Things that encourage learning - magnifying glass {for inspecting bugs, snow flakes and your brothers eye balls}, coloring pages, books, chalk, typing class for my 7 year old...seriously!  She wants to learn to type! :)  {Cost me $10!!  But I've been needing to get it for her anyway.  Saving it for her basket just helps me not have to buy more "junk".}
• Things that are useful - gardening tools, cookie cutters, shoes, and lip balm are all very useful in my opinion!
• Things that encourage outdoor activity - jump ropes, side walk chalk, bubbles, yo-yos, gardening supplies, Chinese jump ropes, seeds...the list is endless

Have fun!  Be creative!  And, be sure to leave me all of your Easter Ideas in the comment section below or on my Facebook page!  I can't wait to hear from you!



This post is linked to:
Barn Hop #54
The Thrifty Thursday Link Up
Hearts 4 Home 

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