Tips for Putting Together Easter Baskets on a Budget

If your Easter celebrations include putting together baskets from the Easter Bunny, here's a few frugal tips for you to consider using this year, or to tuck away for reference for next Easter:

Easter Grass. Instead of buying Easter grass at the store , consider recycling paper you already have at hand. Use an electronic shredder or a pair of scissors to cut up scraps of old wrapping paper, comic sections from the newspaper, or even printer paper you no longer have a need for.

If you are partial to purchasing Easter grass as a basket filler, watch for special deep-discount sales (most often held five to two weeks prior to the holiday) and pick up a few extra bags for the next year.

Candy. Consider making homemade chocolate suckers, bunnies, and so on. Kits with candy molds can be obtained at your local craft or department store. Not only will the cost of the chocolate be cheaper per ounce to make them, you will be able to use the kits for many years to come.

Crafting the bunnies, suckers, and other chocolate treats by hand also adds a nice personal, home-made touch to your baskets.

Eggs. Be crafty and creative with your egg decorating, rather than purchasing expensive store kits. Use stickers, papers, markers, crayons, and other craft items you have on hand to decorate unique Easter eggs.

Baskets. Instead of purchasing special Easter baskets, look around your house for alternatives. Do you already have a few suitable baskets to "borrow" for a day? Also consider using Tupperware, disposable containers, bowls, or save your empty ice cream tubs to be used in place of a traditional basket.

You may also want to consider buying multi-purpose containers instead of the traditional Easter baskets such as sand buckets, flower pots, storage containers, and so forth. This way you will be giving the Easter basket recipient an extra gift. For example, sand buckets will come in handy for play in the summertime, flower pots will be great for teaching the children to grow a spring garden, and storage containers can be used to keep their Easter goodies tidy and then later used for snacks or toys.

Toys. Visit your local thrift shops and your dollar stores for inexpensive items to stuff the Easter Baskets with. While shopping at your favorite retailer for Easter toys, consider purchasing non-holiday stock merchandise items, which will be less pricey than their holiday-themed counterparts.

In additon, stock up on trinkets the year before at after Easter sales, you'll often find toys and games, and all Easter merchandise at 50-90% off their pre-holiday prices.

Whether you use one or all of the ideas, you'll be sure to keep your budget in check and your Easter baskets full!