Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. Family time, the Easter message, egg hunts. The chocolate. But let’s be real. Those Easter baskets can put a huge dent in your budget. Here are some ideas for keeping it cute and affordable with easy Easter baskets that are “cheap cheep.”
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Bigger is not always better
When I was growing up, Easter almost always featured a gigantic basket wrapped in cellophane. Those were pretty standard for the time, but honestly, at 5 years old those bad boys were hard to lug around.
These days there is so much variety out there which is really refreshing. Easter baskets don’t even have to be baskets anymore, and thankfully they no longer have to be the size of a Thanksgiving platter.
This smaller 9″ tall canvas Easter basket tote is a great bargain at $6.19, and it comes in several different color options.
An even more budget-friendly choice are these 5″ x 5″ colorful baskets, a set of 12 for $8.45. That’s just 70 cents a basket! They’re cute and reusable. You can’t beat that.
Baskets pre-filled with candy can be tempting to buy, but so not budget-friendly. I did a quick search on Walmart’s website for pre-filled baskets and they were right about $30. The ones that came up on Target’s website were around $15.
It can be done for sooo much cheaper, plus you’ll be adding the personalized touch that pre-made baskets lack.
“Cheap cheap” basket items
The ever-hailed giant chocolate bunny, the huge fluffy stuffed animal… These may be Easter standards, but that doesn’t mean that they have to be ginormous. A small stuffy is perfect, if your kiddo likes that. If he’s not about that, maybe a little ball to play with would be a better choice.
Another unique and frugal idea is books. I’m the book aunt in the family, just ask my nieces and nephews. Books are fun and interactive and get those little minds thinking and growing.
Amazon has some Little Golden books in several Easter themes for around $4. Like I said, book aunt. There are other smaller paperbacks available too that are also affordable.
And hey, if a book or small toy is not in the budget, that is perfectly okay. The candy is pretty much what it’s all about anyway. There are adorable little chocolate bunnies that are only $1, or packages of 4 or so individually-wrapped bunnies for around $3.
There are also cheap plastic eggs that can be filled with M&Ms or jellybeans, and it’s always a better deal to make them yourself.
Another thing I like is a snack-size bag of crackers or something like that so the whole basket isn’t completely filled with just candy. Annie’s Bunnies snacks would be adorable for this!
FIERCELY FRUGAL: To really maximize the budget, just use snacks that you already have at home! Yes, you can totally do that. Shh… no one has to know!
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Quality over quantity
Putting together Easter baskets on a budget can still be cute and fun. The special kiddos in your life and going to love the fact that you thought about them and took the time to get them a basket full of goodies.
And doing a smaller basket is a win for the wallet, plus it really is better to look at it as a treat, not a gigantic sugar-fest splurge.
Besides, do you really want your kids running wild on that much sugar? I mean, I’m an aunt, so I don’t have to deal with those hyped-up sugar babies at bedtime. But why make my sisters-in-law mad at me?
Then there are the other goodies that the kids will be getting, too. There’ll probably be more candy from grandparents and other family members. They might get some Easter candy at church too, or at an egg hunt or any other special Easter event.
There are tons of places they’re going to be raking in the chocolate eggs, so don’t worry about them not getting enough. Your “cheap cheep” basket will be loved!
A basketful of savings
All things considered, putting together an Easter basket yourself is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. The price of a smaller basket, a little toy or book, and a few tasty treats is minimal compared to the ready-made baskets.
Let’s say you’re doing baskets for 6 kids. The six baskets themselves would be $4.20 to $37.14, the cost for six small toys or books would be $12 to $24, and other candy or treats would be anywhere from $0 to $10.
Adding it all up, that’s a price range of $16.20 to $71.14 for six kids, so each filled basket would be from $2.70 to $11.86. If you go with the cheapest options, that’s less than $3 per filled Easter basket! WAY better than the $15-$30 pre-made baskets.
Having different items to choose from to create an Easter basket is super affordable since it allows for flexibility. If you’re only doing a basket for one child, you can spend a little more, but there’s also the option to adjust to something more affordable if you’re doing baskets for several kids.
It’s all about flexibility, and picking out things and creating Easter baskets yourself is much more fun anyway. You’ll feel good about limiting the amount of sugar you’re giving the kids while still being able to stay within your budget, and of course, your kiddos will feel special that you created a basket just for them.
I hope these tips are helpful and have inspired you to create your own baskets on a budget!
Happy Easter, friend!
Free 5-Day Surefire Money Makeover Challenge
Struggling with finances and need ways to start cutting costs and seeing savings ASAP? I’ve got the solution! Start my free 5-Day Surefire Money Makeover Challenge here by filling out this form:
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