Filling Easter baskets can get pricey and with the holiday just around the corner you need to have a plan…that won’t break the budget.

Putting together nice Easter baskets that everyone will love does not have to drain your wallet.  Here are a few ideas to help you save on your Easter basket preparation:

Get Nice Baskets

Purchase a nice Easter basket for each of your kids.  This will initially require spending more than you normally would for one of those cheap baskets, but the trick is to reuse it each year.
This will no doubt save you money in the long run and just might become a nice tradition… you can get a few years out of the Easter grass if you choose to use that!

Thrift Stores

Be sure to make the thrift and dollar stores your first stop.  It’s not uncommon for the big-box stores to donate their seasonal leftovers, so you will likely find a great selection of Easter themed items. There are huge savings to be had at these stores when compared to the retail outlets.

Make Your Own Easter Grass

A great way to save on your Easter basket filling is to skip the store bought, plastic grass and make your own inexpensive Easter grass.  Just get some green paper and run it through the shredder… you can make all the Easter grass you need and save a lot of green!

Egg-spensive

Make an investment in another reusable Easter item, plastic eggs!  You can buy small candies in different varieties and fill the plastic eggs yourself.  By doing this, you can control what goes into the candy-filled eggs and save dozens of dollars by using the same eggs year after year.

Not So Sweet

Your Easter basket filling doesn’t have to be all candy and sweets, you can mix things up and put practical items in the baskets… puzzles, crayons, little action figures, all make great Easter basket stuffers and won’t leave your kids in need of a trip to the dentist.

Candy is Candy

If you are going to fill your kid’s Easter baskets with candy, forgo the traditional Easter themed candy.  Those chocolate bunnies and cream- filled Easter eggs are expensive, and it’s a pretty good bet that your kids will be just as happy with regular candy.

Coupons

Coupons for kids?  You betcha!  But the kid-friendly type of coupons.  Make up some coupons for your kids that they can redeem for getting out of chores, having a sleep over, staying up late one night or for additional TV or video game time… you do limit TV and video game time don’t you?  Well, that’s an article for another time.

Shop for Next Year

It’s not going to save you any money this year, but you can buy candy after Christmas or Valentine’s day, when that stuff goes on sale, and use it as filler items for Easter… if you don’t eat it all between then and Easter!

There really is no need to spend a ton of money on Easter baskets especially if you plan ahead and use a little creativity.  It’s a great idea to make the focus on the real reason for the Easter holiday and try to make the holiday more about creating memories than about “things”.