| If you look forward to giving Easter baskets to your | | | | personal popcorn bowl (containing a bag of gourmet |
| children each year but don't enjoy the high price of | | | | popcorn), or a new purse. |
| expensive pre-made baskets, here are some simple | | | | - For teen-agers or grown children, try a grocery bag |
| ideas for saving money on this fun holiday tradition. | | | | filled with their favorite foods. |
| Like anything else you buy, it helps to set a spending | | | | Filling ideas: |
| limit - maybe $5 per Easter basket. Then have fun | | | | - Plastic eggs can be reused every year. Fill with jelly |
| being creative and trying to keep within your basket | | | | beans or small plastic toys of interest to the child. Bags |
| budget. | | | | full of fake bugs, dinosaurs, etc., can often be found at |
| Our family usually reserves Easter baskets and Easter | | | | dollar stores for under a $1 per bag. |
| Egg Hunts for the Saturday just before Easter - | | | | - Homemade candy and treats. |
| saving Sunday for church and family celebrations. | | | | - Homemade frosted Easter-shaped cookies |
| I try to shop for Easter basket fillers in advance (I use | | | | individually wrapped. You can also make cookie |
| the same principle for Christmas stocking stuffers, too). | | | | lollipops by adding a lollipop or ice cream stick before |
| You can keep a basket in the corner of a closet for | | | | baking. |
| storing these types of items found throughout the | | | | - Crispy Rice Treats or Popcorn Balls colored with |
| year. Keep an eye out for small games and toys in | | | | pastel food coloring and shaped like eggs. |
| clearance bins at the grocery store, at dollar stores, | | | | - Sidewalk Chalk Eggs: Mix 1 cup plaster, 1/2 cup water |
| and during any stops to thrift stores or yard sales. | | | | and several drops food coloring. Pour mixture into |
| In the days immediately following Halloween, bags of | | | | empty egg carton sections. When dry, peel away the |
| candy often go on sale for half price (or less), so I'll | | | | carton and hot glue two sections together at the |
| sometimes purchase several bags of family favorites | | | | center to form a complete egg. |
| and stick them in the freezer. Frozen candy will keep | | | | - Toys from fast food children's meals can be found in |
| quite nicely until Easter. | | | | "like new" condition at thrift stores and yard sales for |
| Small, fun items that you'll probably need to purchase | | | | $0.25 or less. |
| for your children during the course of the year can be | | | | - Rubber stamps and stamp pads. |
| saved to include in their Easter baskets: crayons, felt | | | | - Homemade play dough. |
| pens, glue stick, glitter glue, novelty toothbrushes, | | | | - Crayons. |
| fun-flavored toothpastes, hair ribbons, barrettes, a new | | | | - Small bag of potato chips. |
| hair brush, bubble bath in fun containers. | | | | - Bubbles. |
| Ideas for the Basket Itself: | | | | - A jumprope. |
| - Wicker baskets can be reused year after year (a | | | | - Jacks. |
| nice tradition in itself). These can be used other times | | | | - A frisbee. |
| during the year for decoration or for storing small | | | | - Chopsticks. |
| items. You can also reuse the decorative grass from | | | | - Fancy shoelaces. |
| year to year. | | | | - Stickers. |
| - Paper bags decorated with bunnies, eggs, flowers, | | | | - Books. |
| etc. | | | | - Stationary, note cards, envelopes, stamps. |
| - Easter bonnets. If you're going to be purchasing an | | | | - Coloring books or coloring sheets. Find some simple |
| Easter bonnet for your daughter, turn it upside down | | | | Easter related clip-art and print the picture out in black |
| and fill with goodies. | | | | and white for homemade coloring sheets, or print out |
| - Inexpensive colorful plastic sand pails. Include a shovel | | | | several and staple them together for a custom made |
| and sand mold. | | | | coloring book. |
| - Plastic mesh storage containers. Reuse to store toys, | | | | - Audio tapes you've made of yourself reading their |
| games, socks, childhood treasures, etc. Lunch box. | | | | favorite books aloud. Be sure to include a signal for |
| - New novelty pillowcase. | | | | them to turn the page if they'll be reading along with |
| - Flower pot (fill w/packet of seeds, soil, drainage | | | | you. |
| rocks, gardening gloves, instructions for growing their | | | | - Look for small Dover Books at your local bookstore. |
| own Spring flowers). | | | | These books are high quality and usually under $1 |
| - For older kids/teens, try a make-up container | | | | each. They have paper dolls, holiday activity books, |
| (including sample sizes of soap, perfume, lipgloss, nail | | | | coloring books, etc. |
| polish, etc.), a fishing tackle box (include a few lures), a | | | | |