Hippity Hoppity, Easter’s On It’s Way!

Easter is coming up this weekend – and with spring finally arriving and the weather being as close to perfect as it can get, we are personally super excited for the chance to celebrate this beautiful holiday with our family. We don’t usually like to get into talking about religion here on I’m A Proud Momma, as everyone has and is entitled to their own – and despite our own personal beliefs, Easter is the holiday to teach our kids about love. Hunt Eggs, cookout, get together with the family – LOVE EACH OTHER. Take a break from the crazy world – it’ll all be there on Monday.

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It’s no secret that Easter is really fun for the kids, yet I would wager that hiding eggs from the kids and watching them hunt high and low – is just as much, if not more, fun for us parents too. If only we got Easter baskets too (I’d be 100% down for one with household supplies instead of toys and candy – hahaha) 😉

Easter Baskets Everywhere

Speaking of Easter Baskets – I swear, Walmart puts the Easter decorations out earlier and earlier every year. This year, I swear I remember seeing Easter stuff being put out at the same time the Valentine’s Day stuff was put out. Not only is Easter stuff out two months early – it’s also right in the FRONT of the store, like as soon as you walk in the door. And it’s not by coincidence either.. They know that every single time a customer with a kid(s) walks into the store, the moment the kids set eyes on the aisles of plastic eggs, candy, and stuffed animals – the begging and pleading immediately begins. But, for me atleast, even after the 100th time being asked in one grocery trip – the answer is always the same, “Easter will be here soon”.

“Soon” – the word alone makes me sigh to myself, and sometimes shake my head a little.. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE making my babies happy, and actually enjoy putting together Easter baskets with a little candy and a toy or two.. What I do mind & really don’t enjoy – is the pressure that recently has been put on us moms to go all out for every holiday. It quickly adds up to be so much money, especially for larger families.

Baskets That Don’t Break The Bank

But I am here to tell you something that took me years, and a LOT of money to learn.. You don’t have to go broke on baskets! So, to help your pockets out a bit this Easter, I am sharing how I make budget-friendly Easter Baskets using a few tricks & tips I have picked up throughout my years of experience.

For the little ones – The smaller the kiddo, the simpler the shopping, lol. As long as it’s pretty and there is candy involved, they’re in! Just be advised that they will most likely break whatever they get, expensive or not, within a month of Easter. They don’t know the difference in cheap or expensive – and really don’t care at this age, which makes the Dollar Tree your best friend.. Not to mention, $20 – or even $10 makes you like Dollar Tree rich or something 🙂

For the older kids – every year, Target always has an amazing section of “Basket Ideas” by age group with items that are super budget friendly (especially for it being Target) along with killer premade baskets in tons of themes; which makes it super easy to grab one based on whatever your kid is into this year, throw in a gift card and boom – their basket is done.

Building My Easter Basket

Call me old fashioned, but I like to go with the traditional looking bamboo easter baskets. Ones that look like these: (Pic To The Right). But there are a TON of different styles to choose from. Amazon alone has like 20. Check them out here:

Then comes stuffing the basket with grass and eggs, of course. I use plastic grass and plastic eggs filled with age-appropriate candy. But again, there are a few options. There is paper grass, and real eggs – or whatever combo you choose – to each their own…

Then comes the best part – the gifts – duh! I go with small stuffed animals that are similar, but never the same, to prevent fights over who’s are who’s. Just make sure they are as similar as possible so no one fights over who’s is better either, hahah. And bubbles are always a hit!

We live near a beach, so I always like to throw in some beach toys. But for those who don’t live close to water, there is also pool toys, sandbox toys, little golf games, plastic bats, the list goes on and on. .

The only thing I like to get them that I can’t find at the dollar tree is a new outfit. I’m THAT mom that does matching outfits. I usually go to an outlet store like ROSS, Burlington, or TJ Maxx. There I can find them each something thats dressy but that they can still have fun in.

Buying An Easter Basket

And hey! I have some years where I’m on it with the baskets and crafts. Then some where I worked over 40 hours that week. Or a couple of my kids were sick. Or I was barely getting through each day. So I just went to Target (pronounced Tar-jey) and grabbed some pre-filled baskets and plastic eggs. I swear my kids don’t care, and I’m sure yours won’t either. Here’s to an amazing Easter for you and your family. Looking for food ideas? Check out our recipes section for great food finds 🙂