Dollar Store Easter Baskets to the Rescue!

For many families in Northeast Mississippi – in fact, for families just about everywhere – rising costs make life harder and harder. This money pinch is often felt even more during holidays, when meals, gifts and extended-family entertaining are expected.

We of course always want to support local businesses if there’s a choice, but sometimes…we just can’t afford it. If you’re feeling the financial burn this Easter and have no other choice, consider filling your child’s Easter basket with items from a dollar store, such as Dollar Tree.

Now, things have gotten so expensive that even Dollar Tree is no longer a dollar – this popular budget chain recently changed its pricing, and many items are now $1.25 … or even more. For most things, however, it’s still more affordable to put together a “$1.25 store” Easter basket than it is to buy these things from a grocery or other higher-priced retailer. 

Here are a few hints for putting together an Easter basket – or birthday gift – for under $20, with all items purchased at your neighborhood dollar store.

– If your child does not have a basket he or she uses every year, consider using a cute plastic bin or pail in a pastel color, since it can be reused in the home in ways a traditional Easter basket cannot. Once it is filled, use clear cellophane wrap – also found at the dollar store – to finish it off and give it the “fancy” look your child will love. Tie a single helium balloon to it to give the gift more oomph in its impact on Easter morning.

– While parents often notice the difference between brand-name candies and generics from a Dollar Tree, small children will never notice. Save your coins for things that really matter and that they WILL notice, and go generic on the jellybeans and “Peeps!”

– Most kids will do just fine without the huge, expensive chocolate bunnies. Instead, get several smaller, hollow bunnies from the dollar store and make the “big” item in the basket a large toy, also from the dollar store. Think in terms of size: Inflatable balls, plastic swords, pool toys… basically anything with a spring or summer feel that will impress. Most little ones will never notice the bunny is smaller than it was last year.

– Spark your child’s interest in gardening by including REAL gardening supplies in his or her gift basket. Dollar stores now have a surprising array of gardening items, and you can be sure you’ll be getting them for the lowest price possible. A pack or two of flower seeds, a few plastic or terracotta pots, a small garden shovel or trowel, and a pretty pair of garden gloves in an Eastertime shade will inspire any child that’s a nature-lover at heart!

– If you are on a really tight budget and your child needs clothing, add a few clothing items to the basket. Be sure to color coordinate it all to an Easter theme. Think: pastel colored socks, cute undies, a sun hat, flip flops, or any necessities you will need to buy soon anyway. Combined with six or eight bags of chocolates, jellybeans and a small hollow bunny, your child will still feel special despite the fact that these are clothing necessities.

– For older kids, make a basket that’s half candies and half “cool” stuff such as dollar store earbuds, phone case, phone stand, small external speakers, sunglasses, DVDs, bath bombs or body washes/sprays, etc. If you use your imagination and are open to anything, you might come up with a unique and very personalized basket for your tween or teen. By the teen years, if you still give your kids Easter gifts, they really only need a few token candy items…the rest should be useful or cool stuff.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Good luck in saving money, and Happy Easter!