As Easter approaches, it’s time to start thinking ahead to Easter baskets. Of course, Easter is about celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, but we do also give Easter baskets in our house. It’s a small, special treat. Nothing too extravagant but something special to anticipate.
While Easter baskets can be a fun tradition, they don’t have to be expensive! I believe you can create a delightful Easter basket for $5 to $10. Easter baskets are only as expensive as you allow them to be. With a little bit of planning and shopping ahead, it is actually quite easy to create a frugal Easter basket that your child will love.
That’s why I am sharing these ideas now…so you can plan ahead to build a frugal Easter basket you and your kids will enjoy.
The list below contains 25 frugal Easter basket ideas – all under $5! Of course, the ideas can be adapted by age and interest of your children but I tried to include a wide variety of frugal ideas that all children would enjoy. I also wanted to focus on things that were not all candy!
To save the most on Easter baskets, shop early and watch for sales.
Target’s dollar bin is where we often pick up sidewalk chalk in the spring. The Dollar Tree is a great option for fun little surprises like magic growing capsules. Michael’s is a great place to find pads of stickers for only $1 or flip-flops, too. (They are even cheaper if you use the weekly 40% off coupons!)
Watch for sales on candy and favorite snacks at the grocery store. By shopping around, you’ll find some great deals for your child’s Easter basket!
Sometimes, you can get a bulk set on Amazon and divide the items up to stay under the $5 limit. Since I have 4 kids now, this is a good option for our family.
This post contains affiliate links. You can read more in my disclosure policy. These links may not always be the most frugal option, so be sure to compare prices for the best deal as you fill your Easter basket!
Easter Basket Ideas for Kids Under $5
- Chocolate (of course!)
- Bubble wand (outside bubbles)
- Bubble bath
- A favorite snack (Goldfish, fruit snacks, etc)
- Coins inside Easter eggs (or dollar bills if your kids are older)
- Hair bows or headband
- Matchbox cars
- Fun toothbrush
- Bath tub paints or crayons
- Crayons and coloring book
- Water Wow
- Puzzles
- Stickers (Michaels $1 sticker pads are amazing!)
- Flip-flops
- Magic growing capsules
- Classic metal slinky
- Fun chapstick
- Magnets
- A kite
- Sunglasses
- A pad of tracing paper & new pencils (Fun for artists)
- Hidden Picture activity book
- Fun bandaids (Target Dollar Spot or Dollar Tree is a great place to find these)
- Imagine Magic Ink coloring pad
- A book
I think books are always a great idea! Here are some of my favorite board books for babies and toddlers. If you’re looking for a unique, Christian book about Easter for young children, check out Wiggles’s Easter Journey.
Bonus Frugal & Unique Easter Basket Idea:
Create homemade gift certificates to hide in your child’s Easter eggs. For example, allow them to plan dinner one night or pick a Redbox rental for a family movie night. There are so many options for this one and you can customize it to your child and your family. You don’t have to stop at one gift certificate either!
More Ways to Save Money on Easter Baskets:
The dollar store is a great place for buying boxed puzzles. Whether 24 pieces or 1,000 pieces, if you lose a piece (at $1 a box), you don’t have to feel bad when you throw the puzzle away!
You don’t always have to buy lots of chocolate for an Easter basket! Consider buying a large bag of M&Ms and dividing them up into plastic Easter eggs. If you have several children, this is a much more frugal option than buying different chocolate bars or bunnies. You could also do the same with other varieties of candy (ie Skittles, gummy bears, etc). It’s what my Mom used to do. I loved opening the eggs then to see what was hiding in them, and now, I appreciate it even more for the fun, frugal option it was!
Don’t be afraid to include a practical item your kids already need. I know some families put swim suits in Easter baskets for this season!
Shop the clearance after Easter to put items aside for next year’s Easter baskets. I do this with all the holidays – shopping clearance and putting the items aside for next year. You will save money and be prepared early. A definite win for busy, frugal moms everywhere!
What are some other frugal things to include in Easter baskets?
Rachel says
I purchase Easter items on clearance for the following year. Easter baskets have an item that will needed for the summer. I usually add a pair of summer PJ’s or a swimsuits or towel, sunglasses. I pick summer PJ’s or swimsuits a size up when on clearance for the purpose of Easter baskets. I usally spend closer to $10 on the Easter basket due to swimsuit or PJ’s.
Jayleen says
Great ideas, Kristen! We usually keep it simple and purchase something the kids will be needing and we would purchase anyway. Swimsuits, beach towels, etc! We usually do an egg hunt too, although that isn’t necessarily frugal since we put money in the eggs. Oh my! The things we do for our teenagers!
Janeen says
I’m so grateful that my mother-in-law has wanted to do the easter basket tradition for my kids. She takes care of it all, and easter egg dying too! Then I’m free to focus on making the holy week memorable for the kids, and come up with little ways to reach their hearts with the truth of the gospel. If I were the one creating the baskets, I’d definitely use some of your ideas (especially the small games idea, love that!) Those magnet kits are totally making their way into stockings this year– they look so cool.
Kristen says
That is wonderful, Janeen! What a nice thing for your mother-in-law to do. The magnet kits are really neat! I have a couple tucked away already for Nathan.
Rachel says
I purchase things year round for gifts. I check clearance for games, bubbles, slippers, special character shirts, toys. Their baskets this year have character pair of slipper socks , a matching character shirt, Barbie doll/ Lego set, crayon body wash, a sticker Easter story scene, and some candy. I purchase some clearance candy from Halloween/ valentine’s Day to use at Easter. I do make sure the candy is in Easter colors or wrappers aren’t the wrong Holiday. I also pick up clearance Easter items . This year the kids will color ” He is Risen “placements and stickers that were .10.
Kristen says
Likewise, Rachel! You just reminded me that I have some clearanced garden tools that I bought for a quarter a piece that would be perfect for Nathan’s Easter basket! It’s worth the storing (for me) when I can find great deals for the future. Good idea about buying Valentine’s candy for Easter too!
Katrina says
You can also snag some great Easter basket finds at thrift shops. I was able to get my 1.5-year-old daughter a couple of little gardening tools for her Easter basket this year, as well as buying her actual Easter basket. 🙂 I’m hoping to have the foresight during back-to-school sales this August to stock up on basic art supplies for stocking stuffers and Easter basket fillers.
Kristen says
Great idea, Katrina! And yay for thrift stores. I admit that my thrift store shopping times have been limited of late but I do love when I have a successful thrifting day. I need to go out again! And yes! August is a GREAT time to stock up on art supplies. I’ll be buying more crayons and notebooks for us, too.