Regardless of age, religion or beliefs, Easter is a time of celebration for many people all around the world. Just think of all the chocolate you can eat! However, an enjoyable Easter doesn’t need to blow your budget. When you’re collecting decorations, Easter eggs and planning a menu, it’s easy to let your costs get out of hand. By celebrating Easter on a budget, you can have some fun without sacrificing your long term financial goals.

Especially when you’re perusing the home decor aisles in target – every bunny seems to twitch its’ nose at you hoping to get a ride in your trolley. However, being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun either. No matter how you like to celebrate Easter, there are many ways to make it fun and budget-friendly for everyone. Here are some fun and fresh ideas to celebrate Easter on a budget.

Live a life you love without going broke. This workbook is undated so you can keep using it year after year! Start at any time of the year. This FREE budget workbook is perfect for you if you want to: Know exactly where your hard-earned money is going

Put money towards things that really matter to you

Have the freedom to spend without worrying about money

Enjoy a debt free life SEND IT TO ME!

1. Dye your own Easter eggs

If you’re feeling crafty, you can easily dye your own Easter eggs using a few pantry staples like vinegar and food colouring. You can even invite some friends over, crack open a bottle of wine and have a competition to see who makes the best eggs. For more advanced crafters, you can try getting a little fancier with your designs. Pressed for time? Try dying your eggs in your pressure cooker instead. This is probably one of the most popular ways to celebrate Easter on a budget. Now, full disclosure – I’m probably way too lazy to ever dye my own Easter eggs, but they do look beautiful, don’t they?

2. Buy reusable eggs

However, if dyeing your own Easter eggs is too much work for you (no judgement, I’m way too lazy too!) then opt for reusable plastic eggs as well. You can pick these up from craft stores or online. The plastic eggs may not be as beautiful as the ones you dye yourself, but it’s what’s inside the egg that counts, right? Besides, plastic eggs can be reused year after year until you have the budget to replace them.

3. Pick up chocolate after Valentine’s Day

If you’re a chocolate lover like me, then you’ll love this tip. We both know that there can never be enough chocolate, however, it can get pretty expensive over Easter. For a cheaper alternative, skip the Easter eggs and bunnies and buy Valentine’s Day chocolate instead.

Apparently, no one eats chocolate after Valentine’s Day, so it all goes on sale. It might still have Valentine’s packaging but you can remove the chocolates from their packaging and you won’t be able to tell the difference. Besides, I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to be eating the packaging. However, if you are, your chocolate addiction is probably worse than mine!

Furthermore, if you don’t mind delaying your Easter celebrations by a week, you could buy your chocolate eggs and bunnies after Easter instead.

4. Buy chocolate on sale

Photo by Sophie Elvis on Unsplash

If you do need to buy chocolate (how many times can I say chocolate in this post?) during the Easter period then only buy what’s on sale. Most large supermarkets will be running sales on chocolate in the lead up to Easter.

Take advantage of the opportunity to stock up at a cheaper price. However, make sure you shop around. There are some vendors who will actually increase their prices because they know everyone wants chocolate.

5. Have an Easter Egg Hunt after Easter

This might not be for everyone, but if you don’t mind, try having your Easter Egg Hunt after Easter when all the chocolate is on sale. You’ll save yourself a lot of money but you still get to enjoy a nice hunt for chocolate (who doesn’t love that!). And no, Easter Egg Hunts aren’t just for kids.

Mr Bear once created an Easter Egg Hunt inside our first apartment. I kept finding little hazelnut cream chocolate eggs hidden around my desk and under my pillow. It was pretty romantic and lots of fun. Of course, I tried to find them all and eat them as quickly as possible. But it was a fun little memory for us, and it only cost a bag of Easter eggs.

6. Buy decorations after Easter

Similarly, Easter decorations are also usually cheaper after Easter. It’s one of the biggest ways to celebrate Easter on a budget. You don’t necessarily have to delay your celebrations to buy cheaper decorations. They’re not food items, so they won’t spoil if you keep them for next year.

However, don’t go overboard with buying decorations. Set a spending limit based on your budget and what you can afford. Pick up a few pieces every year and you’ll slowly build up a nice collection over time.

7. Bake your own Easter treats

I love baking. It’s almost like meditation to me. Everything else in the world fades away and all that’s left is filling your cup with flour. And in the end, your home smells like a bakery. If you’re looking for low cost yet tasty treats, then baking is the way to go.

You can whip up some easy baked goods using pantry staples and all that Easter chocolate you’ve got lying around. Try making cupcakes with an Easter egg in the centre. Or break your bunny into pieces and use it to decorate a cake.

You don’t need to do any super fancy piping or play around with fondant. Just keep it simple and try to use what you already have or can buy cheaply.

8. Opt for a Scavenger Hunt instead

Here’s a fun twist on a traditional Easter Egg Hunt. Turn it into a scavenger hunt instead. Make a bunch of coupons using paper and coloured pens you already have. Fill your plastic eggs with coupons instead of chocolate. That way, when someone finds the egg, they’ll get a treat other than chocolate. Here are some coupon ideas you can include in your scavenger hunt:

movie night where the hunter gets to pick the movie

chore swap (use this one sparingly, otherwise you’ll end up doing all the chores)

the hunter gets to choose their favourite meal and you have to make it

This is also a good idea if some of your hunters can’t eat chocolate or sugar (or if you’re like me and you’re addicted to chocolate but also trying to lose 40kg). Furthermore, a scavenger hunt is fun for adults as well, not just kids. You can even combine the scavenger hunt for coupons into a budget-friendly romantic date.

9. Have an Easter Brunch instead of lunch or dinner

I was actually really interested in trying this one this year. However, that was before the world descended into plague and we all had to stay away from each other. It’s on my bucket list to host brunches the way Leslie Knope does. Besides, I also love breakfast foods and brunch is a perfect opportunity to eat waffles and French toast in the middle of the day.

Further, brunch foods can be easily made with a few pantry staples. Think of things like pancakes, muffins and scones. You can even start melting your Easter chocolate to pour over the top. I know you’re supposed to use melts instead, but I promise you that Martha Stewart won’t find out. It’ll be our little secret.

10. Ask your guests to help out

If you’re hosting over Easter, ask your guests to help you out. Ask them to bring decorations, chocolate, plates and dishes. It’ll be a fun way to get everyone involved without you having to bear all of the expense on your own.

11. Make your own decorations

Grab some paper and a pair of scissors and get creative. Try making your own bunting out of old wrapping paper and ribbon you’ve stashed away somewhere.

You can also swap decorations with your friends. This helps you all get a fun and fresh look every year without having to spend a lot of money to buy new decorations.

12. Try a Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt is another alternative to a traditional Easter Egg Hunt and a great way to celebrate Easter on a budget. Fill your plastic eggs with clues that lead to one large prize hidden somewhere. Whoever follows all the clues to find the prize first wins. However, just make sure your prize isn’t anything too expensive. One of those giant chocolate eggs or bunnies should do the trick.

Similarly, instead of clues, you can fill your plastic eggs with riddles. Whoever finds and solves the most riddles wins the prize. Not feeling competitive? Treat your plastic eggs like fortune cookies instead and hide inspirational quotes inside them.

13. DIY Easter gift baskets and hampers

Easter gift baskets and hampers are a popular gift. However, buying pre-made gift baskets can often cost a pretty penny. Make sure you compare prices before you buy anything – you can often put your own basket together by purchasing all the individual items separately. And it works out much cheaper.

You also don’t have to buy a basket. Use one you already have or try using a gift bag instead. An even better way to cut the cost is to use one of the items in your gift basket as the gift basket itself. Check out the picture below – see how they used the bowl as the basket?

Now, this obviously won’t work for every type of gift basket, but when it does, you’ll save yourself the cost of a new basket. You can even just fill up some jars with treats to give away as gifts.

14. Look for free events in your local community

Keep this one on your list for next year since you probably won’t find any community events due to the social distancing measures in place. Local communities often hold free Easter events to keep children occupied and entertained over the Easter break. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it too.

Search your local community websites for free Easter egg hunts or activities in local parks and schools that are open to the public. These events are a fantastic way to have some fun and celebrate Easter on a budget.

15. Don’t buy special Easter clothing

Buying clothes that you can only wear once is probably only acceptable when you’re getting married. I don’t know about you, but I don’t sit around in my wedding dress. Buying special clothes only for Easter is a good way to spend too much money. You don’t need a dress with bunnies on it.

Instead, invest in nice ‘special occasion’ clothes that can be worn again and again – for Easter, Christmas, birthdays, graduations and other special events. You’ll get much more use out of your clothes this way.

You can also make your Easter outfit more fun and exciting by playing around with makeup (that you already own). Try some fresh new looks and play around with bright or pastel colours.

16. Plan your menu for leftovers

If you’re planning to host an Easter lunch or dinner then take the time to put some thought into your menu. Most people hosting meals don’t want their guests to go hungry, so they make more food than they probably need.

You’ll likely be left with quite a few leftovers. Choose dishes that reheat well or can be used in other recipes. That way, you have food for a few extra days but you don’t need to buy more groceries.

17. Play fun but cheap Easter-themed games

Need entertainment after your chocolate-induced coma? Get creative with some fun but cheap Easter-themed games. Here are some examples for you to try:

pin the tail on the bunny (print off a free picture of a bunny from Pinterest and add some double-sided tape to a bunch of cotton balls for a tail);

get in your backyard and do a hopping or jumping race;

have an old fashioned egg and spoon race using either your plastic eggs or chocolate eggs you can eat at the end of the race;

get all your eggs in one basket and have an egg unwrapping contest.

18. Eat your decorations

No, I haven’t lost my mind. If you choose to decorate your home with bowls of carrots and Easter eggs instead of porcelain bunnies, you can literally eat your decorations over Easter. It’ll also mean that you have less to tidy up after all the celebrations are over. Clearly, this would be a bad idea for someone like me given that I have no control over the amount of chocolate I put in my mouth. My decorations wouldn’t last very long!

Easter celebrations don’t need to be expensive to be fun for everyone. There are so many ways to celebrate Easter on a budget and still have a lot of fun. Try making your own decorations or opt for a different kind of Easter egg hunt. Creative ideas can help make it more affordable so you can celebrate without going into debt or worrying about money.