Do This NOW To Save Money On Easter Next Year

Easter is so much fun, especially when you have kids.

The cute little Easter outfits, baskets, Easter egg hunts, and of course the huge family dinner all make it a memorable holiday.  Personally, my favorite thing about Easter (besides the obvious kiddo cuteness) is that to me, it signifies that spring/summer are here!  Instead of the darker colors of Thanksgiving and Christmas, Easter is all about bright, cheery colors, flower, and treats.

The weather starts to warm and the days are longer, which make everyone (myself included) beat those winter blues away.

This year our Easter was FAR different than in years past.  This is the first Easter that our daughter was old enough to understand what Easter eggs were, and how awesome it was that they were actually filled with candy.  We hosted 17 family members in our new kitchen and dining room, and I was finally able to put BOTH of my ovens to working cooking the meal and baking goodies for afterwards.

{How To Have a Frugal Easter}

We hosted family on Saturday, since that seemed to work better with everyone’s schedule, and had the Easter egg hunt then too.  It was quite simply, a blast, but I was still REALLY looking forward to the traditional Easter breakfast + service at church the next day.

But then late afternoon on Saturday rolled around and Jessica started being very clingy.  She wanted to be held all the time – this is the child that NEVER snuggles or even stops moving for that matter – and by evening, her temp was above 100.  By about 9 pm her temp as up to 102.5, so I gave her some Tylenol to take it down.

Thank goodness it worked, and around 3 am her temp was back to normal!

Sunday she was fine, but we were really hesitant to take her to church, around all the other kids, and because she was really tired from being sick, so we had to miss our on wearing our Easter clothes, taking a picture in them, and of course attending the Easter service.

I was even hoping to have an Easter picture to share with you all!

But, I’m grateful that her sickness was short-lived, that we didn’t have to make a trip to the ER, and that we celebrated on Saturday!

Now that Easter is passed, I wanted to share some tips and tricks with you that I use every year AFTER Easter to save on our celebration next year.  Sure, I have to think a whole 365 days in advance, but it’s not terribly difficult.

Here are my best tips for saving money on Easter by shopping NOW:

Which Stores Should You Shop?

Just like shopping the clearance rack and making sure your timing is on point is important, shopping the right stores ensures you get the best deals on the cutest outfits, the cheeriest decor, and the the best Easter basket stuffers.

My personal favorites, based on my location as well as shopping preferences, are Kohl’s and CVS.

Kohl’s starts marking Easter stuff down 30% the day after, but if you want until 1-2 weeks after you’ll see discounts of 50%-70% on EVERYTHING Easter.  If you wait an additional week, the discounts will get up to 80% – 90%, but the size and variety selection will be limited.  Plus, Kohl’s coupons and ExtraBucks can be used on clearance items, making those good buys great.

CVS is also a personal favorite because a) I bought most of my daughter’s diapers there (f0r free) b) the staff is super friendly and c) they seem to have the lowest clearance prices.  CVS decorations, candy, and other holiday paraphernalia tends to be more expensive than your grocery or department store, but after the holiday, prices drop to 50% off in the first couple of days, but within the first week after Easter it’s not uncommon to find 75% – 90% off.  One word of caution: CVS clearance tends to go quickly, so plan your shopping trip timing carefully.

Even though I don’t personally shop at these others very often, I’ve heard good things about their Easter clearance, so don’t overlook them when hunting for a good bargain:

• Target
• Walmart
• Your Local Grocer (they tend to have AWESOME clearance, but you might have to hunt for it)
• Walgreens
• Rite-Aid
• Aldi (I do shop here quite frequently!)
• Dollar Stores

Anyone remember PEZ dispensers? Well, my daughter has discovered them and is OBSESSED

A photo posted by Gretchen (@livingonfifty) on Mar 28, 2016 at 1:22pm PDT

Save Money on Easter Clothes

Everyone loves adorable little Easter dresses and suits.  Matching or non-matching, the bright colors, and the perfect little outfits make Easter a great opportunity for a family photo op.

Sure, you can ABSOLUTELY wear regular dressy clothes for holidays like Easter (and that would be the most frugal thing to do) but if you’ve got your heart set on new outfits – or the kids outgrew last year’s – then shop now for huge discounts on those cute (but expensive) Easter outfits sets that you see at the department stores.

You’ll probably have to hunt, but look up high for “Clearance” signs in the kids section.  By now or up to 3 weeks after a major holiday, themed outfits will go on clearance at 50% – 80% off.  To get the best selection at a decent clearance price, shop 1 week after the holiday, which gives department store staff ample time to move inventory to the clearance section, but still leave a good selection of sizes.

What size should you buy?

That depends on how fast your kids grow, but at the very least buy 1 size up from this year.  Generally, kids grow slower the older they get, so take that into account when choosing sizes too.

Save Money on Easter Decorations

Handmade decorations for Easter are cute and cheap, but honestly, who has time for that?

via GIPHY

I’m all for making your home look cute for the holiday – and for spring! – but not at normal prices.  That’s why you should shop now, and up to 3 weeks after Easter for not just Easter decorations, but for general Spring decorations too!

For example, I scored this wreath for $2.50 last year at CVS after Easter!

Breaking out the #easter decorations! Scored this adorable #easteregg wreath for $2.50 (75% off) at CVS' after Easter sale last year and I was sooo excited to finally be able to hang it up! I also needed a door hangar for the wreath, so rather than spend money we hadn't budgeted for, I redeemed some Swagbucks for a Amazon gift card to cover it! Just another way that the $1,200 I make a year from Swagbucks cones in handy! (Link to post about Swagbucks in bio) #fblogger #fbloggers #ontheblog #linkinprofile #lifestyleblog #lifestyle #diyblog #bloggerstyle #girlboss #mycreativebiz #makersgonnamake #onmydesk #whereiwork #creativelifehappylife #handsandhustle #tnchustler #creativeentrepreneur #liveauthentic #thehappynow #flashesofdelight #livecolorfully #liveauthentic #livethelittlethings #nothingisordinary_ #visualsoflife #visualsgoing #darlingmovement #pursepretty

A photo posted by Gretchen (@livingonfifty) on Mar 17, 2016 at 11:03am PDT

Save Money on Easter Baskets

One of my favorite memories of Easter – and hopefully of yours too – is of some simply spectacular Easter baskets.  My parents wanted us to focus on the resurrection story, but they also wanted us to develop cavities, apparently, because our Easter baskets weren’t just store-bought, premade Easter baskets.  They were huge, and filled to the brim with trinketes, toys, practical items, and yes, even candy.

I want my daughter to have similar memories of Easter, and look forward to it every year, so in my mind, Easter baskets are must.  But buying those baskets + all the things to fill them isn’t exactly easy on the wallet.

So I shop now, perusing the clearance aisle for toys, books, Easter eggs, and even Easter grass and stuffed animals that will work well in next year’s Easter baskets.  Then, they go into the gift closet (the secret of every great gift-giver!) to wait patiently for next year.

Save Money on Easter Candy….or Don’t

I’ll keep this short: DO NOT buy Easter candy and save it for next year!

You can buy Valentine’s Day Candy and save it to be used for Easter, or you can buy discounted Easter candy and save it for Mother’s/Father’s Day, but DO NOT buy themed candy and save it for 365 days.

It probably won’t go bad, but it will look funky…..just don’t do it.

Save Money on Easter Travel

While we are very lucky to have family close by, many of our friends have family spread out throughout the country, making getting together for holidays either impossible or expensive.

I’m all for family gatherings, but they shouldn’t break the bank.

Quick Tips For Saving on Travel:

• Stay with family rather than at a hotel
• Pack snacks to avoid expensive airline food
• Carry an empty water bottle through airport security, and then fill it up before boarding to avoid pricey bottled water
• If you’re driving, pack a cooler full of your kids’ favorite snacks (maybe some convenience foods you wouldn’t normally buy)

I’m writing this article to help you save money on Easter, but here’s the biggest caveat: a more minimal Easter celebration will cost you less.

There, I said it.

It’s true that I love a good Easter blowout, but if you don’t then many of these tips probably won’t apply to you.

But if Easter is your spirit animal, give a few of these tips a try today and see how much money you can save + how much stress you can take off your mind, having already shopped for presents and decorations for next year.

This post may contain affiliate links.  See my disclosures for more information.

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