Are you prepared for Easter?  I know that it is still a month away, but when you are on a shoestring budget it is good to prepare early.  Preparing early is exactly how you can make sure that your children have an amazing Easter without breaking the bank or going into debt (which happens a lot more often than you may think).

So, how exactly can you make Easter special on a shoestring budget?  Well, I have had some pretty lean years and my kids always talk about how amazing their Easter was during those times.  Here are a couple of things that I did:

Shop clearance.  There are still some clearance Christmas deals hanging out at some stores and I like to gather good toy deals to keep in my gift closet throughout the year.  These also make great toys for Easter Baskets.  Another clearance deal to grab hold of is all of the awesome Valentine’s candy that is marked significantly down right now (my local Rite Aid has it for 75% off).  Just because it isn’t egg shaped candy, doesn’t mean it can’t be great Easter candy.

Go Simple.  I know someone who spent $150 per child last year on Easter.  They have 3 children so that means that they spend $450 on Easter NOT including their food. I’m sorry, but this is just outrageous. Children don’t need to have extravagant gifts in order to have a great Easter.

Create your own basket.  Create your own basket, as opposed to buying a pre-packaged Easter basket and you will save a significant amount of money.  Especially if you purchase your basket at the dollar store or another similar store.  There is no need to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a basket that will hold goodies for a couple of hours.