Don’t spend a fortune for your next Easter Egg hunt. Instead try the following ideas to make it frugal. The kids can have fun, and you can save money, too.
Kids love to hunt for those plastic Easter eggs that can be filled with treats. The problem is that with three kids (and some of their friends), I have to make sure that there are enough eggs to go around and help everyone to have fun. Putting candy or toys in each one can start to affect the budget, and who needs all of that candy anyway? Here are some alternatives.
Puzzle Pieces
Get a fun puzzle (at least 50 pieces, depending on the number of eggs and age of the kids) and put a few pieces of it into each egg. The kids will have to work together to find all of the eggs and put the puzzle together. This inspires teamwork instead of competition.
Pennies
Money is one of my favorite things to put in Easter eggs. You might think that putting money in the eggs will cost more than candy. But the opposite is true. First of all, we are talking about pennies (with maybe an occasional nickel or dime or quarter as a surprise). The kids will wind up with their own money that they can spend on something that they want. You can lessen the gimmies and teach some valuable lessons on spending at the same time.
Gift Tickets
Fill the eggs with fun things to do from Mom & Dad. This one might not work if the Easter Bunny still leaves the eggs, but you could make the tickets so fancy that the kids will never know. Some ideas for tickets include an ice cream cone or Sundae (make it at home or find a $1 ice cream parlor), playing a board game, a get out of cleaning your room free card, a trip to the park, a treat at the dollar store, reading books together, a whatever your want for dinner card, etc. Get creative to fit the needs and wants of your kids.