BYOB...

Bring your own bucket that is! We were at Micheals (I know, we spend way too much time there) yesterday after we went see 'Hop' - a cute movie, by the way. We took LM's friend, S, with us. We noticed Micheals was offering a FREE craft - right up my alley. The girls wanted to do this craft as soon as they saw the buckets. They provided the bucket and tons of foam stickers. If you missed the craft day the buckets are available for $1 each. Not too bad! When we were decorating the buckets I said 'you should leave these buckets out for the Easter bunny to fill when he comes, that way you will get more candy & treats since his egg won't be weighed down with baskets.' They loved this idea. So did the other moms and kids that were there. Every year I try to come up with some brilliant container to use as a basket. And the last thing we need is another basket (and the expense associated with it) so I had already come up with a 'use what we have' idea and was going to have LM leave a container out for EB the night before Easter. But now we do have one more container but at least if was free! :) LM thought it would be fun to make a bucket for her dad and Smokey and the lady @ Michaels was nice enough to let her.Each year I always try to think of fun basket fillers that are not candy or candy related. Like Halloween candy, there is just too much of it and much of it goes in the trash. So I like to find some new ideas. Here are some you may not have thought of:

• Kid's gardening supplies: shovels, watering cans, gloves, seeds, aprons, etc. In the past I have found these at Michaels, Target & Lowes. This is a favorite of mine!


• School supplies: notebooks, pencils, crayons, etc.


• Books - of course! There are always cute Easter books for the little kids @ Target's $ spot. For the bigger kids check thrift stores for gently used chapter books.


• Art supplies- paints, sketch pads, playdoh, coloring books, stickers,etc. There are tons of websites out there with free printables that you can print out and make into a little book.


• Baking supplies - for the little baker you can find kid friendly utensils and cookie cutters at most stores. Make a jar of sugar cookie mix (layered with dry ingredients, they just add wet-be sure to include the recipe) and colored sugar for a fun group activity that yields delicious results. You might even come across a kids' cook book @ a thrift store.


• Gift cards - LM got an iPod for Christmas so itunes gift cards are appreciated and used. Or McDonalds or Burger King for a special treat (a small $5 or $10 card is more than enough).


• Summer toys like blow up beach balls & floating rings- Easter's late this year so it shouldn't be long until you will be taking the kids to the pool or beach. Cute, colorful flip flops & beach towels.

Everyone always likes a little candy so don't forget a toothbrush! That's always a BIG hit around here - HA. But it's gotten to be a joke around here so LM always looks for the toothbrush.

Make your Easter baskets fun and have fun doing them. Even on a tight budget, you can have lots of fun putting together something your kids will love. I set a budget each year - some years are smaller than others and I find it a challenge to try to stay within the small budgets. I'm always interested in hearing what other people do for Easter Baskets.

I am linking up to Frugal Friday @ Life as Mom, Centsational Girl's Easter Mantel + Linky Party, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm & Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest.