Are you tired of storing every little thing? I’m so done with one-day items that need to be stored away for 364. Today I’m sharing how I make ‘consumable’ Easter baskets for my kids with all of the appeal of a regular Easter gift, but without any of the storage needs after.
I’ve shared this blog post in the past, but after numerous malicious attacks on my site, over-burdened storage and a complete re-vamp over the past few months, I’m not sure how long the old article will remain live. Since Easter is just around the corner, I decided to share this year’s dollar store gifts with a new post and better images.
What are the most popular gifts in Easter baskets?
I know that the go-to is chocolate and candy – which my sweet-tooth is all over – but I also believe that we can take advantage of this gift giving opportunity to cover necessities like sports equipment or rain gear at the same time. Why use a basket when rubber boots or a helmet can also hold treats?
How much do people usually spend on Easter?
75% of Canadians had plans to make purchases specifically related to Easter. 55% of those Canadian consumers expected to spend $50 on average. ~Feb. 2022
What?! Maybe I’m way out of touch, or maybe these numbers include an Easter meal as well – but that seems hefty doesn’t it?
Don’t gasp my American friends – according to Fox News, the average cost of an Easter basket in the US is $62!!
I love my kids – with every ounce of my being – but they won’t feel it any more or any less if the price tag hanging off of the gift reads more or less. All I care about is that the Holiday is acknowledged in some way that brings back fond memories for them.
Consumable Easter basket
For me/us, it all starts with a trip to your local dollar store. The key ingredient for this ‘consumable’ Easter basket are 4 boxes of treats. I went with Nerds, Whoppers, and Glosette Raisins, but you can use any treats you like as long as they are packaged and can be glued together.
I’ve used hot glue in the past for my dollar store Easter baskets, but this year I went with crazy glue – also from the dollar store.
Glue or tape the four boxes of candy together to create the basket (box) shape. Use a bit of scrap cardboard to make the bottom of your Easter box.
I set the Whoppers up on end so that I could lean a chocolate bunny against it without it falling over.
Fill with paper Easter grass (so it can be recycled) and then tuck your treats inside.
It’s a small Easter basket size-wise, but you can fit a lot of candy inside.
I actually over-bought at the dollar store – but I’ll sacrifice myself to eating the leftovers so nothing goes to waste. 😉
This consumable Easter basket has the four larger boxes of candy, then a ½lb Easter bunny, Reese’s Pieces, jellybeans, a chocolate egg, some chocolate mini-eggs, and the bunny pen.
The only items in this Easter basket that will hit landfill are the plastic bags around the chocolate bunny and the Reese’s Pieces – all of the rest of the wrappers can be recycled.
AND
I don’t have to store flimsy Easter baskets for a year until we need them again.
What else can you use instead of a basket for Easter?
There are so many great ideas for consumable/little-to-no-waste Easter gifts:
- umbrella
- plant – with a bunny tucked in on a skewer (I LOVE THIS!)
- lap desk with crafts stuck on top
- rain boots (wellies)/ Croc-style shoes
- dump truck
- sand bucket
- garden wagon
- tote bag
- makeup or jewelry case
- mug
- cleats stuffed with treats for soccer season
- baseball glove for baseball season
- helmet for football season
I’ve been doing these dollar store gifts – Easter baskets and other ideas – for several years now and the girls don’t miss the traditional baskets or feel short-changed at all. In fact, I think they prefer this more because I can fit more treats than I would in a traditional Easter basket.
Add a ribbon or wrap it in (dollar store) cellophane for a fancier presentation if you wish.
Pin it for later.
The ‘consumable’ Easter basket you see above cost $15.75 CDN and I do have a lot of the chocolate mini eggs leftover for a second and third gift.
BUT – you’d better hit the dollar store soon – it very quickly gets picked over the closer we get to Easter.
If you are looking for alternative Easter basket fillers that aren’t candy, here are a few Amazon affiliate links to inexpensive ideas for more than one child:
(I have seen the egg-shaped sidewalk chalk and the dinosaurs at the dollar store as well)
Have a great one!