An Entire Holiday for 3 Kids, Including Party, For Less Than $40?

I Love the Holidays. 

Some Say I Go WAY Too Detailed With Them

I Say Couponers Can Rock a Good Holiday!

If you are new to the world of couponing and pro-actively deal seeking, it is too late for this Easter for you to pay pennies on the dollar for everything you need.  I think this post is good timing, however, to get you in the right frame of mind to get ready for next year.  Yep, next week you will be shopping for all your family's Easter needs for 2012!

Last year, I got really annoyed with the community egg hunts. You wait outside in the heat for an hour with the rest of the crowd.  There are always THOSE kids that show up and run and scoop all the eggs for the little kids.  Last year, at one egg hunt, my kids and I (my kids are all preschoolers) walked over the field after the egg hunt to put egg halves together and scoop up forgotten candy.  No, we hadn't arrived late. In fact, we were first in line for the hunt. The other kids just knocked my kids over and got all the eggs.

It was pitiful and really maddening.  So, we decided to surprise our kids with a hunt the next weekend. My husband slipped out and hid eggs on a local elementary school's Kindergarten playground.  It was perfect.. and relaxing.  

I had a plan for this year: I would throw a mini egg hunt party with a couple of other preschoolers my kids love to play with.  Then, we would have a little celebration back at my house! The plan was hatched and I had a year to get ready.

I started with the Post-Easter Clearance.  (did you realize you CAN use unexpired coupons on clearance like this??!  Seriously.  It really makes it super awesome when you can find a coupon for clearance stuff!!)

I ended up getting:

Spring Cake Mix: 50c

5 Felt Easter Baskets:  35c ea (They WERE $5 ea at Old Navy prior to clearance!)

Spring Sprinkle sets: 75c ea for 2 (were about $5!)

Candy to Stuff the Eggs: $1.88 for the HUGE HUGE 65ct bag (Skittles and Starbursts. FROM Halloween Clearance!!)

Bunny Cupcake Stand:  $1.25

Party Easter M&Ms: $1.15 ea bag, 2 bags bought at CVS Last week on sale and with $2 off 2 Easter candies coupon

Pretty Flower Paper Plates: 35c  (Easter Clearance last year!)

Bunny Marshmallows: $1

Sparkling Pear Cider:  88c (Harry and David. They closed locally and the store went 75% off plus I had a coupon!)

Cupcake Liners and Picks: 50c

Kit Kats: $2 worth

Sweet Tart Jelly Beans:  Got PAID 51c to own ($2.50 off Q, they were on sale last week for $1.99 at Rite Aid

I also used Eggs we already had, and icing, etc left from a previous bday party.

Foam Craft for all the kids $1

Stickers for Craft $1

Total Spent  $15.40 for a really great Easter Party for 5 kids!  

Also, this weekend we celebrated the Bunny coming.  We have a crazy schedule this week and had to move it up a week.  My kids got one HUGE basket to share.. Each kid got an item or two that is specifically for them, and then they got a bunch of "community property" items that they divided up between them quite fairly!!

The total spent on stuff for this basket was about $18. 

In this huge basket the kids received:

Little People figurines, a Tag (Leap Frog) Bunny book, a Little Critter Easter book, a Mickey Mouse Cartoons DVD, 4 Mr. Men Plush Toys, 3 Mr. Men figurines, Mr. Men Stickers,  2 bendy bunnies, 3 chocolate bunnies, assorted candies, a couple packs of jelly beans, and more! *all items in the basket were BRAND NEW from the store. I didn't pull a fast one here. (Not saying that second hand is not as good... just explaining where I got mine!  Hint: The DVD was FREE through Disney Movie Rewards program...)

Full price would have run me $64+ for all the items in the basket.   I like the $18 I spent over the year much better.

Total Price for Easter Gifts and Party for my family of five and a few friends:  $33.40 plus tax.  

I can live with that! 

It is really funny, because people are always amazed at what I can put together on the cheap for my kids at the holidays.  Those same people raise their eyebrows at me when I leave Target with a buggy full of clearance Halloween candy!  That candy is AWESOME. Usually, there is plentiful candy left at Halloween clearance time... and it usually expires in 1-2 yrs from when you buy it.  I use it for everything from Garage Sale Freebies to hand out when I sell my resale and drugstore overstock items, to stocking and Easter Basket fillers.  It is great.

My handy tip for planning a holiday a year in advance? Start a small box. Clearly label it EASTER or whatever.  AS SOON AS YOU GET BACK FROM THE STORE, everything you bought for that holiday goes STRAIGHT INTO THE BOX! This is a must so you don't clutter stuff and so you can easily find it when the holiday rolls around.  If you cant find it and miss the chance to use it and even have to buy more to replace it when the items are full price, it was a waste of time, effort, and money no matter how cheaply you got it.  

**The same principle goes for my Ebaying.. I buy my stock a year ahead during post-event clearance.. like backpacks at the back to school clearance.... and clearly label the boxes I store them in until the next year when I can get more money for the items.

Happy Easter, or Whatever you celebrate!  And Remember, next year's holiday planning and shopping starts a week from today!