Red Bulls NBA Team: How to Do Easter on the Cheap (When Easter arrives so soon after the April 18th tax deadline!)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

How to Do Easter on the Cheap (When Easter arrives so soon after the April 18th tax deadline!)

The title of this blog is somewhat “tongue-in-cheek”, but I really did set out to create a great holiday table with just a little bit of money.

I can get totally carried away with beautiful, expensive things, but beauty can be bought cheaply, too.

I began my quest a couple of months ago looking for inexpensive purchases for my Easter tablescape. I wanted to set a table for the eight members of my family, so I had to be creative. My one not-so-cheap item is the beautiful Ralph Lauren tablecloth. However, white tablecloths can be found in any price range in those wonderful stores like TJ Maxx, Marshall’s or Tuesday Morning. I already had this one, so I did not try to find a less expensive one, just for the blog.

Now, let’s look at these great bargains! I found these egg-shaped placemats at Bed Bath and Beyond for only $1.99 apiece.

A discontinued J C Penney pink plate went on top of the placemat. These large plates were found on Replacements for $7.99 each. They work really well as chargers for most regular dinner plates, too.

Four of the Clay Art “Sunflower” plates were purchased at T J Maxx for almost nothing, but I did have to pay around $6.50 each for the other four. I bought them on Amazon.com from one of their online stores.

The robin’s egg blue napkins were found at Marshall’s. They were packaged four to a set for $4.99 and I actually found two matching sets!

I bought the cute napkin rings from Kohl’s for a sale price of $1.60 each. They were very similar to some that I had found at Dillard’s for $5.00 apiece. Quite a savings for eight of them!

I used white flatware from Walmart. It comes as a 20 piece set for $14.97. I bought two sets and used everything, except for the soup spoons. That means I got 40 pieces for $30.00 - less than a dollar each. What a deal!

The musical Rabbit was a previous Cracker Barrel find, but was not expensive, even then. He plays, “Here Come Peter Cottontail”. Of course!

He is placed on a glass pedestal cake plate. This is one of three that I found at TJ Maxx. They are different sizes and can be stacked in a tier. This is the middle size one of the three. I cannot remember exactly what I paid for them, but I think the largest one was $7.99. This one was probably around $6.00.

Egg shaped place card holders and the little bunny dish were bought at Michael’s. I cannot find the ticket for them, but they were quite inexpensive.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny salt and pepper shakers have been around my house for years. They were not just inexpensive, they were cheap! However, our family still enjoys seeing them every Easter.

I have had the Schott-Zwiesel water goblets (they can, also, be used for red wine) for many years. However, they do fit into the theme of the table, because I purchased them at an outlet store, when I did buy them!

The cut glass ice bucket was the least expensive of all – a gift from my mother-in-law!

My favorite recent purchases are the Kaldun & Bogle egg cup/votive holders and pitcher. I found them on sale at One Kings Lane. The pitcher was only $19.00.

The egg cups were two for $7.99. I think they look much more expensive than $4.00 apiece!

The glittery eggs inside were a Pier I buy – 12 for $9.95.

I think I did pretty well in creating an inexpensive table for eight guests – with all of the money that I saved, maybe, I can afford to feed everyone!!

Now, let the Bunny Parade begin…