Features

Easter on a budget

Easter On A Budget

Easter has traditionally been a time to celebrate Spring, sweet treats, and indulgence. However, with the cost-of-living crisis still persisting, traditions of the humble hot cross bun and the exchanging of Easter eggs may look a little different for us this year.

It has been reported that supermarket price inflation has hit a new high of 17.5% this month. Amidst warnings that food costs are still yet to peak, the experts at HyperJar – the UK’s highly-rated financial budgeting app – offers their tips to help prepare for Easter on a budget.

The rise in food prices will undoubtedly come as an unwelcomed disruption for those planning to celebrate Easter around the dinner table with their friends and family. The traditional Easter Sunday Roast is also expected to take a hit this year, with a recent survey from Opinium revealing that 36% of UK adults said the cost-of-living crisis had made them reconsider a homemade roast dinner. This year, Easter eggs have also been hit by shrinkflation, which involves reducing the size of a product but keeping its price the same to improve profitability. According to the British Retail Consortium, this is a result of a 15% increase in food costs compared to last year, with rising manufacturing and sugar costs pushing up prices for chocolate, sweets, and fizzy drinks.

1. Have a Cheap Easter Egg Hunt
Rather than splashing out on expensive eggs for your hunt, you can try the following cost-saving tips:
Reuse or upcycle gift baskets:

Before your Easter egg hunt, invite the kids to decorate or design gift baskets to store them in. You can use old baskets, cardboard boxes, paper bags, or even discarded egg trays. Try and make the experience as creative as possible. 

Decorate your eggs:                                                                                                                                      One of the cheapest ways to go about an Easter egg hunt is to decorate some hard-boiled eggs. Simply buy a tray of eggs from the supermarket, and hard boil them before the hunt. You can decorate them with your loved ones, before hiding them around the house.

Fill your eggs:
Another option is to fill your eggs. You can order fillable eggs online for just £10, which you can use year after year. Decide what you want to fill the eggs with from around the house for a cheap and cheerful surprise for the kids when they find them.

2. Host an Easter Party on a Budget 
Try home baking:
Home baking is not only an excellent opportunity to save some money, but also a great way to get creative. Bake some easter cookies and cakes to provide your guests with delicious sweet treats when they come over – all without breaking the bank.

Set up some free Easter-themed games: 
To keep the kids (and adults) entertained, set up some free Easter-themed games you can play at your party. Ideas include an egg and spoon race, sack race, or even tin-can bowling. You can also set up some board games for your guests to enjoy.

Use seasonal produce:
When preparing food for your party, consider buying seasonal produce to save on your grocery bills. Putting together a food budget and buying fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season will help you save money in the lead-up to Easter.

3. Get Creative 
Why not get creative with cheap Easter decorations? Some ideas you can try include the following: 
· Flower arrangements from your garden 
· Eggshell candles 
· Homemade carrot garland 
· Hand-drawn Easter bunnies 
· Easter bunny banner 

Taking inspiration from the simple saving mechanism of the jam jar, HyperJar provides a visually engaging saving app that empowers users to control their expenditure and reorder how they use their money. From nurturing sensible spending habits for children, to being rewarded for committing expenditure with household name retailers with a 4.8% annual growth rate, HyperJar’s digital Jars represent an easy method for managing personal finances. 
 

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