DIY Easter Decorations From the Dollar Store

Though Easter is technically a religious holiday, it has, like so many others, become a commercial gold mine and an excuse for consumers to drop major coin. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans intend to spend an average of $192.01 this Easter, with total spending anticipated to reach $24 billion — the highest on record. The bulk of those bucks will be spent on candy and food — but $1.7 billion will go toward decorations.

Big box retailers everywhere are rolling out the pastel carpet to serve up offers on all kinds of Easter decorations — from bunny wreaths to baubles crafted to resemble eggs. Just skimming through sites like Walmart and Target is a dizzying experience that can quickly become an expensive one. If you’re planning an Easter brunch or putting together a basket for the kids, you could easily break the bank on one too many Peeps. 

To help reel in spending, you should check out the dollar store for decor. You’ll find tons of cute as can be ornaments and embellishments that go for far less than similar items at retail giants. 

At Dollar Tree, you can buy a six-pack carton of “Speckled and Solid Gold Easter Eggs in Assorted Colors.” The carton comes with the eggs — a cute decoration in itself — but you also conceivably could scatter the eggs around a coffee table or lunch spread.

These items are available only in-store, and the price isn’t listed online; that said, this assortment is surely cheaper than a very similar decoration at Walmart. There, a single hand-painted Easter egg sells for $12.75.

The Dollar Tree retails adorable brown and white (respectively) 14-inch-tall bunnies for $1.25 per unit (available in 24 packs). That’s $30 for two dozen little blushing rabbits that can be positioned to stand upright. Over at Target, you can spend nearly that much on one stuffed animal bunny.  

Give your Easter scene a secret garden vibe with an adorable little gnome from Dollar General. He’ll set you back $6 but will bring in plenty of cooing “awws” to make up for it. Plus, $6 is a downright steal compared to what similar tiny critters are going for at Target — one retails for $21!

Dainty Easter wreaths softly announce the onset of spring in dreamy pastels, and they go for $5 a pop at Dollar General. For something you’ll probably keep on your door for only a month at most, $5 is a pretty decent price. At Target, a felt Easter wreath goes for triple the cost.

A simple candle can go a long way in setting the mood and bringing a level of elegance to your dinner or brunch. A luminous pink or yellow bowl candle at Dollar General sells for $6. A similar bowl-style candle goes for $15.00 at Target and only comes in a darker shade of pink.

All flowers are lovely, but there’s something particularly magical about orchids. These buoyant summer blossoms don’t bloom very often and can be tricky for handlers to manage given their persnickety needs. If you’re looking to show off an orchid merely for an Easter Sunday soiree, you can safely go with a faux rendition, which you can buy for $6 with the pot at Dollar General. A similar flowering vine goes for $18 at Target and doesn’t include a pot.

Kids may love them the most, but who couldn’t use a cuddle from a darling plush Easter bunny with cartoonishly big eyes and a bashful expression? At Dollar General, you can get a fluffy tie dye bunny goes for $3. He’s just as cute but cheaper than the $11 critter sold at Walmart.

If preparing an Easter basket for a child, you could go the most elementary route and just get a cheapo plastic or wicker basket from any dollar store, or you could get a little fancier — and sweeter — and go for a plush Easter bunny basket like the one sold for $10 at Dollar General. Or you could spend about $14 on one at Walmart — your choice!

Add a mischievous sparkle to your Easter display by throwing in a few tiny bunny figurines. You could use them in table settings or even as decor on an Easter basket. A ceramic bunny figurine at Dollar General costs $6, so you can buy a couple without feeling bad. A ceramic bunny figurine that is frankly not as sweet looking goes for about $25 at Target.  

Though a plush bunny basket is a lovely way to present your Easter goodies, there are, of course, other baskets for your eggs. If you’re looking for a more sophisticated but still sugary way to flex your Easter spirit, consider a woven green, blue or pink basket from Dollar General, which sells for $5. You’ll find plenty of woven baskets for sale at mega retailers, but they’re generally not nearly as affordable.