According to CBS News, the price of eggs has risen nearly 170% since last year. Eggs cost around $8-$10/dozen. This year, dying Easter eggs may be hard for some families.
The good news however, is that there are several fun alternatives to dying eggs:
1. While plastic Easter eggs aren’t fun, they are easy and affordable. A $1 pack comes with 12 eggs. My grandmother always bought plastic eggs and hid money in them. A fun alternative is hiding eggs with coins (or dollars).
2. Making felt Easter eggs is a very affordable craft. This can be done by children or adults, for little ones who need cutting supervision. Felt can be found at Walmart and craft stores. All you will need is white felt which will be cut into an egg shape. Next, colorful strips can be cut in lines, zigzags, waves, etc. The best glue for felt is either fabric glue or hot glue.
3. If you’re lucky, you can find “dyeable eggs.” I have searched both Target and Walmart, but they were both out of stock. If you’re lucky, the $2 dyeable egg packs include both the egg and the dye. In searching for dyeable eggs I saw the cutest chalk eggs. These were around $4 for six eggs, but anything that has a dual-purpose is saving money in my book.
4. Three items you may have at home are balloons, glue, and string (yarn, twine, or floss string). You will blow the balloon up about 1/4 of the way until it forms an egg shape. Next, coat the balloon in glue either by painting it with a paint brush or by rolling the balloon in a glue filled bowl. Weave the string around the balloon in any shape. You can use as many colors of string as you wish. Next, let the balloons dry for a few hours. Once dried, take a small pin and pop the balloon. What is left is a hardened string-shaped egg.
5. While we are on the topic of balloons, paper mâché eggs can also be made with balloons. Inflate the balloon to your preferred egg size. Use tissue paper and dip the strips in a 50/50 mixture of water and glue. Lay the strips over the balloon and allow them to dry. The balloon tie should still be visible. Once the egg is dry, pop the balloon and remove it from the bottom. Cover the hole with the same tissue and mixture. This is a fun, creative, and colorful way to make Easter eggs.
6. If you’re an outdoorsy family, find your nearest creek or lake and let your kids run wild searching for rocks. You can even make it a game of who can find the most round rocks. I would wash the rocks before, but it technically isn’t necessary. The children can paint the rocks in Easter egg patterns using an acrylic paint and a paint brush. Walmart has acrylic paint for under $1.50 and Hobby Lobby often has it 40% off. After Easter you can write messages on the rocks and hide them in public places to brighten someone’s day. This is a great way to teach kindness.
7. I’ll end this post with the most amazing Egg alternative. I have no idea if it works, but if you try this, please let us know. A 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes cost around $5. Yes, I said potatoes. It’s easy too. The supplies needed are potatoes, a paint brush, water based food coloring, and I would recommend gloves because food dye can stain fingers. Drop the food coloring directly on the potato and spread it around with a paint brush. This can be done with single colors or as many as you’d like to apply. Once colored to your liking, place the potato on a paper towel and let it dry for around 10 minutes. The color may still bleed after dried, so spray with hairspray to set the color (per the internet).
