One of my favorite things to do at Easter time is color eggs. It is a fun family activity that does not have to cost a fortune. I like to use real (not plastic) colored eggs for Easter egg hunts. I love to see my kids’ eyes as they see the eggs change colors. If you want to do this activity with your kids at home, here are a few ideas to get you started and not spend a fortune.

Buying the Eggs

The eggs will probably be your biggest expense. Most stores usually have eggs on sale during this time of year, so make sure you check your sale ads. I like to wait until I find a sale. Usually, I can find them for $1 a dozen. So, look around your stores and in sale ads to get the very best price on your eggs.

Cooking Your Eggs

There are lots of ways to cook eggs. For the perfect Easter egg, you will need to hard boil the eggs. The American Egg Board website has a wonderful tutorial on how to hard boil eggs. Go there to learn how they recommend hard boiling an egg.

Decorating Your Eggs

There are a few things you can do to your eggs before coloring to make them pretty. If you’re a mom like me, you probably have lots of crayons around your house. While the eggs are still a little warm, hold the egg with a paper towel and draw pictures on the egg or write words on the egg. After you color the egg, it will accentuate the crayon writing. Make sure your egg is still warm because that’s what helps the wax in the crayon to work. Another item I have around my house is rubber bands. These work perfectly to make decorations on your egg. Place the rubber bands on in different areas of the egg and then place the egg into the color you desire. This can help make neat designs on your egg.

Coloring Your Eggs

There are a couple of ways to color your eggs frugally. The first one is vinegar and food coloring. These are items that I usually have around my house already, so I skip the egg coloring packs at the store. Those are usually about a buck, but my method is still cheaper because I already have the vinegar and food coloring at home. If you plan to eat the eggs later, make sure you only use food-grade dyes. First, figure out how many colors you want to use. Next, find that many cups or bowls for the egg dipping process. Then, add 2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar and 2/3 cup hot water to each cup or bowl. Add 7-15 drops of food coloring to each cup or bowl and then stir each until you reach your desired consistency. You may need to mix colors to achieve the color you want. For example, mixing blue and red will make purple. Move the eggs around in the cups or bowls for even coloring. Allow the eggs to stay in the cups or bowls until they reach the desired color. Remove from the cups or bowls and allow the eggs to dry.

The second way to frugally dye your Easter eggs is to use natural things you already have around your house to color the eggs. This process will create much more interesting colors for your eggs and it’s a lot of fun waiting to see how they will turn out. Crunchy Domestic Goddess has a wonderful tutorial to get you started on coloring your eggs naturally. She tells you about what items to use around your house to achieve the colors you desire and takes you through the whole process.

Egg Safety

According to the American Egg Board, “The risk of an egg being contaminated with Salmonella bacteria is very low, about 1 in 20,000 eggs. But there’s no reason to take the risk of contracting food-borne illness. Proper handling of eggs can reduce, and even entirely eliminate, the risk.” Egg Safety is important anytime of the year, but especially during Easter. After your eggs dry, you will want to store them in the refrigerator if you plan to eat them. Don’t take the eggs out until the last possible minute before the egg hunt. During your hunt, your eggs should only be out of the refrigerator for 2 hours. You may have to time your event to make sure you don’t keep them out of the refrigerator any longer than that. The colored eggs stored in your refrigerator should be eaten within seven days. For more information on egg safety, go to the American Egg Board Website.

Don’t Waste Easter Eggs

I like to save money, so I don’t like to waste food, including easter eggs. If my kids don’t eat them hard boiled, I like to use them in other recipes. Some of my favorites are egg salad, deviled eggs, and even in my salads. So, if you store and handle your Easter eggs properly, have a plan to use them before they go bad.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/willow-monk/174155681/in/photostream/