Credit: www.chicagoshopping.com

Easter is early this year, but not to worry: A whole season’s worth of deals on everything from basket stuffers to hams to clothing is packed into March — so hop to it.

Coupons

Jewel-Osco: Ham coupon

There’s a coupon on the front of the Jewel ad for $10 off a whole ham, any brand. The ad says that this coupon would make a 9-pound Jewel-brand shank portion ham just 59 cents a pound. But the secret to using this coupon is, the smaller the ham, the lower the per-pound price. So if you can find a ham priced around $14 or $15, it would be a real steal at only $4-$5 with the coupon.

You have to make a separate $25 purchase to use the coupon.

Dominick’s: Even better ham coupon

Not to be outdone by Jewel, Dominick’s put a $12 ham coupon on the front of their ad. Like Jewel, Dominick’s is requiring a $25 separate purchase. It’s good for store brand, Smithfield or Paula Deen hams, and like Jewel, the coupon would bring a medium-sized store-brand ham down to 59 cents a pound. But again — the smaller the ham, the better the deal.

Sign up for coupons at HoneyBaked Ham here.

Here’s an idea for using a printable coupon to get Hot Wheels cars — great basket stuffers — for only 80 cents apiece at Dollar Tree, courtesy of the blog Couponing for 4.

Store deals

At Target, you can get a 9″ Easter basket for $1.50, a 12-pack of plastic eggs for 89 cents, 1.5 oz. bags of Easter grass for 50 cents.

This week at Walgreens, all kinds of Easter goods are on sale: Peeps are three packs for $2, and eggs are two dozen for $2. A 32 oz. bottle of vinegar, useful for dyeing eggs, is 99 cents with in-ad coupon. Also with in-ad coupon, putty eggs are three for $1 and Easter-themed pencils are seven for $1.

At CVS, Jolly Rancher jelly beans and Whoppers Robin eggs are two for $4, and you can use the coupon from last week’s SmartSource to take $2 off three of either of these.

At Kohl’s, they’ve got everything from “Chicks Dig Me” Tshirts to “My First Easter” socks on sale for little kids. Easter dresses and suits are on sale too. Plus, you get $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 you spend through March 30, and if you use a store charge card, you can get an additional 15-30 percent off.

At Kmart, Holiday Editions kids Easter dresses and shoes are now $10, and all holiday dresswear is 30 percent off. Easter baskets are half off. Filled baskets are $8.99-$17.99, Barbies and Hot Wheels are buy one, get one free, and lots of other small toys are also on sale.

Print this coupon for $25 off a $75 or higher dress purchase at Carson’s, through Saturday.

At JoAnn Fabric and Craft stores, Easter fabrics are 40 percent off.

Chocolate bunnies might do it for the kids, but why not put together a little basket for mom or for a girlfriend? Bath & Body Works has a “buy 2, get 3 free” sale going on for fragrances, lotions and shower gels.

In Amazon’s Easter Shop, we found the page for girls’ special occasion dresses that are discounted by 50 percent or more. This Flower Girl Pagaent Easter Dress is $29.99, regular price $99.99. If you have a little girl sized 4-6x, this green striped dress with floral embroidery and pink sash is perfect for just $14, marked down from $48.

At World Market, Easter goodies such as wreaths and natural fiber bunnies are 25 percent off.

Print this coupon for 25 percent off your entire purchase at The Children’s Place, where most of the “spring dressy” clothes are on sale.

Credit: www.chicagoshopping.com