Prepare your Elf on the Shelf ideas ahead of time with my 20 Elf on the Shelf Dollar Tree Ideas! Cheap, affordable and so much Christmas fun!

20 Dollar Tree Elf on the Shelf Ideas

If you follow me on Instagram and you watch my Insta Stories then you know that I have a love-hate relationship with the Elf on the Shelf. I love how much my kids love them. They wake up happy and excited to find them all December long. My daughter and son love to read the Elve’s notes. They listen to what they have to say and they are always extra cautious because those reports go straight to the big guy. It is a great tradition, but man o’ man are those little buggers a lot of work!

My biggest problem is waiting until the last minute to think of ideas. It’s nearly always late at night and all I want to do is sleep. Even worse, I am often all warm in bed when I remember my elf duty. Now I’m dragging myself downstairs to not only move the elves, but also in the fog of sleep somehow manage to come up with creative elf antics to start my kiddos days off with a chuckle or an excited smile. Completely worth it come morning and seeing their faces light up, but there has to be a better way!

Not This Year!

This year, for my own sanity, I decided to shape up and plan out all my Elf on the Shelf ideas ahead of time. I knew I didn’t want to spend too much with Christmas around the corner, so I took a trip to my local Dollar Tree in hopes of inspiration. Let me tell you, the Dollar Tree is where it’s at! I feel like I hit the jackpot! I found so many great and fun Elf on the Shelf ideas that I’m excited to share. In total my bill came to $26 dollars for 20 days worth of Elf on the Shelf ideas.

All toys, games, and props purchased from Dollar Tree except miniature food and plant were found at Michaels’. I’m not gonna lie I had too much fun with this photoshoot. I can’t wait for my kids to see all the mischief their little elves get into this year!