It’s Easter next weekend but chocolate eggs have been in the shops for so long now you could be forgiven for being a little uncertain about when the annual festival falls or how long it actually lasts.

In my local supermarket Easter eggs (and hot cross buns) have been on sale since at least January but shoppers in some areas have even reported the shelves being stacked with these seasonal treats as early as Boxing Day.

Presumably, the supermarkets do this because the eggs sell in numbers big enough to make it worth causing annoyance to people who really don’t want to be bothered with more consumer fluff when they’re still trying to get over the Christmas marketing bonanza.

Personally, I never buy eggs until a week or two before Easter and then I try to buy as few as possible, which leads me to ponder: just how many Easter eggs should a child get?

One survey revealed the average child would receive eggs or presents worth £56 and consume more than 8,000 extra calories over the four-day Easter period while another poll suggested some children would get through as many as 13 eggs.

We may think we’re showing our children how much we love them by showering them with more chocolate that could ever be healthy, but, in reality, the reverse is almost certainly true.

However, neither can it ever be a good idea to follow the example of one mum who hit the headlines last year for writing her children a letter ‘from the Easter Bunny’, telling them they wouldn’t be getting any treats because of their ‘naughty’ behaviour.

As with most things in life, balance is key: one or two eggs won’t break the bank or induce nausea. And if you want to limit the chocolate but maximise the fun why not lay on your own Easter egg hunt? Steer clear of the over-priced ‘ready made’ trail boxes and instead buy a packet or two of foil-wrapped bite-sized-eggs - they cost around £1 each - and hide individual eggs around the garden, park or even the house if the weather’s lousy.

It’s more economical, healthier and will live on in the memory in a far more positive way than over-indulging on too many big, boxed eggs could ever do.

Email your thoughts and thrifty tips.