Mother's Day on a Budget
Are you on the hunt for a Mother’s Day gift? Mom's special day is this Sunday. According to the National Retail Federation spending on presents for dear 'ole mom is expected to increase to about 152 billion dollars, up from last year’s 140 billion.
If you don’t have a big budget there are plenty of ways to let your mom know you love her.
Mom Saver-in-Chief Lisa Reynolds from Redplum.com shared some low cost Mother’s day gift ideas with GalTime.
• Give her “me” time – Being a mom can oftentimes be busy and hectic. Give mom an upcoming Saturday, Sunday or full weekend all to herself. She can spend the day getting pampered, catching up on a movie with friends, or just enjoying her personal time. It may seem small, but the additional “me” time will mean a lot.
• Check your local library for free arts and crafts – Homemade gifts mean the most. This is a great opportunity for dads to involve the kids in a gift that is low in cost but high in value. Check in with your local library or community center, as many hold free arts and crafts activities (pottery, wind chimes) the week before Mom’s special day. Make a homemade gift for mom together!
• Blossoming love – Springtime is the perfect season to head outside and plant. Paint and personalize a small inexpensive flowerpot and plant mom’s favorite flower (or favorite color) in it. Or, surprise her with seeds and plant a tree together on her special day and watch your love grow.
• IOU coupons – Add a little fun to your Mother’s Day by giving your own IOU redeemable coupons for Mom. Check out redplum.com/mom for printable coupons for homemade chores and experiences, such as “one interior car cleaning” or “your choice movie night.” You can always create your own coupons with your favorite markers and colors as well at home!
• Personalized memories – Mom can never have enough stationary on hand. Head out and stock up on some stationary cards you know she’ll love. Top it off by ordering some personalized photo stamps from Stamps.com with your best family or children’s photo. Her stationary set will be complete and filled with love. Make a new memory – ask mom what she wants to do on her special day, and head out a make a new memory together. Suggest a picnic in a nearby park, or rollerblading down to your favorite ice cream shop.
• Plan one-on-one time – Let your children pick the activity they want to do with mom. Carve out an hour or two for each child and let them choose the activity to do with her. At the end of the day, you can all come back together and spend the evening together. The individual time will mean a lot to them.
• Keepsake memories – Create personalized scrapbook or puzzles filled with her favorite photos and memories. Shutterfly.com has endless options for fun, heartfelt projects and don’t forget to look for a coupon code.
• Spa Day at Home – Fill a gift basket with her favorite scented candles, bubble bath or bath beads, rose pedals, face mask cream, and her favorite nail polish color for an at-home spa day. Warm up hot towels in the dryer to complete her relaxing retreat.
• Love Notes - Write down all the reasons why you love mom. All you have to do is type or write out “I love you because...” notes, fill in the reason, cut them into strips and put them in a bowl (which you can re-fill from year to year).
If you want to check out some other creative ideas, About.com’s Frugal Living writer Erin Huffstetler has a bunch in her column, including:
• Family Portrait - Dig through your recent family photos until you've found a real standout. Then, take the negative to a photo processing center, and order an enlargement. For a few dollars you'll have a frame-ready family portrait.
• A Special Outing - Give Mom a break from her day-to-day life by taking her on a special outing. Research free events in your area – concerts, plays, museum tours, etc. – and then pick the one that's most in line with Mom's interests. For a truly special gift, tell her she's signed up for the Adventure of the Month Club. Then, make good on your gift by taking her on a free adventure every month for a year.
