Did Mother’s Day sneak up on you this year? Or is that just me? I feel like time has been FLYING by lately and have found myself a titchy unprepared for Mother’s Day. That’s not great when you are on a tight budget like me. Because shopping last minute *usually* means you’re not going to get the best deals out there. But not today. I’ve composed a quick list of cheap or free Mother’s Day gift ideas, for all of you procrastinators like me.
Now if there was ever a holiday to save up for to buy an expensive, amazing gift, it would be Mother’s Day. But if you are really not in a financial position to do that, here are my best cheap or free Mother’s Day gift ideas that you can grab at the last minute since we are now t-minus 6 days away from Mother’s Day!
CHEAP OR FREE MOTHER’S DAY GIFT IDEAS
WRITE YOUR MOTHER A LOVE NOTE
All moms have one thing in common: they love hearing from you. Whether you are 4 or 40, sit down and write your mom a love note and tell her how much she means to you. That’s all she really wants anyway. It is the best free Mother’s day gift.
DO CHORES FOR YOUR MOTHER
Moms are busy. Moms do a lot of house hold chores. Find out the ones she hates the most and do them for her.
RECREATE AN OLD FAMILY PHOTO
Have a classic family photo from your child hood? Get your siblings or other family members together and recreate a new version of it. (Some good examples here)
PUT TOGETHER AN OLD SCHOOL FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM
Compile photos of your family over the years. Your mom is sure to love it!
CREATE CHATBOOKS FOR HER
All moms love photos. And chatbooks allows you to create really cool, easy ones for $10. We finally joined the rest of the universe and started doing Chatbooks this year and I LOVE THEM. They are the perfect size, nice looking, and easy to grab off the shelf and flip through with your loved ones. Your mom will love it. Plus, if you’ve never made one before you get your first one FREE! And if you order today or tomorrow, you can still get it in time if you choose premium shipping.
MAKE HER FAVORITE DINNER ON MOTHER’S DAY
The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach, so whip up your mom’s favorite dinner this Mother’s Day. You could also premake her a meal and leave it for her for a day after Mother’s Day so that her celebration can continue! If you don’t live near your mom, you could always send her a gift card to her favorite restaurant. And, with better planning next year, you can earn free gift cards for occasions just like this doing all of your regular shopping through E-bates!
MAKE HER FAVORITE DESSERT ON MOTHER’S DAY
Maybe making dinner is a little out of reach for you (I am the worst dinner maker, but I do pride myself on making some TASTY treats) consider making your mom’s favorite dessert for Mother’s Day. And make enough that it can last her throughout the week!
A NEW BOOK
Grab your mom a new book for Mother’s Day. You can find some great books for well under $20:
Camino Island by John Grisham
The Escape Artist
Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood
SOMETHING FOR HER GARDEN
Does your mom have a garden? You can find some great garden accessories for well under $20. I recently bought my mom these
Solar Figuring Lights for her garden and they were a major hit!
SUCCULENTS (OR ANY PLANT THAT LASTS)
Buy your mom a succulent or other plant that lasts so that it can remind her of how much you love her throughout the year.
MAKE A LIST OF THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT HER
Make a list of things that you love about your mom! You can spice it up by numbering the list with as many items as years she’s been your mom, or share the list on social media. I love gifts like this because they make people feel SO good and that is what this day is all about!
WASH HER CAR
Take time to wash your mom’s car on the inside and out- she’ll love you for it!
SPEND ONE ON ONE TIME TOGETHER.
The best gift you can give your mom is time! Take the time to go on a walk or bike ride or otherwise spend free, quality time together on Mother’s Day.
MAKE A PHOTO ALBUM OR SCRAP BOOK OF HER LIFE.
Make your mom a photo album or scrap book (better, yet, a chatbook!) that documents her life.
WORLD’S GREATEST MOM MUG
Every mom needs the classic “world’s greatest mom” mug! I found a really cute one here:
World’s Greatest Mom Mug
MAKE YOUR MOM A T-SHIRT
Make your mom a silly t-shirt with family photos on it. Every mom needs a shirt with their kids’ face(s) on it!
Mother’s Day is all about showing your mom how much you love her. You don’t need piles of money to do that. The best Mother’s Day gifts are ones that come from your heart and show your mom that you care about her.
What are you doing for your mom this Mother’s Day? I’d love to hear from you!
Hi there! I’m Amber! And welcome to the Deeply in Debt blog where we’re offering simple solutions for big debt.