When you love someone as much as you love your mom, it can be tempting to splash out on an expensive gift. But if you’re trying to save money right now, don’t worry. There are still plenty of ways to make Mom feel valued and cherished without breaking the bank. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
The Ultimate Mother’s Day Thrifty Gift Guide for 2021
Send Her Flowers
Relatively speaking, flowers are a small investment for a significant impact. There are plenty of Mother’s Day flower deals to be had right now, and they might leave enough money in your wallet to buy yourself a bouquet, too. (Shhh, we won’t tell.)
Cook Her a Meal
Chances are your mom spent your childhood cooking meals for you, so it’s high time to turn the (dining) tables and make something for her! Take a cue from her favorite comfort foods and make her an elevated version of something cozy that you know she’ll enjoy. Even if you opt for fancy ingredients, this is likely to be less expensive than a trip to a restaurant.
Give Her a Spa Day
Most spa packages cost well into the triple digits, so why not give your mom her own spa day at home. She’ll cherish it a lot more, we promise! Offer to paint her nails and do her hair, and gift her a fancy face mask. Don’t forget the “complimentary” bottle of champagne!
Coffee and Conversation
All your mom wants is to connect with you, and as we get older and move on with our own lives, those opportunities for connection appear less and less. So make your mom a delicious latte (or pick one up from your favorite cafe) and chat. Be sure to ask her about herself, too.
A Photo Album
Nobody loves old photos as much as mothers, and chances are she has many of them stacked in a box somewhere. It would make an excellent (and not to mention very inexpensive) gift to purchase a photo album and arrange the photos in it nicely, so your mom can look at them whenever she pleases.
Fill a Notebook with Memories
All moms worry if they’ve done an excellent job raising their children, so make sure your mom knows she was the best. Grab a simple notebook and write down all the favorite memories you’ve had with her since you were a little kid. Bonus points if you can find the photos or other mementos that accompany all of those precious moments.
Help Her Clean or Decorate
This may not be the most glamorous gift, but it’s one she’ll appreciate. If there’s a big cleaning or decorating project your mom has meant to tackle — like cleaning out the garage or moving around a bunch of furniture — why not spend a Saturday helping her do it? It’ll cost you precisely zero dollars, which means you’ll be able to splurge on a nice dinner to share, too.
Remind Her That You Love Her
Okay, so we don’t recommend making this the only gift you give your mom on Mother’s Day, but it definitely should be one of them. A heartfelt “I love you” and an earnest hug are things we sometimes forget to give to the people we cherish most, and your mom deserves it!
The truth is, your mom will love anything you give her. She is your mom, after all! But with a little creativity, you can give her a gift that’s high in creativity and love and very low in cost.