Father’s Day is this Sunday and while I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing for my dad and my husband, I’m sure there are many others who are still looking for some great ideas.
My dad is very easy to please. He doesn’t like gifts, he likes handmade cards and letters so that’s what he normally gets and that’s what he’s getting again this year. It’s always so good to sit down and write out my thoughts of gratitude and appreciation to him for all he has done for me.
My husband is also easy to please. Up until this year, he always received a card and a special home-cooked dinner. This year, since we have more wiggle room in the budget, I’m actually buying him something. But it’s not anything fancy or extravagant. Instead, he’s getting dress clothes, thanks to Sears. And I know he’ll be happy as a lark since, unlike most men, he likes to shop and buy clothes!
What are you doing to bless and show appreciation for the special father(s) in your life? Tell us about it in the comments section in the next 24 hours and you’ll also be entered to win one of two $20 gift cards from Boston Market.
Our family loves Boston Market; it’s like enjoying delicious home-cooking without the work and effort! I especially enjoy their rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes–Yum!
To enter to win one of these two $20 gift cards:
::Leave a comment telling us your best frugal idea for celebrating Father’s Day and blessing a special guy in your life.
::Tomorrow evening, I’ll randomly choose two winners and post them.
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Our best frugal idea for celebrating Father’s Day took place a couple of years ago. We happened to be in A.C. Moore on a Saturday when they had free craft stations for kids set up all over their whole store. My daughter went and decorated a painter’s cap for my husband as a gift, decorated a gift bag with foam bits, and used other craft materials for a card. I saw again this year, where they held a similar craft day, I think it was in May, but we were unable to attend. My daughter was so proud of her hand-made gifts and my husband still wears the hat when he works at home. He calls it his thinking cap.
Love your blog!
I came up with a creative way to use some of the candy I bought from CVS this week for my husband. This is his first father’s day so from our baby I wrote tags and put them on the candy. On sourpatch kids, “thanks for putting up with me even when my mood is sour”. On circus peanuts “sometimes I am so silly you probably think I belong in the circus”. And on swedish fish “I can’t wait until you take me fishing”.
I used the Sears deal too, but with a twist. My husband HATES shopping, especially for clothes. My teenaged son and I conspired to give him a particularly appropriate surprise:
I set it up yesterday morning by telling my husband that I was dragging him to Sears that night, despite the heat, after a long day of work, to buy clothing for him and our son. He resigned himself to it but wasn’t happy.
While he was at the office, the kid and I went to Sears, bought the clothes, and then hid them in a closet at home. After dinner, my husband said with a sigh, “Ok, I’ll clean up the table and then I guess we have to go shopping.”
On cue, I said, “Yes, I suppose so. Hmm, unless we get into a time machine.”
The kid and I burst into simultaneous “deedly-doo, deedly-do, deedly-do” Wayne’s World style flashback gestures.
“Right,” I continued. “Unless we get into a time machine. Then we would already be done with the shopping and we’d have the evening free. Hmm. Kid, if we did that, where do you think the clothes would be?”
“In the closet! I’ll check!”
My husband was looking at us as if we were crazy, but when Kid came back to the table with a big Sears bag, he caught on. And he was thrilled! Not only did he get shirts (the short-sleeved, wrinkle-resistant, stain-resistant ones he loves), but we spared him a chore and gave him an evening off.
My husband has been away in Georgia for Customs training and will be there until August. I sent him some home made cookies and cards from the kids. I also sent him some essentials that he needed/wanted. Although we can’t be with him, we’ll text him a video so he can be close to us while we wish him a special day.
Unfortunately, I do not have a close relationship with my father and I struggle quite a bit at Father’s Day. He lives out of town, has anything & everything his heart desires and is of the mindset that homemade stuff is, well, ‘cheap’. So I am mailing him a gift card.
For my own husband, the kids and I are going to Steve & Barry’s to get him some new jeans. The store near us continually runs an “everything for $8.98″ sale & my husband loves their jeans. He needs some & will be very pleased. I also had a picture of me & the kids blown up to a 5×7 and am framing it for his office at work. It is a picture we took last weekend & he has commented several times on how much he loves that picture of us. He will be surprised that I spent $1.50 and had it blown up. The frame is one I got for .50 from Goodwill. (It looks new & he won’t mind).
We’ll be taking my Dad out to lunch tomorrow at a place that has lunch specials, and for my husband, the boys made him cards and we will make his favorite dinner.
For my dad, a batch of homemade brownies is both easy on the budget and a real treat for him. Also, a goody bag of Lifesavers candy, pencils and crossword puzzles, and a special card from his grandbaby will be special.
My husband prefers no gifts, so a special lunch with family after church is fine for him.
I bought the 7-CD teaching set “The Master’s Plan for Fathers” from Vision Forum. The regular price is $35.00, which works out to $5.00 per disc- Not bad for encouraging the Daddy in our home!
My Dad had an old flannel shirt he used to wear almost every day (years ago) in the winter and part of the legs to jeans he cut off for shorts in the summer. I took those old things and covered a photo album with them. The shirt pocket is on the cover, so it looks really cool. I think I have a picture of him in the shirt, so I’m going to put that in the frame I covered in the jeans on the front cover! I’m also going to write notes and memories next to some of the pictures so it’s something really personal.
For Father’s Day, I like to sit the kids down and have them hand make cards. We get out the construction paper, glue, scissors, and whatever else we can get our hands on. They always turn out way better than anything you can buy in the store. I also like to make him one of his favorite dinners. I always make it a surprise and have the kids help out with the cooking where they can. To me, this is all so much better and heart felt than buying something from the store, and he thinks so too.
We usually make a homemade cake and just treat him like the king.
Ours always involves pictures. This year, with a couple friends, we are helping the kids make magnetic popsicle stick picture frames.
This year, I sent cards to all of the grandads and great grandads. I love making homemade cards, so that is what I did. For my hubby, he actually just went out and bought himself an expensive toy for his computer, so he will not get much else! I let the girls pick out cards for him. I am going to make him a card too, and I did two framed picture collages of him and our girls. The frames were 2 dollars apiece at Walmart, and I already had all of the pictures and scrapbooking supplies.
One thing I did a few years ago and plan to do again is make up a certficate for a
“Dessert of the Month Club.”
It’s fun for us too, each month we try a new dessert or a old favorite. And the guys just love it!
I made my dad a collage poster on shutterfly of my nieces and nephews(his grandkids) at his dad’s memorial site. He is very proud that his father served in the Army and will be touched to see him being honored my his grandkids!
After having our second child my husband and I both needed to lose weight so both of us are trying to eat as healthy as possible. Since we are on a tight budget due to me quiting my job to stay home with my children, I am going to make a nice home cooked meal and a healthy version of cup cakes. (Will loves sweat)!!
For my father in law I’ve made a s’mores basket (Hershey, marshmallows, and graham crackers) and a beautiful mug I found on clearance at Meijer. (He loves drinking tea with something sweat)
I think we might go to the Lodge (http://www.skamania.com/) w/ a gift card we have (for lunch) and then we will probably do a bit of Geocaching (www.geocaching.com) cause my man ADORES doing that.
My kids made my husband a new “desk set” for his office. We used simple things like a hand-decorated cup 1/4 filled with fish tank pebbles to hold pens, a painted rock for a paper weight and clothespins to hold important notes.
For my dad, who is recovering from open heart surgery, we’re spending the day with him, just me and 5 of the kids, we’ll bring him some nuts (cause he’s a nut). Hubby will be out of town with our oldest boy (Boy Scout camp…he’s the scoutmaster) so they will spend the day and week together and it give’s the girls an extra week to make something special for him) FIL is up the road and we’ll spend the evening with him when we get back from my dad’s.
I am going to take my step-dad to lunch at SOONNY’s BBQ…His favorite restaurant.
His mother and brother (who’s ex has the kids this weekend and would not trade weekends!) are coming in for the weekend so there will be tons and tons of foods that he loves (and I can’t cook).
He and the kiddos are making stepping stones together.
And I am giving him all the aitkins bars I got free at CVS and a tripod I picked up cheap at a yardsale months ago.
I was going to get him a propane tank gauge (20$!) but money ran tight – maybe for his bday in a few months.
I am baking bread for my father-in-law! I love to make things like that for the dads in our life!
My husband is preparing for our trip to the Grand Tetons in July during which he’ll go backpacking for a few days with my dad who’s a park ranger out there for the summer (one of the perks of being a school teacher – summers off to do random cool things). So when REI was having a sale a few weeks ago, he got some gear he needed that was on clearance (plus 20% off for having a membership). That was his main Father’s Day gift, but as a surprise I also got him a movie he’s been wanting to see (National Treasure 2 – he was a BIG fan of the first one, but we never managed to get to the theater to see the second).
My FIL will get a phone call, and if we can figure out how to get through to my dad (whose cell phone wasn’t working last I heard), we’ll call him too.
It’s simple, but certainly frugal: Take Dad out for a picnic!
This is his first Father’s Day, and I’m getting my husband a copy of his favorite book from childhood, called “A Fish Out of Water”. He doesn’t remember reading “Goodnight Moon” or any other classics, but he LOVED this book!
Last year, with our first child only a few months old, I wanted to do something special (and cheap) for my husband’s first fathers day. I found this poem on the internet called “footprints”.
“Walk a little slower daddy,” said a child so small.
“I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower , daddy,
for you are leading me.
Someday when I’m all grown up,
You’re what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who’ll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So walk a little slower, daddy,
For I must follow you.”
-Author Unknown
underneath the poem, I stamped our little daughters footprints and put the date. It is a keepsake that he has in his office. I plan on doing this every year so that we can see how much bigger she has gotten, and also to remind her daddy how important he is to her!
We will also be cutting out the letters DAD with poster board and then posing dd with each letter at the park. Then we will frame it in one of those 3 folding frames. I think I will be doing it in black and white with color accents here and there.Then I think I will make him a really nice meal and let him relax for the day and evening.
I have no idea what to do for my husband this year. I usually buy him something he wants but we don’t have the money. So, I will be following this to get ideas. Keep em comin’!
This year my hubby made a ‘suggestion’ of an inexpensive gift he would like. He has really enjoyed listening to books on CD while driving, so he wanted an inexpensive MP3 player. He is very computer savvy…but we are not into gadgets. So I am thankful for the hint. Comparison shopped…bought it through Mypoints so I could accumulate points. We have a budget for such gifts but due to an inexpected monetary blessing given to me, I was able to put $15 extra dollars toward this to give him an ‘upgrade’. I also am inviting my father in law to join us for steak and potatos. Now we don’t usually have steak….maybe once a year. But, I scored a major sale at our grand re-opening at Randall’s this week.
Since my DH is working on Sunday we’ll be celebrating tomorrow by going to a movie at AMC- (5.00 before noon) and for dinner free Hot Dogs on a Stick! ( Of course I’ll have to get some of that yummy lemonade too)! Thanks for the opportunity!
pictures of the new baby of course! I love Boston Market; havn’t been in awhile though.
We’re going to cheer on my husband at his soccer game — with twin toddlers to corral, he usually goes by himself with no cheering section.
We recently had portraits taken at Sears, and they had a promo for 2 5×7′s with Happy Father’s Day border for $3. Those were sent to the grandfathers instead of a card. The boys decorated the envelopes and the stiffening cardboard with stickers. M\
i did the sears deal today-2x. he is getting a LOT of clothes for a little $$! thanks for the tip!
and, i am making fajitas for my parents and us and then we will all go swim!
My dad is getting homebaked cookies. I still don’t know what to do for my husband. I was going to get him a Zen mp3 player, but he very thoughtfully went out and bought himself one last week, since he had a little extra money from some side work. Sigh. Guess he’ll get a nice macaroni picture frame from the boys and something he doesn’t want very much from me. A tie, maybe. Something really gaudy and loud.
I got hubbie a camera bag that was on clearance from Kodak for $10 and I got my dad some coffee that was on sale and a photo of grand-daughter.
I am making “shaving” kits for my father. Over the past couple weeks I have worked lots of shaving deals into my CVS purchases. I bought the Gillete Fusion Power Rasor, and lots of Nivea shave gel and accessories. Of course we will send a very nice card. All of this costed less than a dollar out of pocket, so I will just pay shipping a handling!
I have bought a multipack of white undershirts shirts and had the kids personalized them with handprints and drawings. Practical but also special (and cheap too!).
We’re not big on gift giving…our kids are ages 5 and under…we’re just now getting into the homemade gift idea. But for any “special” day (Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Birthdays, etc) we allow that person to pick whatever it is they want to do. It’s a special day for them, so they should enjoy it the way THEY want to
This year, my baby’s daddy will get breakfast in bed, a tripod (free from the buy.com/google checkout savings), a bubble bath, and a big hug and kiss from our little one.
my daughter is only a year old….we are making a card wih her fingerprints and he will have to treat us at our fav italian food. i have already saved a coupon for that
We like to do all of the chores for Daddy on Father’s Day. Mow the lawn, take the trash out, and just make him feel extra special and loved by us!
This year, we are celebrating my husband’s first father’s day by enjoying an old fashioned picnic at a really nice park in the beautiful suburb next to us. It will be complete with roasted chicken, potato salad, herbed tomatoes, and pumpkin pie, his favorite. I am making everything at home, throwing in a bottle of sparkling cider we received as a gift, and enjoying our son’s first trip to the park. I am also going to surprise him with a father/son photo shoot in the park since it’s one of my hobbies. All in all, it will only cost us a small amount for the food, which I already had on stock, and the gas to get there!
Father’s Day came upon me rather unexpectedly this year. I was thinking I have another week to come up with something and here it’s upon me already! We’ll probably settle for a special time with Daddy. He’s so busy right now that relaxing is a favorite activity!
We do homemade cards from the kids and me! And also a homemade dinner…all of the men together…being served like kings! One year we made “king” crowns for them out of cardboard and foil…the kids and the dads LOVED it!
When my kids were little, they would make things for their dad. They would also have a coupon book for him to use. His favorite was help Dad in the workshop. My husband builds furniture, and he loved his little helpers learning his trade.
This year, thanks to my new found love of CVS, I am making “Dad packs” for my husband and father. They will each have a fusion razor, nivea shave gel, and their favorite candies(orange slices and spearmint leaves) all in a bag. Dad will also get irish spring shower gel and adidas deodorant. Hubby’s extra gift is a subscription to a music magazine that he has been hinting about wanting to get. I will get the current magazine, wrap it in gift wrap and tell him that his subscription is on its way. I ordered it about 3 weeks ago through ebates so I could make money on the gift and save money on the sale they were having on magazine subscriptions.
My dad likes to watch western shows and has many that he has taped off of the television. For Father’s Day, I’m going to convert all his VHS western show tapes onto DVDs..using the free set of DVDs I received from the Office Depot sign up a few weeks ago! I will also make him his favorite dessert- peach cobbler- and work alongside him on Father’s day on our new house construction. He doesn’t care for gifts as he buys what he wants already, so I think spending time with him working on our new house will mean a lot to him and I’m sure he’ll appreciate the extra help!
I hope to be taking all those wonderful coupons for free or next to nothing photo deals and get some great pictures of the babies. Some will be for the grandpas and some for dad. Then hopefully a nice quiet free breakfast courtesy of chick-fil-a. The quiet part probaly not happening but free is good to.
This is my husband’s first Father’s Day! I’m planning to do breakfast in bed for him. He does that for me sometimes, and I know he’d really love it for himself. I will give him a hand and foot massage, too. He loves those and unfortunately they are few and far between since our son was born. I’ll also be giving him a card from me and a card from our son. Tonight our son said “Da” for the first time, so I’m sure that was probably the best Father’s Day gift!
We are going to go to a park and grill some hot dogs and then we are going to attempt to play frisebee golf with him ( he highly enjoys playing this while I’m quite horrible at it but it’s his day)
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