Frugal Mother’s Day Gifts

Do you have any suggestions for frugal Mother’s Day gifts? My husband and I are moving for him to go to law school and don’t have a lot of extra money right now to buy our moms gifts, but we still want to give them something to make them feel special. Thanks! -Jessica

Here are just a few of my ideas:

-Write a card. Many moms would find a heartfelt card expressing appreciation to be one of the most touching gifts ever. You could even write it on inexpensive stationery or get creative and make your own card to save the $3-$5 it often costs to buy a card. You might also check your local dollar store for inexpensive cards.

-Make up a basket of goodies. Do you have lots of extra fun items you’ve gotten for free or almost free with coupons? How about making up a gift basket or care package to send to your mom? Write little notes on each item and package it up beautifully and she might just think it was the greatest gift ever!

-Put together a special photo album. With all the great photo deals recently, you could probably pull this off very inexpensively and it could be incredibly meaningful if your mom loves something like this.

If your mom lives nearby, here are a few more ideas:

-Do something with her. Instead of buying a generic, over-priced fruit basket or flower bouquet, what about doing something with your mom? Think about something your mom really enjoys doing which is also inexpensive and invite her to do it with you. Perhaps you could go browse antique stores, or hit some garage sales, or go out for coffee? You might also consider inviting her over for an afternoon tea or lunch!

-Make something for her. What would she like and use that you could also make for her? Perhaps it’s her favorite cookies, or a bouquet of fresh flowers from your garden, or handmade thank you notes that she can use?

-Give her a service gift certificate. What’s something your mom doesn’t enjoy doing–maybe cleaning her bathrooms, washing her car, or cooking? Make up a gift certificate for her which says she can choose whenever she’d like for you to do this particular chore for her and you’ll do it–up to an amount of times specified on the certificate!