Sarah from A Thrifty Mom sent in this creative but thrifty Mother's Day idea:
As Mother's Day approached this year, I found
myself stressed about what to get for my Mom. I wanted to make sure
she felt special and appreciated but I don't have the money to buy her an expensive gift.
Now that I am grown, I look back on my
favorite memories at home with my Mom. They are not the gifts she
bought me or the money she spent. It was the time she spent with
me–reading me a good night story, doing my hair, teaching me to bake
bread, picking fruit and then canning it together. It was the time
she took to show me how to serve others. It was the time she took to just be a
wonderful Mom.
With this in mind, I picked up a little scrapbook from
the dollar store, added a few ribbons, flowers, and pattern paper
to the inside. Then I added a little tag to the front that reads “My
Mother”.
The whole book cost me less than $2 to make, but it is what
I am adding inside that will be the true gift. I filling the book
with photos and short stories of my favorite memories of my Mom and
what I love most about her. Sometimes we forget to tell those
closest to us just how special they are to us and I am hoping that this Mother's Day, through this simple gift, my mom will catch a little glimpse of how much I appreciate her.
What are your creative and memorable ideas for celebrating Mother's Day without breaking your budget? I'd love to hear!
I posted some links to great deals for this weekend for Mother’s Day on Feel Good, Columbus. One is local only, but the rest are national.
http://feelgoodcolumbus.blogspot.com/2009/05/mothers-day-specials-this-weekend-only.html
A few years ago I bought a square mold for making stepping stones for you garden. Each year i spend about $6 and buy more mix, my sons decorate them with trinkets but mostly there hand prints and give them to both my mom and mother in law. It is nice to watch the hands get bigger every year!
This is really great! My mom and I celebrated early… she and I (and my husband, too, at her request) went to an art museum and then out for coffee. On the way home we drove through a park. The whole thing was a surprise (she knew that we were taking her out, but not where) and she loved it, and so did we!
I love this idea! My mom and I have started a tradition of going to a green house where we pick out a pot of flowers together. All through the summer as we watch our flowers grow so does are relationship 🙂
Great idea and beautiful book! I’m sure your mom will love it. I’ve made something like this before (as an anniversary gift for my husband) but I’m sure it cost much more than $2. I’m curious: What are your tips for doing it so inexpensively, especially with all your lovely embellishments?
I also meant to write that I did something kind of like this the year that Mother’s Day was about a week before I was going to be married. I bought a pretty photo album with spaces for text (this was before my scrapbooking hobby) and put in photos of me when I was little. I had a picture of me talking on a toy telephone when I was about two, with the caption, “I’ll still call you on the phone” and one with me covered in food at the table that said, “and we can still have lunch together,” and another one with me riding on our toy horse when I was about 6- “And go riding together” (my mom has horses and we love to ride together). The final photo was of us together when I was little with a caption that says, “And no matter where I live or how old I get, you’ll always be my mommy.” She loved it. 🙂
For this Mother’s Day, I decided to make all the moms I know and love a mix cd of some favorite inspirational songs. It’s all the love and encouragement I wish that I could give them on a daily basis, but our lives are busy and separate from each other. This way they’ll know how much I love them and hopefully gain that extra boost to keep being great moms. 🙂
That is so precious! What a legacy keepsake. I’ve included many frugal, yet meaningful Mother’s Day ideas/traditions today, including a free download and template. More will be coming up soon.
http://inpassionatepursuit.blogspot.com/2009/05/mothers-day-tradition-ideas.html
beautiful idea!!
What a great idea, its super cute!
I did one of these last year, and it was a huge hit! This year, I made notecards for them to use – I bought cardstock for $0.50 a sheet (2 cards per sheet) and made them both a set of 8 notecards, half thank you cards, and the other half just generic. It cost me a total of $8 for the cardstock, and I made them the perfect size to put in the invitation sized envelopes that you can get from Wal-Mart. Then I tied the cards together with a big bow and slipped them in a used gift bag, and wa-la! Two really special mother’s day gifts for about $10 total.
I posted a blog about a cheap mother’s day gift idea here too!
http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/2009/05/cheap-mothers-day-gift-idea.html
I packed up lots of jam and applesauce I had from last years can. I put pretty pink fabric on it…and wrote “hope this brings you back to the simplier things in life”. My mom is really busy–I know she will love it. I had to ship it, but it only cost me the actual shipping costs.
What a great idea! I love it 🙂 I got my Mom a hair straightener… Much less moving and meaningful! Maybe next year I’ll do this instead…
This is a great idea! I’m actually doing something very similar for my mom and mother-in-law..but with pictures of our son. They are always wanting pictures of their grandson so I’m going to make them a special “brag” book bc they love to show him off. (yes, he’s the first grandchild on both sides!)
Thanks for sharing!
I am doing a week long post on my facebook page! Celebrating my mom!! We live 3,000+ miles away from my mom, so this is a way to share my heart with her and all of my friends, too. Some of my friends have even commented things they love about their mom. I hope she finds it personal and special!! I will miss not celebrating with her this year!
Hello!
What a wonderful gift. We did something similar to this for our Mom several years ago. We bought a pretty journal and each of us filled it with fond memories of her. I wish we would’ve thought to include pictures.
Take Care,
Trixie
that’s a great idea!
For mother’s day this year, I used the hallmark codes you posted a bit ago and managed to get cards for my husband’s grandmother, my stepmom, my husband’s stepmom and his mom.
My mom will be getting something more special =P ’cause she’s MY mommy!! I’m thinking about this actually…
Using the codes, I also got father’s day cards for both my father and fil and set them to be delivered in june.
What a great book! That is such a great idea- and really you could make these for any special occasion (birthdays, anniversaries, etc).
When I was living at home I always enjoyed making a nice brunch for my mom so she could relax and not cook. This year, I’m thinking of doing something similar, but having my kids help to make brunch and then invite Grammie over 🙂 I love to cook, so it would be a nice mother’s day for me, as well.