Mother's Day with Love (and a budget!)

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Looking for some low-cost ways to make sure mom feels loved, without breaking the bank? Look no further! We’ve got the most thoughtful suggestions for celebrating Mother’s Day on a budget – perfect to celebrate your momma or any other special person in your life!

Forget fresh flowers – Seeds to Sew

I know that flowers are an easy, stop-on-the-way-to-brunch gift that mom’s everywhere enjoy. Heck, I LOVE me some fresh flowers! But to me, flowers on mother’s day is like flowers on Valentine’s Day. Cliche, and probably marked up in price. I’d way rather have fresh flowers on a random Tuesday afternoon when they aren’t quite so pricey!

Instead of flowers, tuck a couple of seed packets and a pair of cute gardening gloves into a pretty pot and tie a ribbon around it! Or, a potted plant is a great option too – something that lasts longer than 5 days before it lands in the compost bin!

A hand-written letter

Writing your momma a heartfelt letter of gratitude and memories is going to be a home run for sure! Put pen to paper to tell your mom what you admire about her, what you are grateful for, and the reasons you love her. She’ll treasure this special gift forever!

Tea time

My momma has fond memories of having tea parties with her mom and aunts when she was a little girl. She regularly talks about doing this with my son, who generally requests a menu of pizza and juice. I know how much she would appreciate if I broke out Nan’s china to have an afternoon cup of tea with cookies. Arrowroots, of course!

Creative Rewards

Every year on Mother’s Day my mom and I joke that we should spend the big day at a hotel! I ADORE my son and husband, but there’s always this point where someone is having a temper tantrum, and the timer on the oven is beeping, and I just wanted some peace and quiet, thank you very much!

So this year, we decided It’s HAPPENING! So we literally booked a room about 5km from our home – 2 big beds, cable tv, yummy room service…18 hours of heaven! And after check out time, we’ll head home to share in the day with the boys…embracing the chaos (and the LOVE that comes with it!) will just feel so much sweeter when we’ve soaked in the hotel hot tub and crushed a bottle of wine while eating mac and cheese in bed!

BUT, you ask, HOW can you say that this is a low budget gift idea?? Well! We did a bit of research and cashed in some air miles to get a hotel gift card. The night is costing us a whopping $20. Plus the boys will come and use the pool in the afternoon, so it’s a family outing AND a mom’s getaway, rolled into one!

Think about your reward programs and see if there’s any way to use them to get mom the perfect gift!

Choose your own adventure

I will be very honest. Gift giving is NOT my love language. I get really anxious picking things out for other people… probably because I’m particular about accumulating STUFF in my home and I don’t like subjecting other people to STUFF that they don’t like, but keep and put on display out of obligation.

My hands are sweating just typing this! Too. much. pressure!

So, even though my sweet nan is cringing at me, I am a big fan of gift cards! I’d rather give someone the ability to choose a gift they really LOVE. And maybe even more so in the past few years. The changes we have made to our life by taking charge of our finances means that we are way less frivolous with our money. So a gift card means that I can buy something I haven’t budgeted for, which is very indulgent and rewarding for me!

This doesn’t have to be an extravagant or expensive gift. Remember the old saying: it’s the thought that counts! Grab mom a gift card for her favourite ice-cream shop or book store. Twenty dollars well spent is better than two hundred on something she doesn’t want!

If you are thinking about gift cards for mom – check out EBates! You can order your GCs online, and get a percentage back into your Ebates account (which will then turn into money in your pocket)! Get a $5 bonus when you join through our link and make your first purchase!

The gift of time

It’s so simple.

As a new(ish) mom, I just want some time to myself. But I know that there will come a time when all I want is to spend some good quality time with my boy. I’m sure my mom and my mother-in-law would agree that the greatest gift they could get for Mother’s Day would be some time with their kids. Doesn’t have to be a fancy meal or a full day event, just a few hours carved out to spend together.

Try these sweet (and free!) ideas to spend a few hours with mom:

go for a walk through your childhood neighbourhood
play a family board game
look through photo albums from your youth (or hers!)
watch your favourite movie from when you were a kid
bake cookies together
grab a coffee and go for a drive together to talk and catch up

Wrap Up

At the end of the day, your mom doesn’t need you to spend hundreds of dollars on lavish gifts and surprises. She wants to know that she matters to you and that you appreciate her.

I hope we’ve inspired you to think outside the box and find a way to show your momma some love without busting your budget!

AND – for more Mother’s Day ideas that are especially great for a long-distance (or social distancing) Mother’s Day – check out Mother’s Day from a distance!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there – and a special hug to MY momma, who I know is reading this because she is truly my number one fan!!