Ask the Readers: How Do You Celebrate Mother's Day Frugally?
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Mary Happymommy, Thomas, and Diane for winning this week's contest!
Mother's Day is coming up! Retail stores all say they know just what you should get for your mom, but their offerings aren't always the most budget-friendly...or what your mom wants at all! You don't need flowers and/or jewelry to make May 11 a special day for the mothers in your life.
How do you celebrate Mother's Day frugally? Will you be buying gifts, or will you opt for something homemade — or even an experience? If you're a mom, how do you want to spend Mother's Day?
Tell us how you celebrate Mother's Day frugally and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
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Homemade gift
I always give my mom a thoughtful card and in lieu of a gift, I try to wait until the next time we are together to do an activity together or go to brunch, rather than have a bunch of flowers delivered that will just die.
My mom is gone, so I don't buy gifts for this day. I celebrate with my daughter. I tell her no gifts- we usually will go for a long walk in a park, or hiking along the Hudson. I love it!
I will probably go out to lunch with my family. I will send flowers to my mother in law.
I'm a mother but I don't put much stock in commercially exploited, manufactured holidays such as mother's day. When my children were young, I always enjoyed the clay hand prints, drawings, and poems that they brought home, but I've always actively discouraged spending on gifts. We have a family dinner together at home to which we all contribute effort and open a bottle of wine. My daughter usually gives me a card that she makes herself. That's enough for me along with a hug and an "I love you."
We will have everyone over for brunch, which is very easy and inexpensive to do. Also, as a gift for my mom we usually get her some flowers, but potted ones so she can put them on her deck and enjoy them all summer long. My kids & husband usually get me flowers for my garden, perennials so they keep coming back.
We celebrate by making mom her favorite meal and making homemade gift she loves. We spend time, not money.
My mom and I take a 20 minute walk every weekday that I'm off work, so we kinda to a year-round Mother's Day. But I ought to make her something as well, so thanks for the reminder, WiseBread!
We usually do a BBQ/potluck instead of dining out. One of these years, I would like to try a picnic at the beach!
We celebrate it frugally by staying home and having homemade gifts
I buy her something vintage from a thrift store/ antique store (rather than an expensive jewelry shop)
For this upcoming Mother's Day, I bought a fancy-looking vintage pearl watch.
My mom values being in touch with me over receiving gifts, so I always Skype her on Mother's Day. I also like finding things that are useful to give her, and it usually involves my making that item in some way. The end result is a more thoughtful, meaningful gift, I think.
Last year, I made my mom and my MIL zippered pouches with embroidery, (I made myself one, too.) They're very useful things. Also, my Mother's Day flowers are annual bedding plants, usually marigolds, so I can enjoy them all summer long.
We celebrate at home with a family barbeque. My mom is gone now, so I'm celebrating with my 2 sons and their girlfriends. As long as the family is together, that's all I need! What I'd really like is a letter from each of my sons about the happy memories they have of things we've done together~ That would be a cool gift. No need to spend money on gifts.
We usually eat a nice dinner at home and just do small (usually handmade) gifts for the moms and grandmas that are there.
Getting mom something nice at a retailer that gives cash back via Ebates, etc always helps!
I usually visit my mom and give her a nice card and just a small token gift that's not too expensive (her favorite chocolates, etc.).
I'm celebrating Mother's Day with homemade gifts for giving. #WBAsk!
My mother always cooks a homemade meal for me and my brother when we visit her. So for Mother's Day this year, we're going to cook a homemade meal for her. Cooking at home is definitely much less expensive then going out to eat and it means more too.
I find a gift on sale.
I almost always make a brunch for my mom and daughter at my house. After we eat we usually go for a walk and chat. Back at the house we give each other a small gift, not too expensive, just a little something to say I love you, and cards, most of all, my mom loves a card.
I bought moms gift from amazon with gc's I have won!
Fix her a yummy brunch and dinner on Mother's Day. And a back massage will be great too.
I will buy gifts for my Mom and we will go out to lunch or dinner together!
Daddy cooks dinner on the grill.
My mom agrees with me that it's a silly made up holiday and we shouldn't feed the machine. So she gets a phone call, which is basically free.
We try to visit a local island (the ferry service offers free round trips for local residents only one day a year, Mother's Day). It's a lovely place, full of history and we love to visit and take a lunch and wander. No presents necessary, just time with my family!
I look for coupons that restaurants send out prior to Mother's Day!
I use Resturant.com for meal and flower promotions from Facebbok.
Since my Mother is older and it is harder for her to bake, I make my mother's 3 favorite sweets, Sour cream pound cake, pecan pie bars, oatmeal/pecan nut cookies. Then I cut them up & place them in (serving size) freezer bags so she will have a box of assorted goodies to pull out of her freezer when she wants something sweet. She ADORES this gift and has hinted that she would like to have this at the Holiday time too!
We always go hiking with just the siblings and her and then had a picnic in the park where we hiked. We also buy an inexpensive gift that we know she will love. Last year we bought her a gym back with different types of workout gear and a workout outfit. It was something we knew should would love and use. That's what we make sure to always do and look for - something that shows thought, not something that is flashy.
I give my mom a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the grocery store (not the florist) and a pretty card.
We have either a homecooked dinner or low-key take out at my place. And lots of karaoke.
A nice breakfast should do the trick and I like to go to the park with the family.
Ecard and a phone call. I wish my mom were closer so I could have her over for breakfast!
I cook my mother a fancy brunch!
I usually get a thoughtful card and handmade one. I also cook a meal with all her favorite dishes. This is inexpensive and can also spend some quality time together.
We celebrate it frugally by staying home and having a nice meal.
We always do a cookout at my brothers. No exchange in gifts
I tend to shop all spring for my family... most birthdays and gift-giving times fall between January and June in my family. Experiences, something I know she wants, or things that remind of her that come through the thrift store where I volunteer are all fair game! I love a discount, so usually things I buy her are at least half off the original price.
Hanging baskets for the Mom's, they get to enjoy them spring through summer.
This is I will make a home cook meal which is inexpensive and fun.
Some summers I pick up lots of picture frames at garage sales for .25 to 1.00 (thank you high divorse rate). Then, I paint them up to look nice, and get a framed photo of the granddaughters in it.
My mom and dad are far away, but I don't want them to feel left out. I buy their birthday gifts and mother and father's day gifts all at once, wrap them and ship them in one box.
we celebrate mother's day earlier to avoid crowds and it's cheaper. or we make a homemade meal for her
We celebrate frugally by staying home and making a special dinner. No gifts required
My kids make homemade cards and bake cookies
Usually for Mother's Day I just spend the day with my Mom. We get dinner or something pretty simple since she thinks the holiday is sort of silly.
This year we (my sister and I) did something different, about 10 years ago my mom became a diabetic and now has to have an insulin pump connected to her all the time. She has to have pockets to keep the pump in so she had to give up wearing dresses because she had no where to hold it. So this year we got her a dress with customized pockets that will work with her pump.
It's not a frugal tip, but it's for mom :)
I always try to win my mom items for Mother's day!
I cook my mom a nice dinner on mother's day.