Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Low on funds, but overflowing with love for Mom? Don't worry. Mom doesn't want you to go broke buying her a Mother's Day gift. Make this Mother's Day extra-special for $20 or less with these fun gift ideas. Some of these Mother's Day gifts won't cost you anything except time and creative effort. Mom is worth it!

Special, Free Mother's Day Gift Ideas: A Handwritten Letter or Poem

Hallmark cards are expensive. You don't have to buy Mom a Mother's Day card. In fact, a handwritten letter or poem for Mother's Day is far more special than any seven-dollar Hallmark card. If you're artistic, add some pretty illustrations to your letter or poem dedicated to Mom. Mom will love, love, LOVE it! Here are some creative prompts for your Mother's Day letter or poem: What are the qualities you admire most in your mom? How did your mom make you feel better when you were sick as a child? Can you recall a special occasion on which your mother looked especially beautiful? Did your mom ever shock you by doing something crazy that other moms simply didn't do (maybe Mom joined you in the front car on the fastest, scariest roller coaster at the amusement park)? What was the best birthday cake Mom ever baked for you?

Take your memories, and expand them into a heartfelt Mother's Day letter.

Dear Mom,

You always knew how to make me feel better whenever I was sick as a child. I remember when I had chicken pox, and you...

Dear Mom,

I will always cherish my memories of our living room Dance-a-thons. Remember how you used to play your Styx tape, and we'd all dance like robots to "Mr. Roboto"? That was so much fun!...

Even if poetry is not "your thing," I bet you can create a haiku or acrostic Mother's Day poem that Mom will adore. Remember, a haiku has three lines: the first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the last line has 5 syllables. Here's a quick example of a Mother's Day haiku:

Warm hands, hazel eyes

Brown hair, flowers on her blouse

Smiling heart. Mommy

Acrostic poems are fun, too. Here's my example of a Mother's Day acrostic poem, using my mom's first name, "Mary" (you might prefer to spell out "Mother" or "Mom" or "Grandma"):

Made sure I ate my veggies

Always fixed me lasagna for my birthday

Rode all the roller coasters with me

Yelled rarely

Special, Free Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Handyman for a Day

So you're flat broke, and even a Hallmark card is out of your price range this Mother's Day. You don't want to write a Mother's Day poem or letter because you can't stand that sappy crap. Well, Mother's Day is a perfect excuse to grab your toolbox and head over to Mom's house (not necessarily on Mother's Day). Tell her you're her "Handyman for a Day" and let her put you to work! (Only fix stuff you know how to fix, though!) Does she need some furniture rearranged? Can you fix her drippy faucet? Maybe she needs the wiper blades on her car replaced. Mom's not made of money, either, so she will love the fact that you're saving her the money she'd have to pay a professional plumber, electrician, mechanic, etc. And, knowing Mom, a cool glass of fresh lemonade will be waiting for you when you're done.

Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Plan a "No Diet Food Allowed" Meal for Mom

Taking Mom out to eat at her favorite restaurant on Mother's Day is nice, but expensive. Wouldn't Mom love all of her favorite foods, served in the comfortable, relaxed environment of a familiar dining room? Why not plan a "No Diet Food Allowed" meal this Mother's Day at your house or Mom's house? Get together with your siblings to split up the meal-preparation duties and share the cost of food. (Warn Mom ahead of time so she can save up some Weight Watchers points, if necessary!) Chances are, once you've introduced the "No Diet Food Allowed" meal this Mother's Day, Mom will request it next Mother's Day, too!

If my brother and I were to plan such a meal for my mom, I'd probably assign my brother to pick up a bucket of KFC fried chicken (roughly $20), and I'd fix the side dishes myself: homemade mashed potatoes with real butter, homemade macaroni and cheese, corn-on-the-cob. I'd slice up some strawberries (is that too healthy for a "No Diet Food Allowed" meal? I guess I'd have to sprinkle some sugar on the berries!) and bake a German chocolate cake from scratch, made with full-sugar, full-fat EVERYTHING, for dessert. I guarantee that Mom is looking for an excuse to cheat on her latest diet-this "No Diet Food Allowed" Mother's Day meal isn't sabotage; this meal is Love and Joy, pure and simple.

Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Movies Mom Will Love, for Under $20

I recently had a movie-and-popcorn day with my mom.We watched "Mamma Mia!" and had a blast. "Mamma Mia!" is a great mother-daughter movie, and would make an excellent Mother's Day gift. It's available on DVD at www.Amazon.com for $17.99. Meryl Streep is fabulous, and, oh my GAWD, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth are singing! This movie is sexy, romantic, hilarious, and so much fun! Of course, if your mom hates ABBA's music or musicals in general, she probably won't like "Mamma Mia!" Here are some other inexpensive, Mom-friendly DVDs I found at Amazon.com; any of these movies would make me or my mom very happy this Mother's Day: "Australia" with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman is available for $16.99. "Some Like it Hot"-the hilarious classic with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe-is on sale for $10.49. Classic James Bond titles such as "Dr. No," starring Sean Connery, are available for $10.49 each. (My mom can't be the only mom who loves James Bond!)

For moms who love classic movies, check out these value-priced DVD collections: A personal favorite of mine, the "Doris Day and Rock Hudson Comedy Collection," which includes the movies "Pillow Talk," "Lover Come Back," and "Send Me No Flowers," is on sale for $15.99. As a huge Katharine Hepburn fan, I was especially excited to discover the "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Romantic Comedies." This collection costs $19.99, and includes all of the following movies: "Adam's Rib," "Woman of the Year," "The Philadelphia Story," and "Bringing Up Baby."

If you do give Mom a movie or movie collection for Mother's Day, why don't you also plan a movie-and-popcorn date with Mom? What fun! If you're too broke to purchase these DVDs, Amazon.com also offers movies on-demand. For $3.99 you can view a movie, such as "Mamma Mia!" or "Australia" on your computer for 24 hours.

Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Books Mom Will Love, for Under $20

Last Mother's Day, my mom gave me Elizabeth Gilbert's wonderful book, Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia. This soul-nourishing bestseller is available in paperback for $10.20 at Amazon.com.

Most moms will drink up the books in the Cup of Comfort series; priced at $9.95, these books include inspirational stories for women from all walks of life: dog-lovers to breast cancer survivors to nurses to new mothers.

If your mom likes to keep up with whatever's popular, she would probably enjoy Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which is on sale in paperback for $6.04 at Amazon.com. Mom might be too embarrassed to buy Twilight for herself! I recently read the entire Twilight series, and recommend these books to romance-lovers of all ages.

Has Mom been talking about the previews for the upcoming Angels and Demons movie? She'd probably enjoy reading Dan Brown's novel before she sees the movie, especially if she liked The DaVinci Code. Angels and Demons is available at Amazon.com for $10.88. My mom and I have both read Angels and Demons, and look forward to seeing the movie.

Is Mom an avid scrapbooker? Check out the Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking (Creating Keepsakes), sold for $16.47 at Amazon.com.

Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Inexpensive Gifts for Artistic Moms

Does Mom need any more encouragement to explore her artistic side? This set of 24 Prismacolor colored pencils is available for $15.61 at Amazon.com. A Prang watercolor set (just like you had in grade school!) with 16 paint colors and a paintbrush is $10.79 at Amazon.com. If you and Mom are both artists, you could visit your favorite garden with Mom this Mother's Day, and sketch and paint the spring flowers together. Lovely!

Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Inexpensive Gifts for Gardener-Moms

I wish I had my mom's green thumb! Live plants make great Mother's Day gifts, and cost a lot less than fancy, cut-flower arrangements. Share some plants from your own flourishing garden with mom for Mother's Day. Or, if you're like me and don't have anything but weeds growing in your yard, go to Home Depot or Lowe's or your local garden center to shop for plants or flowers that Mom will love to add to her houseplant collection or her outdoor garden. If you won't be able to hand-deliver live plants to your mom this Mother's Day, perhaps you'd like to send her an assortment of seed packets. I found all of the following seeds at www.burpee.com: Napa Hybrid Grape Tomato (packet of 30 seeds) for $5.25; Zinnia "State Fair Mix" (packet of 50 seeds) for $2.95; Sweet basil (packet of 480 seeds) for $2.95; Sweet Pepper Red Delicious Hybrids (packet of 25 seeds) for $4.95. Www.burpee.com also ships live plants (but this option isn't available in every state).

Garden sculptures would also make nice Mother's Day gifts for gardener-moms. Here is a very small sampling of what I found at Amazon.com: "Frog Lovers on a Bench" sculpture for $8.72; "Garden Angel with Bird Verdigris" sculpture for $5.86; a "Welcome Standing Gnome" for $11.00. (All of these prices are subject to change.) Check out this "Fertilized with Ashes of Obnoxious Teenagers" garden decoration, which sells for $6.95! Ha! I also found tons and tons of lovely suncatchers at Amazon.com for $2 and up.

Budget-Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas: Inexpensive Gifts from Bath and Body Works

Every mom loves to feel pampered. A wide assortment of soothing, great-smelling products, including lotions, body washes, candles, and home fragrance diffusers, are available at www.bathandbodyworks.com in the "2 for $20, Mix and Match" category. One product (which is not part of the "2 for $20, Mix and Match" special) that sounds especially wonderful is the "TrueBlue" Spa "Suddenly Sauna" for Feet. For $15, you'll receive 3 pairs of self-heating booties. Mom's tired feet could certainly use some luxurious, self-heating booties this Mother's Day!

Spending time with your mom is the best gift you can give this Mother's Day. If you can't visit her in person, call her on the phone. Mom does not want you to spend a lot of money on her Mother's Day gift! The handwritten cards that my children have given me for Mother's Day are priceless treasures. No matter what you decide to do, have a happy Mother's Day!

Don't forget: Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10^th. If you still don't know what on earth to give Mom, please check out these related articles for more inexpensive Mother's Day gift ideas:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1530489/inexpensive_mothers_day_gift_ideas.html?cat=46

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1539423/mothers_day_gift_ideas_under_2000.html?cat=46

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1534717/mothers_day_homemade_brunch_prepared.html?cat=25

Sources:

Personal experience
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/
http://www.burpee.com/