Moms are priceless.  So how do you come up with a Mother’s Day gift that is both meaningful and affordable?

The answer is by putting a little thought into the gift.

7 Ideas for Affordable Mother’s Day Gifts

Mother’s Day is a day dedicated to letting some of the most important women in your life know that you care about them. It is a day to celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, mother-in-laws, and all the people who have been like a mom to you.

It’s not about expensive jewelry, overpriced greeting cards, and extravagant bouquets of flowers.

Here are some ways you can honor the mother in your life on a budget:

Make a handmade greeting.  Take the time to make a handmade card.  Write a letter telling your mom how much she means to you.  Shoot a video of yourself telling her what she means to you.  If you’ve got musical talent, perform a song for her. Put your heart into it and pour it into a special message.

Get the kids to make a special gift or greeting.  If you’ve got kids, have them create a gift for your mom that she’ll always remember.  Handprint crafts, drawings, or other crafts make memorable gifts.  Have the kids make a video saying what they love about mom (or grandma).

Cook a special meal or make a delicious dessert.  Or make both!  Moms work hard every day and deserve to feel a little spoiled. Give mom a break from cooking.  You can make a delicious meal on a budget (just check out sites like The Pioneer Woman or Smitten Kitchen for some inspiration) and then make a tasty dessert.  And a few leftovers to leave with mom would probably be appreciated, too!

Bring her flowers.  No, not a huge bouquet of roses from a flower shop!  Give her flowers you (or the kids!) have planted from seeds or started with cuttings from your own plants. Or cut flowers from your own garden. (Just don’t cut wildflowers – that is illegal in most places!) Give her a perennial or herbs that will continue to grow and bring joy for years.

Make her a gift.  Some of the best gifts are handmade! You can make handmade soaps, a beautiful scarf, or a fun pair of flip flops. Get creative and use your skills to make a memorable gift using supplies you already have.

Spend the day with her.  You may not have much money.  Or maybe your mom doesn’t want any more stuff.  But I bet she would love to spend some time with you.  Make plans to spend the day with your mom doing whatever she wants to do – even if what she really wants is help cleaning out her garage.

Share some memories.  Enlarge a special photo and put it in a thrift store frame. Walgreens often has a free photo enlargement offers or free photo collages.  Watch for deals on photo gifts at places like Snapfish and Shutterfly. You can put together a photo collage using online software like PicMonkey or Canva.  Create a special photo slideshow or compile old family videos.

The key to giving a great gift – no matter what the occasion – is to know your recipient. If your mom loves books, find a great classic read at a secondhand thrift store.  If she absolutely loves getting magazines, but doesn’t like to subscribe, find a low-cost magazine subscription on a topic she loves.  The idea is to make the recipient feel good.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do that.

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