Attention, procrastinators: Mothers Day is less than three days away, but its not too late to put together a thoughtful gift.
It may be clich, but its true: The best gifts dont have to cost a lot of money. Giving your mom or grandma the gift of time, the gift of service or the gift of memories are simple ways to show your love.
Here are a few gifts you can throw together at the last minute that will still put a smile on her face.
For those close to home:
1. Breakfast in bed
Make her favorite breakfast and serve it in bed. Up your French toast game by using a loaf of French bread that you can pick up at the store for just $1. Pancakes, waffles and omelets are also easy to make. Spruce it up with lots of fruit, whipped cream and vegetables for the eggs.
2. Tackle her to-do list
What needs to be done? Clean the car and vacuum the interior, do the laundry, the dishes, deep clean kitchen and bathroom or help organize boxes of junk lying around.
3. Babysitting
There are no words to adequately describe how therapeutic it is to go grocery shopping sans the children or have a child-free conversation at a restaurant. Let her do whatever she wants sleep in, take a nap, shop, hike and even a walk around the neighborhood. Make the gift extra cute with a customizable coupon book using a free template online, like the one at dltk-cards.com.
4. Teach her something
Show her how to download her favorite music, how to clean up her computer to make it run faster or teach her how to play tennis.
5. Spend the day together
Moms with older children will enjoy time spent doing something out of the ordinary. Find a place to volunteer together, spend time doing yard work, go on a fun local hike and even let her teach you how to do something she knows that you admire, like canning, quilting or sewing.
For those far away:
6. Journal, with or without prompts
Memories are all you have when loved ones are gone. Help your mom start her family history by giving her a journal. Use a plain one or one with prompts if she needs help knowing where to start. The following can be found online for under $10:
Go to the dollar store to get a cheap frame. Write your poem on a nice white piece of paper, using a lined piece of paper underneath while you write. Dont have a favorite poem to use? Check out these lists: Poems For and About Mothers on ellenbailey.com, Mother Poems on poemsource.com and Poems about Motherhood on poets.org.
8. Game App
The latest it game app is Heads Up where players try to get the other person to guess the word on your screen. Bonus: its only $.99, and you can play with a big group of people at family get-togethers. It's available on iTunes and Google Play. You can also send her a game you can play together online, like Scrabble or Wheel of Fortune.
9. Your Netflix or Hulu Plus password
You're already paying $10 a month, so share the love. If they dont already have an account (and you arent already on it), give them your username and password so they can experience the joy of binge watching their favorite TV shows.
10. Framed photo of a favorite memory
Use a picture from a fun outing or event or a picture of her and the grandchildren. Again, take advantage of the dollar store or find a frame at Wal-Mart or Target for under $5. Save money by printing the picture from home or print the photo a day or two ahead so you dont have to pay extra for one-hour processing.
Moms, feel free to let us know what your ideal, cheap Mother's Day gifts are in the comments section.
It may be clich, but its true: The best gifts dont have to cost a lot of money. Giving your mom or grandma the gift of time, the gift of service or the gift of memories are simple ways to show your love.
Here are a few gifts you can throw together at the last minute that will still put a smile on her face.
For those close to home:
1. Breakfast in bed
Make her favorite breakfast and serve it in bed. Up your French toast game by using a loaf of French bread that you can pick up at the store for just $1. Pancakes, waffles and omelets are also easy to make. Spruce it up with lots of fruit, whipped cream and vegetables for the eggs.
2. Tackle her to-do list
What needs to be done? Clean the car and vacuum the interior, do the laundry, the dishes, deep clean kitchen and bathroom or help organize boxes of junk lying around.
3. Babysitting
There are no words to adequately describe how therapeutic it is to go grocery shopping sans the children or have a child-free conversation at a restaurant. Let her do whatever she wants sleep in, take a nap, shop, hike and even a walk around the neighborhood. Make the gift extra cute with a customizable coupon book using a free template online, like the one at dltk-cards.com.
4. Teach her something
Show her how to download her favorite music, how to clean up her computer to make it run faster or teach her how to play tennis.
5. Spend the day together
Moms with older children will enjoy time spent doing something out of the ordinary. Find a place to volunteer together, spend time doing yard work, go on a fun local hike and even let her teach you how to do something she knows that you admire, like canning, quilting or sewing.
For those far away:
6. Journal, with or without prompts
Memories are all you have when loved ones are gone. Help your mom start her family history by giving her a journal. Use a plain one or one with prompts if she needs help knowing where to start. The following can be found online for under $10:
- Mom's Five-Second Memory Journal (Prompt), $6 on Amazon, $6 on Walmart.com
- My Mom: Her Story, Her Words (Prompt), $9.95 on Amazon
- Antique Monogram Journal, $6.49 on Amazon
Go to the dollar store to get a cheap frame. Write your poem on a nice white piece of paper, using a lined piece of paper underneath while you write. Dont have a favorite poem to use? Check out these lists: Poems For and About Mothers on ellenbailey.com, Mother Poems on poemsource.com and Poems about Motherhood on poets.org.
8. Game App
The latest it game app is Heads Up where players try to get the other person to guess the word on your screen. Bonus: its only $.99, and you can play with a big group of people at family get-togethers. It's available on iTunes and Google Play. You can also send her a game you can play together online, like Scrabble or Wheel of Fortune.
9. Your Netflix or Hulu Plus password
You're already paying $10 a month, so share the love. If they dont already have an account (and you arent already on it), give them your username and password so they can experience the joy of binge watching their favorite TV shows.
10. Framed photo of a favorite memory
Use a picture from a fun outing or event or a picture of her and the grandchildren. Again, take advantage of the dollar store or find a frame at Wal-Mart or Target for under $5. Save money by printing the picture from home or print the photo a day or two ahead so you dont have to pay extra for one-hour processing.
Moms, feel free to let us know what your ideal, cheap Mother's Day gifts are in the comments section.
