How to Plan a Magical Mother's Day on a Budget

Saving doesn’t have to equate to skimping when it comes to treating your mother to the day she deserves. Pamper mom with these gifts, activities, and DIYs to make any Mother’s Day a more magical experience.

Dream Come True Day Trip

Spending quality time exploring the city is a guaranteed way to make some memories. Think of places mom enjoys going, or explore somewhere new that you know she’ll love. Pack a picnic, take a trip to a local botanical garden, go thrift shopping, see a movie, walk at the beach, or even explore a new town. Whatever you do, don’t forget to take photos!

Be Our Guest

Set out a gorgeous spread of mom’s favorite foods today. If you can cook or bake some of them yourself, the personal touch makes it all the better. Spruce up the scenery by setting the table with a tablecloth, coordinated dishware, and fresh flowers. You can even swap out the flowers for a homemade fruit bouquet. Grab some skewers, slide on a few grapes or some diced fruit, then top with a strawberry. Serve any drinks in a clear pitcher and use frozen fruit as ice cubes – grapes and berries work best for this. Consider dipping a few fruit skewers in chocolate and bring them out for desert.

Just a note…

Give mom a gift that lasts a lifetime and make a personalized flipbook. You can grab a pretty notebook or journal and fill it with fond memories you share. You might opt to include notes reminding her what she means to you, some inspirational quotes, and photos or drawings. Another option is to make a small stack of note cards and photos. Punch a hole in one corner and keep them together using a loose leaf binder ring, twine, or a ribbon.

Box of Treats

You’re not always there to remind mom to treat herself, so put together an array of her favorite treats. A pretty trinket box, a hatbox, a hidden book box, or any container that best suits her will work well for this. The beauty of this gift is definitely on the inside. Whether it’s her favorite cookies, candies, chocolates, or dried fruit, mom is sure to adore the this snack box made with love.

Teacup Candles

Yes, candles. Cliché? Maybe, but they’re a symbol of comfort, warmth, and relaxation. Everything you want for mom on her special day. To add a fun twist to this gift, make some teacup candles. Most thrift stores have plenty of cute, kitchy teacups to choose from, but you can also pick them up at garage sales or the dishware section of any store. Most craft stores sell candle wicks for a bargain, and you can melt down and pour in any candles you have to make these adorable crafts.

Watercolor Art – Made Easy

If you’re not artistically inclined, there’s no need to worry! This simple trick results in gorgeous watercolor art with next to no artsy effort. And with fast setup and cleanup, you even turn this into a Mother’s Day activity for all ages. The supplies are interchangeable, you can use a clear plastic binder sheet, plastic bags, or plastic wrap to paint the watercolor onto. And you don’t even need watercolors - markers work just fine in a pinch. Just scribble on the colors, give it a light spritz of water, and press out the air bubbles between the plastic and paper. Grab a marker and write a note or her favorite quote for a finishing touch!

DIY Spa Products

The luxury of a spa day is never far away, in fact, you probably have many of the necessary ingredients in your own home already. There are endless simple DIYs online for facials, foot soaks, bath bombs, body butter, homemade soaps, scrubs, masks, toners – the list goes on. Just pick a product and give it a Google to find your DIY of choice. They’re usually fast, easy, and almost always super savings oriented. You can even nab cute jars to store your products in from thrift stores, Ross, Marshals, HomeGoods, Target, etc. A quick wash and a nice bow will make any container look Pintrest-perfect. If crafting is her thing, have mom join you in making some spa supplies. Mother’s day crafting sessions can be a lot of fun.

My personal favorite was definitely the gemstone soaps. These gems are affordable and surprisingly easy to create, not to mention they make amazing gifts.

Have a Spa Day

Make use of the fun, fancy, and fragrant spa supplies you just made. Kick back, relax, and put on some spa music. You can also do facials, foot soaks, and hair masks while watching her favorite film. For a true spa experience, spa day can be combined with the special meal mentioned above. Build out a list of spa treatments for her to choose from and print it out using a formal format and some nice paper. Set the scene, lay out the ingredients, and try to minimize any stressful interruptions for the day. Don’t forget the candles!

Care Basket

No matter the occasion, a care basket is always a wonderful way to present a collection of heartfelt gifts. Baskets are usually easy to come by at thrift shops and garage sales, but you can also use a variety of other containers. Large jars, tin buckets, laundry hampers, cookie jars, and novelty popcorn buckets are all good options. Filling the basket can be a lot of fun, but it can also be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to begin. Try adding some of the above gifts, for starters, and throw in: a good book, bath products, art supplies, movies, snacks, a self-made coupon for a month of Netflix, treats, headphones, her favorite music, or her favorite films. Once you start, the ideas will come to you. You can also include a mug with a cute bag of her favorite tea, hot cocoa, or coffee inside. And always include a card.

Subscribe to Surprise

Want to introduce your Mom to a show you know she’d love? Or give her an endless variety of entertainment for her to relax with (maybe in a bubble bath with those teacup candles)? If she doesn’t already have one, sign her up for a subscription to Netflix, Hulu, HBO, or a variety of other options. For $15 or less, you can give her the gift escapism and entertainment for an entire month.  Check out our price comparison list here! https://www.promocodes.com/blog/cut-your-cable-bill-watch-what-you-want-when-you-want-and-save-money