15 Affordable Ideas for Mother’s Day That Mom Will Love

Affordable ideas for Mother’s Day gifts are a lot easier to come by than one might think. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on Mom to make her feel special. You might not have to spend any money at all. Usually all that most Moms want on Mother’s Day is to know that their wants and needs are being thought of for at least one day. So if you don’t know what you’re doing for your Mom on Mother’s Day, check out this list. I’m sure you’ll find at least one idea that your Mom would love.

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1. Let Her Sleep In

Want one very easy, very affordable and well-deserved Mother’s Day gift for your Mom? Let her sleep in. This one could probably explain itself, but I’ll tell you why. Moms are often the first up and the last to go to bed. Let her sleep in and she’ll feel like a whole new Mom on Mother’s Day. Want to take it a step further? Get her a comfy eye mask to make her morning sleep even more peaceful.

2. Help Her With a Chore She Hates

I HATE doing laundry. It is my least favorite chore ever. As much as I want the laundry to be neatly folded and put away, I would love it if someone said they were going to do all of the laundry in the house, fold it and put it away for me. It would feel like I won the lottery. What chore does your Mom hate to do? Help her out with it for Mother’s Day. It’ll mean a lot more than you think.

3. Give Her Free Time Out of the House

One very affordable idea for Mother’s Day is to let Mom get out of the house. She might not want to leave you all on Mother’s Day, but give her a day where she can get out for a few hours. Whether Mom wants to go grab a cup of coffee by herself, head to the store or browse her favorite farmer’s market, she will love a few hours by herself. It’s not that Moms don’t want to be with their families- sometimes they just want to be themselves for a few hours without any distractions.

4. Take Her Outside for a Picnic

Picnics are a fun and cute way to get Mom out of the house. You can have a picnic in your own backyard, or you can head to a local park. Either way, Mom will love that you took the time to gather some food and do something special for her. Want to spruce up your picnic a bit? Check out this affordable picnic basket and blanket set.

5. Make (Don’t Buy) Her Flowers

Let’s be honest…if you’re on a budget for Mother’s Day, flowers are often times not that affordable. But did you know that you can make your Mom flowers that will last forever? There are so many cute ideas for paper flowers all over the internet. My girls and I made paper flowers for Valentine’s Day one year, and we still have them on display! Get creative and make mom some flowers. She’ll love it!

6. Create An At-Home Movie Day

An at-home movie day is such an easy and affordable idea for Mother’s Day. All you need to do is pick up some of Mom’s favorite snacks, make sure there are lots of blankets and pillows on the couch, and turn on some of Mom’s favorite movies. You get to hang out together and Mom gets to relax!

7. Fix Her Favorite Meal

For most Moms, they do the bulk of the cooking in the house. So when someone else decides to cook for Mom, it can be a real treat. Fix Mom her favorite meal for Mother’s Day as a way to say “thank you” for everything she does. If you’re not a good cook, no worries! Just find a recipe and take your time working through it.

8. Pamper Her With a Massage

Buying Mom a gift card for a massage may be way out of your budget. But that’s okay because you can still pamper her with massages at home. I love it when my girls take the time to calmly and gently rub my head and brush my hair. Whether you give your Mom a head rub, back rub or foot rub, I’m sure she’ll greatly appreciate the time and attention.

9. Plan a Scenic Walk

Taking a walk together as a family is one of the most affordable and fun Mother’s Day ideas that I can think of! Whether you take a walk together in your neighborhood, on your own property or at a local place with lots of great scenery, it really doesn’t matter. Getting Mom out of the house and out into nature is one great way to help her relax and spend time with the family on Mother’s Day.

10. Create An At-Home Tea Party

Another very affordable and fun idea for a Mother’s Day gift is an at-home tea party. If you don’t have any fancy China or tea cups, don’t worry. Use what you have already, or go thrifting to see what you can find. Either way I’m sure Mom will love to sit down, have a cup of tea, snack on some cookies, and spend some time with you. If you really want to get a cute, simple tea set for Mother’s Day, check out this one.

11. Have a Board Game Tournament

Board games are a favorite family activity in our house. You can make a day out of it on Mother’s Day by hosting a board game tournament with Mom and your other family members. Keep it simple with some pizza or other fun foods that Mom loves. Some of our favorite board games right now are Life, Jenga and Monopoly Jr.

12. Learn To Make Her Favorite Dessert

If your Mom is anything like me then she loves sweet treats. Whether it’s an ice cream sundae, homemade brownies or a chocolate cake, you can learn to make her favorite dessert. Making Mom her favorite dessert on Mother’s Day is a super affordable gift idea. All you need is a little bit of time and the ingredients needed for the recipe.

13. Plan a Craft to Make Together

Some Moms love to craft. If your Mom is one of these ladies, plan a crafting afternoon on Mother’s Day. You guys will get to spend time together while doing something that your Mom loves. If you don’t want to buy a lot of supplies, try to come up with a craft using things that you already have in your house.

14. Host a Family Dinner

Hosting a family dinner might seem like a big task with great expense. However, it doesn’t have to be that big of an expense if you get the rest of your family in on the planning. Have each family bring a dish to the dinner to cut back on your expense as the host. Moms are almost always the ones making the big family plans, so do the work for her and make it a surprise. It might just end up being her favorite Mother’s Day gift.

15. Start a Mom-and-Me Journal

One very affordable gift idea for Mother’s Day is to start a Mom-and-Me journal. All you have to do is buy the journal, and then start writing. Amazon has several great Mom-and-Me journals, including ones geared just towards sons or just towards daughters. It might not seem like a big gift, but I guarantee you it will make your Mama’s heart happy to know that her kid wants to connect with her on a deeper level.

More Affordable Ideas for Mother’s Day

There are so many other affordable ideas out there for Mother’s Day. It really just comes down to getting creative and gearing your plans towards what your Mom likes. Mother’s Day is a great day to shower Mom with lots of attention and gifts, but at the end of the day it’s really just about showing her how much you love her and appreciate what she does. What other affordable gift ideas have you come up with for Mother’s Day? Let me know in the comments below!

-Meg