Celebrate Mother’s Day with your Family and without Busting your Budget

Since Mother’s Day is this Sunday, we’re all thinking about what to do for the special woman in your life. No, we don’t necessarily mean your own mother (though some of these suggestions might apply), but rather, that special woman your children call Mom. Celebrating Mother’s Day as a family can be a real challenge if you want to keep away from busting your budget. This is especially true if each of your kids wants to do something different for Mom.

Don’t you worry! We’ve put together several ideas for family time activities you can complete in order to make the day extra awesome for Mom. With these suggestions, you will surely be able to make this Mother’s Day one she will never forget!

Homemade Cards

This one should be a no-brainer, right? It is so simple and easy to do! But, it does often get overlooked or discarded as a bit too cliché. Yet, most mothers simply adore a homemade card from each of her kids (and her spouse – hint!). It could be hand-drawn, painted, sketched, and/or coated in glitter. It doesn’t really matter – as long as it’s handmade, you can’t go wrong with a heartfelt card for Mother’s Day. And it definitely goes well with any other gift or as an extra touch to something as simple as a breakfast in bed treat. It also makes for special family time between Dad and the kids.

Bath Soaks

What mother can resist a gift promoting relaxation and time all alone, free from distractions? And these bath soaks are super-easy to make, so there’s no reason to brave the mall to visit a Bath & Body Works location. You can even make more than one scent and use many different color variations.

What you need:

• A jar or a bottle (used baby jar containers work well or used jelly jars)
• Epsom salts
• Food coloring
• Perfume or Essential Oil
• Wax paper for drying

How to make them:

Gather up enough Epsom salts to fit into your chosen container. Add some food coloring to the salts, and stir until the color is evenly distributed. Next, add the perfume or essential oils to the salts, and stir again until evenly distributed. Then, spread the salt mixture upon some wax paper to dry. It will take a few hours, but after it is completely dry, it can be put into the jar.

Technically, the scent will blend better in the salt mixture if it sits for a few weeks in the jar before being used; however, Mom can use her new bath soak as soon as it is completely dry..

Origami Flower Bouquets

True, there are few gifts more beautiful than receiving a bouquet of flowers, but they can become quite expensive, especially if you’re not interested in busting your budget. So, why not give Mom a gift of a beautiful handmade origami flower bouquet? All it takes is some origami paper (or any other kind of paper you may have handy), a willingness to be crafty, and a little time.

Don’t worry, Dads. You can easily make these origami flower bouquets with your kids, and then use some of those handy-dandy little straws that bend at the top for stems. You can even attach paper leaves to the straw stems. Check out some cool flower ideas at origami-instructions.com. We recommend the lily, because it works well with the straw stems.

The best part of this crafty gift? These paper flowers will probably live longer and stay prettier longer than the real ones.

Assorted Home Activities

Ultimately, the best way enjoy quality family time on Mother’s Day without busting your budget is to plan a few stay-at-home activities. The long-running favorite in our family is to break out a favorite board game or deck of cards. Specifically, we love Monopoly, Uno, and Skip-Bo, but we’re also kinda dorky. Whatever your flavor, you should play a couple rounds of it, and enjoy one another’s company as you do.

Perhaps after your game time is over, you can enjoy a picnic lunch out in the backyard with Mom. No need for anything fancy. Maybe Dad can grill a lovely meal while the kids prepare a few side dishes so that Mom doesn’t have to cook this holiday, and then enjoy the family time together in the serenity of the calm outdoors.

Another fun activity that Moms will surely enjoy is a movie night. Popcorn or other low-cost snacks can be made, and the family can cozy up on the couch to watch Mom’s favorite movies. If you don’t personally own the flicks, you can rent them easily than $2 through Redbox stations, located in several convenient store locations such as Walmart. You can also stream them using Hulu.com or Netflix. These services may require a small monthly fee, but it is totally worth it for a little family time on Mother’s Day. Besides, this idea is certainly cheaper than braving the prices for tickets and food you’ll find at your local movie theater.

What are your favorite ideas for celebrating Mother’s Day without busting your budget? 

Top image courtesy of tawalker.

Origami Flower image courtesy of josey4628.

Family Game Time image courtesy of FamilyTravelCK.