A friend told me proudly how her lovely son had taken her to London on Mother’s Day, with tea in a posh hotel, followed by some sightseeing and a meal in the evening. He is clearly a kind and generous son who loves his Mum, but it must have cost a fortune!
As I said in yesterday’s post, I had the loveliest Mother’s Day but I am sure it cost a fraction of the price of my friend’s day. It got me thinking. It is easy to have fun and show somebody that you love them without breaking the budget. With a bit of planning and creativity you can help friends and family celebrate any event without them thinking you are a cheapskate!
Bake a cake: give a home made cake, cookies or sweets. This works for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, house warmings – even weddings if you are an ace baker and offer to make the wedding cake as your present, as my friend did for me.
Make your own gift: if you knit, sew, paint, make soap or candles or even if you grow stuff, many people appreciate a thoughtful home spun present. How about a hamper of home grown produce, a couple of pots of delicious home made jam or some potted plants grown from seeds or cuttings?
Keep a present box: It is also useful to buy gifts on offer and keep a present box so you always have a present to give. The January sales are great for this when retailers are keen to shift excess stock after Christmas.
If you are seriously skint, offer a service: gardening, babysitting, grass cutting, car cleaning. Design a voucher and put it in a card,then make sure you keep your promise! This works well if your child wants to offer a present for a relative.
Host a meal: have your loved one round for a special meal. Get out the best tablecloth and china, put flowers or candles on the table and don’t let them wash up!
Take a tour: have a look in the tourist information centre for the free attractions locally and take your loved one on a guided tour . Pack a flask and a posh picnic for a midday break: salmon and cucumber sandwiches, scones and cream, hummus and crudités, etc, and perhaps even a bottle of fizz.
Have a date night: if the celebration is for your other half, cook a meal and add a massage and/or a film.
Spend your points: I love collecting Boots Advantage Card points to spend on gifts, but you can do the same with your Sainsbury’s Nectar Card or Tesco Club Card.
There are so many ways to show you care that don’t involve spending much money and won’t break the bank. For me, the thought really does count!
VickiEY says
I hate paying out on gifts which are just not really wanted and would prefer to get a present for someone at a different time of the year but when I know it is really needed! Nevertheless, it is good to mark a special day: so for my 93 year old mother yesterday I made 3 meals for her freezer, cooked a meal for her, my brother, his wife and us, picked spring flowers from our garden and reworked a card I had received last year. Does this make me mean? I hope not – it all took time, effort and consideration. I could easily have spent ten times as much on something she would give away – pointless in my opinion.
Hope your parents are continuing to improve.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
A woman after my own heart
Chris says
We did away with Mother’s Day many years ago,I would rather my daughters and grandchildren just come and visit any day of the year and save their money not spend it on me because the powers that be say they should on a certain date. A marketing opportunity I think.
Eloise says
The date of Mothering Sunday (not actually Mother’s Day at all) has nothing to do with powers that be. It is a religious festival which occurs three Sunday’s after Lent. However, like Christmas, it has been hijacked by commercialism.
Eloise says
I agree -baking a cake for someone is a lovely thing to do.
For a busy daughter-in-law…….do a large basket of ironing. Mine said that it is one of the best gifts I ever have given her!
For busy son and daughter-in-law……have the grandchildren overnight so that they can have a lie-in.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Love the ironing one!
Eloise says
Ha ha, I hasten to add that it wasn’t actually a present in lieu of a gift. I just did it one day and it happened to be the day before her birthday. I said “call it an extra present”.
I think she was genuine when she said that it was the best one, though!
Kelley B says
When my parents were both living we would get together as a family and have brunch at their house…I would cook some, my sister cook some ,we would take it to them, serve and clean up…they got to keep the leftovers if they wanted…they couldn’t get out much during my Dad’s last few years so this way he got out of buying us all a meal! He’d never let any of us pay…
I gear my gifts towards the recipients…some would love a hand hooked mat, some a loaf of pumpkin bread…if I know someone could really use the cash or a gift card I make and sell something ahead of time…
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Sometimes giving your time is the best present. Your home made gifts sound lovely though!
Amanda says
I love this post!
I take a bag of rolls, fruit, cereal bars and a flask of tea on every day out I go on with my family.
Some great ideas here – thank you
Margaret Powling says
I agree entirely, you don’t have to spend a fortune to give an acceptable present, and when they are given with love even the smallest things are just as lovely as the big ones. Last Christmas I was clean out of ideas what to buy our elder son and he couldn’t think of anything he really wanted, so in the end he suggested we gave him an I.O.U. and so we did this, and when the renewal came for his golf club annual subscription came around last month, he used the I.O.U. for that! This could be done, as you suggest, in the way of a service, too … a household task, gardening, or whatever. And the I.O.U. was better than a gift voucher which had to be used in a certain shop. He was delighted when the sub became due that he then didn’t have to shell out for it himself!
Margaret P
Eloise says
The I.O.U. is a brilliant idea. Definitely one that I shall use.
Margaret Powling says
Our son loved, it Eloise! We gave him a box of chocolates to go with it, so that it wasn’t ‘just’ an envelope with the IOU printed on a piece of paper inside.
Elizabeth says
All wonderful ideas! I’ve given vouchers for things in the past, casseroles, books that I had that were decent, subscriptions and gift cards for the used books in a small store in my neighborhood. Yesterday, I did shell out money for flowers for a friend who lives in another city since I cannot get to her easily. She is terminally ill and appreciated having a colorful touch of spring inside and I liked the ease with which the flowers were delivered. They cheered her, which was my objective.
Kelley B says
definitely worth spending the money on those flowers…
Suzi says
Mothering Sunday is my Christmas Day – my three teenage boys do everything for me, from breakfast to supper & as many cups of tea i fancy in between! No money spent, they find it fun planning & cooking meals, & I really appreciate their efforts.
Mrs. Frugalista says
I just lost my sister; the best gift is TIME with those you love.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
That’s true. I am so sorry to hear you lost your sister. Best wishes to you and your family x