Fabulous and Frugal Gifts for Mom

What to do? Mother's Day is just around the
corner and there's just no money in the budget
for gifts. Not to worry! Just look over this
list of inexpensive gifts to buy or make and
you'll be all set. These budget ideas with
a lot of heart can mean more than 2 dozen red
roses to a mom!

1. Bring your mom a bouquet of flowers from
your own garden. Use a vase you have saved
from a time when you received flowers from a
florist or spend a little on a pretty new vase.
Tie a ribbon or raffia bow around it and add
a card (make it yourself on your computer) and
your gift is ready!

2. Buy a single bloom at the florist. The florist
in our town will put one carnation, daisy or other
flower in a bud vase along with a little baby's
breath and add a bow for around $5.00. And they
will deliver.

3. Give your mom an afternoon with you! Not with
your kids or spouse along, just you. How long has
it been since you spent uninterrupted time with her?
Look at old pictures, reminisce, or go window-
shopping, whatever. The point is just being together.

4. Make your mom's favorite dessert and present it
to her along with a gift certificate for a homemade
dessert once a month. Especially if your mom lives
alone, this can really be a treat.

5. If your mom is elderly or lives alone, give her
the gift of a Saturday spent doing things around her
house. Such as washing her windows, changing light
bulbs and air conditioner filters, working in her
yard, hauling away trash, anything she finds it
difficult to do for herself anymore.

6. Gift baskets are always fun for the recipient and
the giver, too. Fill a pretty basket with things you
make, cookie mixes, dried herbs, needlework, a mug
filled with a couple of specialty tea bags. Line the
basket with a lacy doily or napkin, add a raffia bow
and you have a great gift any mother will love.

7. If a card is just all you can do this year, make
it really special. Have everyone in the family write
a little note; toddlers who can't write yet can draw
a picture.

With a little imagination, you can create a gift your
mother will be elated to receive! And she'll wonder
what you'll come up with next year!

Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face.
- George Eliot, English novelist