The never ending search for inexpenive Mother's Day gifts -

[Star*]

Now before anyone gets their thong in a twist.....I'm talking aboooot fer yerself. Remember last year we started a new demi-tradition? Buy yourself something nice? Well last year I got myself a bottle of that Dove conditioning bath soap I think it was like $6.00 at Walmart. (laughing now) How little did I know I wouldn't be able to afford it this year. ROFL. (Sung to the tune of I'm a COWBOY BABY) -------It's bar soap babyyyyyyy.....

Anyway I found this site and My Mom LOVES to try perfumes - new ones, but we're miles apart. I don't "DO" malls and rarely does ANYONE give out those little sample bottles any more. I get migraines in a snap if I do go and smell but this looked interesting and I think tucked in a card/envelope it will be a neat idea.

https://www.perfumesforabuck.com/samples/index.php

I can't vouch for it, Have no idea if they send those little designer bottles (rather doubt it) probably the test tube things - BUT For a dollar? I think it's going to be a neat thing for Mom. I ordered some Chanel, some Versace, some Victorias Secret, and Some Ellen Tracy - I know she likes white to light amber florals. Oh and Gardenia smell - They did have Michael Koors Hollywood - so I thought I'd try that.
I'm going to arrange them in a hand made card and give it as a little gift. (planning ahead 2 points) snort.


It took a credit card FIRST - so be advised. And ONLY the first five are free. After that I'm not sure - but there are other perfume sample sights.

Just figured if your kid only hasa buck - and you can't get to the mall - and you wanted to smell different things? Why not - it's a buck......

If you don't do it - I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Great idea, Star. Your mom is lucky to have such a thoughtful daughter.

 

[Star*]

My Mother - "EARNED" every bottle. Um.......I mean of PERFUME, of course. hahahah. (Mustang if you tell I'm sending pootie to your house AFTER she has a big ole plate of CANNED dog food) meah.

 

[Hound dog]

Starbie.............thanks for reminding me of mother's day.

Ok, so this is going to sound odd, but I haven't given my mom a gift in years. Mostly because 99.9 percent of the time she hands it right back to you. That 1 percent?? I bought her something I'd like to have if she gave it back........she kept it. LOL But it's awfully hard to take the time to find the perfect gift (and I do really look hard) just to have it returned. She'll thank me and be all excited....but still. So after a while I gave up.

BUT my mom has been dealing with 2 difficult children for a year now in her home. She's exhausted, frazzled, battle weary, often angry, sometimes afraid........... I think she could use a thoughtful something special to arrive in the mail this year.

I have no clue what to give her. She doesn't go for frills, clothes, makeup, jewelry (unless a man is giving her a 2 karat diamond ring). In fact, she doesn't "do" luxury even in the forms of bubble baths or perfumed soaps ect.

 

[keista]

Before you said she doesn't "do" luxury, I was thinking a gift card for a massage. Doesnt' even have to be from a spa. Chiropractors and PTs usually have masseurs and are often cheaper than at spas.

 

[Hound dog]

My mom won't do massage. She's paranoid, remember? LOL

I might go roam a local store where I bought mother in law's gifts........a clothing store that is a bit more pricey than she's used to. She always loved mother in law's outfits, which many I bought for xmas presents and such at that store. I took her shopping there once........it was a disaster. She bought an entire wardrobe, no joke, spent a couple grand......again no joke......and never wore them when she got home. I think they're still hanging in her closet unless she gave them away. (I later found out it was to tick my stepdad off LOL ) But the sales lady "helped" her choose the clothes. I know what she likes/doesn't like.......so I can at least see what they have. She's been telling me all the weight she's lost, so maybe a new outfit will make her feel good.

Or.........she used to love Red Lobster, but I can only think of her treating herself a couple of times because it's so "expensive". Maybe if I can't find something for her to wear, I'll treat her to dinner......she can take along a girlfriend. I'll tell her if she takes my bro I'll stomp her. LOL

 

[susiestar]

We do thrift stores and estate sales. Ths year I got a porcelain bell with a cardinal on it. My gma, mom's stepmom, adored cardinals and this one reminded us both of gma. I love it and she did too - I had her pick it out to be sure! We often do thrift store finds and they are just as treasured. Last eyar I got her a cashmere throw for her birthday and I thought Dad was going to fght her for it!

 

[AnnieO]

Christmas time is angels... Mom used to get one every year for Grandma, then when Grandma passed I took up the wings and have been trying to top myself since. But Mothers' Day... Sigh.

I never know what to get. Always, always at least a card. Maybe this year we can do pedicures... She loves it & I need it! LOL!

 

[1905]

Although my mom never sends me a thing for any holiday...not even a call on my birthday... I still send something to her because the guilt wouldn't be worth not doing it. She lives far away, so I send a gift card to a resaurant. I don't want to pay to ship a gift...so she can have an impersonal gift card. I remember this thread from last year but don't remember what I got myself. I love this awesome idea and am making this my personal tradition. I think I may buy myself flowers from the supermarket.

 

[DammitJanet]

Lisa...if you really dont know what to get...edible arrangements. You can never go wrong with that. Even the smallest one is to die for. I started getting those for my dad the last several years of his life because well, lets face it, the man had everything he could ever want. He loved getting that fruit delivered to his door and it all cut up looking like a flower arrangement.

 

[Hound dog]

Janet, if it was chocolate, I *might* get away with it. Fruit would be iffy. Flowers would be iffy.....actually probably a no go.

I'm still thinking. She doesn't do collectables, whatnots, house decor............omg the woman is hard to buy for!

I don't get myself anything. My kids spoil me for Mother's day. And my birthday is right before Mother's day, so I get a double dose. LOL

 

[Star*]

Edible arrangements?

HOney - you put food in front of me....I don't care how you arrange it -IT"S EDIBLE - I'm eating it.

 

[DammitJanet]

Well some of the fruit is dipped in chocolate.

 

[AnnieO]

I love Edible Arrangments... But then, I love fruits...

 

[family mum]

Hi. I had to laugh when I read your tradition of buying something for yourselves. I'm a new here but I bought an early mothers' day gift for myself just this week. Really it was just an excuse to justify the purchase, LOL. I love those standing hibiscus plants. A couple of years ago husband bought me one for mothers's day and I babied it through 2 summers, bringing it in during the winter, but when my Mum died at the end of the second summer I forgot to bring it back into the house and it died from an early frost. I spotted some in a store and treated myself to 2! it,s way to early for them to go outside here so they are crowding my dining room, but they make me smile when ever I pass them, and that is the whole point isn't it? Sometimes we need a quick little dose of cheer in the day!

2 in expensive gift ideas I've used in the past.

One year I did a whole lot of baking and bought inexpensive tupperware at the dollar store which I tied each with ribbon and placed in a wrapped box as a care package for my Mum. ( She had a sweet tooth but was past the age that she could bake herself.) The bonus was that I wanted her to have a variety of tastes so I made several different recipes and gave her half of each and kept half for our house, so it can almost count as a gift for yourself as well.

Another time, I bought a flat of flowers for about 3$ and a few clay pots from the dollar store ( I think they were 2 or 3 for a buck) along with pretty fabric ribbon (in a colour that matched the flowers) which I glued just under the wide lip of the pots. They looked amazing and the whole thing cost 6 or 7$. Our flats usually have 6 or 9 plants, you could vary the size of the pots and give mother in law and mom each a set of 3, and maybe even a set for yourself.

I'm afraid neither of those ideas would travel through the mail very well though.

 

[Star*]

OH Family Mum - I love the potted plant idea........EXCELLENT.

We started the tradition last year - because instead of sitting around complaining that you didn't get anything when you KNOW a difficult child is not going to get you ANYTHING - just get yourself something and be done with it. We set a (I believe) $10.00 limit or $5.00 limit. It must have been $10 - I think my dove soap was $5.95 - lol. But it lasted me until like a month ago. I didn't use it exclusively - but it was very nice. I already have my eye on a bottle of IVORY at the dollar general this year for $3.50 - almost bought it and then remembered this tradition so I'm waiting. Makes it all the more fun. lol.

We also do Christmas cards every year - you have to be here a year, actively participate on the boards......and then we send out real cards to each other. This year I've got an idea for a twist - We'll see.

That starts about October.

 

[Hound dog]

I did the potted plants for mother in law. Kills me, the woman with practically everything.........was the one I never had an issue buying anything for. Go figure. I could get her hanging ferns for her porch. (thrilled her) I did up a really nice flower pot one year with several varieties of flowers/plants out of flats that I'd bought for my garden. (kept me from having left overs too) She loved that because gardening was a passion of hers but in those last 10-15 yrs she just couldn't do it at all. (I did it for her)

Sometimes I took her to lunch. ( a treat for us both, husband wasn't invited......a girls day out type deal)

I knew her favorite authors so could buy her a book. She loved jewelry and didn't really care if it cost alot, so it was a win/win deal. I could draw her a picture and she'd adore it. One year I found a unfinished "bird house" decor thing at walmart for next to nothing. Painted it nice........set it into a pot of some really pretty flowers and she went nuts for it, especially because that one she could have inside.

My mom on the other hand, is hard. She's not one for gift giving to begin with, thinks it's silly or selfish to think you deserve one. (yet laments because my kids spoil me rotten)

But...........we might have come up with something. The one thing she loves is pictures of family. I dunno why by as far back as I can remember my mom has been obsessed with what I call "living her life in photos". In other words, there was always a camera nearby............in her later years, until she wore the thing out, there was a video camera nearby.........and everything was caught on camera. To the point where honestly I don't see how she enjoyed anything because we sure didn't simply because we always had to stop and pose for pics. I take photos, but I keep it at the bare minimum because of this. Drive her nuts.........she says I'm not saving any memories. I just tell them I have them all in my heart, I don't need photos to remember every detailed moment......I'm too busy living it to record it.

Still......I went to the girls over my problem. I think Mom really really could use a surprise this year. Nichole, due to mom's think with photos, thought up making her up a scrap book of great grandkids photos. I think we'll try to end it with a photo of them all together. Sadly it will have to be bio great grandkids because of the katie deal, but it is what it is.......and she's been begging for a picture like that. (it's just not easy getting 6 little ones to sit still long enough at the same time)

 

[recoveringenabler]

I think the best gift I got for my mom that she just loved was one of those calendars where each month has a personal picture on it. I had 12 photos of my granddaughter on each month and made calendars for my mother, my daughter and myself. Mom loved that calendar. I did it at Walgreens. If you're computer savvy you can do it yourself.

I like the idea of buying ourselves something. Many mothers days came and went around here, without any acknowledgement at all. I think my very best Mothers Day was the year my granddaughter was 11 and she was with me and so was my mother. Little granddaughter got up really early, rode her bike to the store and bought Mom and I a dozen roses each, so that when we woke up, there were beautiful roses for us. It made up for all the other Mothers Days.

 

[Signorina]

I may buy myself something too. H is usually really really great on mother's day - we do a family activity - usually bowling or golf - most often the movies because the weather is crappy. Though I get to pick the movie - the past few ones were movies I knew my guys would like. I think way back in 2005 I requested and saw "Ice Princess" with Michelle Trachtenberg and that was the last family/chick flick we saw! The last mother's day movie we saw together was XMen, iirc. Last year, easy child was confirmed - so we celebrated that (rightfully so) instead. And we usually get a mess of Chinese food - my favorites. last year the kids' and H bought me the Adirondack chairs I had been wanting for years.

This year will be my first with the overhanging wonderment of "will difficult child call" or even remember? It's his girlfriend's birthday - so I imagine he will spend it with her family. le sigh.

This year - part of me wants to give my mom a punch in the nose. But I won't. I am thinking of a high end throw from a high end dept store. She loves $$$$$$ things.

 

[Lothlorien]

We don't have the money right now, but husband broke our patio table (again) last summer. I really want to go out and get one that isn't glass, so it won't break again. It's not an inexpensive gift, but a needed one.

I did finally splurge and got myself some pods and stuff for my aerogarden. I went out and bought a bunch of seeds for my veg garden, plus some flower seeds too.