Mother's Day On a Budget

When it comes to birthdays and holidays, for years our parents have told us "Don't spend money on us, just come visit." We would always ignore them and get them nice gifts anyway. This year is quite different. We are trying very hard not to spend money so we were more than happy to finally agree to their request.

I still would never show up empty-handed, so here's what I came up with for the special moms in our lives for Mother's Day:

Very simple, very cute. I already had the ribbon and paper so all I had to buy were the vases, which came to a grand total of $1 each. I'm not trying to prove what a cheapskate I am, just that you don't have to spend a lot to make something you won't be embarrassed to give as a gift.

My biggest advice for low cost gift-giving? Grow some flowers! My favorites are:

Calla Lilies - Bloom in time for Easter or any March/April occasions
Roses - Mine have been blooming April-September
Hydrangeas - May - September
Sea Lavender - Blooms all year, great accent and filler to any flower arrangement

For Mother's Day I usually make a corsage for Mom to wear to church, and the Dads get a boutonniere for Father's Day. You can always find vases at the dollar store or Walmart at next to nothing. At Big Lots! you can sometimes find cute ribbon for $1 or else I get it off season at Michael's or JoAnn's at 50%-70% off. When you're on a tight budget, it forces you to get creative. If you look hard enough you'll always find an inexpensive way to make ordinary things beautifully extraordinary.