If you haven’t started looking for last minute Mother’s Day gifts I have to let you in on a secret – you still have time to buy a thoughtful gift – but it’s not that far away. I’m of the opinion that you don’t need a calendar to tell you when to show love to someone, but it’s still a special day.
It seems like many are always looking for affordable Mother’s Day gift ideas up to the last minute. I like to get any shopping I do out of the way quickly as it helps with comparison shopping and getting a good price.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the Mother’s Day gifts I’ve purchased for my wife or our moms in the past.
Mother’s Day Gifts Come Down to the Thought
The important thing to remember when it comes to shopping for gifts that it doesn’t come down to price, but the thought.
The National Retail Federation estimated we will spend over $35 billion on presents in 2023 – or nearly $275 per Mom.
Much of us buying gifts will go with the traditional gift of flowers.
I’m not going to say that it’s wrong to buy flowers from someone like ProFlowers for Mother’s Day, but I’d rather give something that’s going to last more than a few days.
I also want to give something that I’ve put some thought into. I want to personalize it as it’ll mean that much more to our respective mothers.
Some of the best Mother’s Day gift ideas I’ve come up with in the past have been ones I didn’t spend an arm and leg on, but were small, unexpected and greatly appreciated presents.
Related: Check out the Mother’s Day shop at Amazon for all of their top gift options!
1. Bamboo Bath Caddy
What mom doesn’t like to relax after a long day? I wrote about the Bamboo Bath Caddy as a Valentine’s gift idea because I know many women enjoy taking a hot bath.
The Bath Caddy allows them to enjoy the experience a little more.
The Bamboo Bath Caddy lets you to bring accessories into the bath without damaging them. It fits across the bathtub and allows you to hold things like a book, glass of wine, television remote or any other related item.
This is one of those gifts mom can enjoy now and for the long run thanks to its sturdiness.
2. A Gift for the Reader
If your mom or wife is a reader like my wife is then they’re always reading something. The problem comes in when they don’t want to have a bunch of books lying around.
This is where buying a Kindle can be a terrific idea. A practical gift, yes, but still makes for one of the best Mother’s Day gifts to look at.
You don’t have to stop at a plain Kindle though, as you can also look at a Kindle Fire if you want to give your mom or wife the ability to watch movies, read magazines or play games.
If you have an Amazon Prime account they match up well with a Kindle Fire.
3. DIY Gift
One of the best gifts I’ve given in the past was a DIY gift. You can do it however you like, but I usually like to turn it into a gift basket.
You can put items like lotion from The Body Shop, candy, or even a small gift card to their favorite store.
My wife loves Burt’s Bees, so I usually buy the Burt’s Bees Everyday Essential Beauty Kit, or something similar, as it provides a number of different items like soaps, lotions and lip balm.
It allows me to purchase her several items without spending a lot of money.
4. A Water Bottle – with a Twist
Not everyone likes to drink water, but we need to drink it. You can drink one of the various fruit flavored waters out there, but they often add sugar, which many don’t like.
The perfect solution to this is the Savvy Infusion Water Bottle.
The Savvy Infusion Water Bottle allows you to create your own fruit flavored water – with your own actual fruit. Shocker, I know!
Like the Kindle, this is one of the more practical Mother’s Day gifts but is a nice little gift that doesn’t cost a lot of money and would be appreciated.
Just think, whenever the mom in your life fills up her water bottle for a drink, she’ll remember you gave it to her and smile!
5. A Place for Their Coffee
We’ve had a Keurig machine in our house for years because we love to drink coffee. We especially enjoy the convenience of making one cup at a time.
We normally just grind our own beans as opposed to buying K-cups as a means to save money. However, if we find a good deal we’ll buy them from time to time.
The problem is finding a place to store them.
This is where the Mind Reader Anchor Coffee Pod Storage Drawer comes into play. We love it as it allows us to easily store the cups so they’re not lying all over the place and it doesn’t take up a lot of space on the counter.
If your mom or wife likes to drink coffee or tea this is one of those Mother’s Day gifts they’ll love to have. You can even pair it with a nice coffee mug or french press to round out the gift.
Bottom Line
Remember, it’s the thought that counts when buying gifts. That’s even the case when buying presents for Mother’s Day.
Instead of overspending, look for something your mom or wife will enjoy as that will be most cherished.
How much do you spend on Mother’s Day gifts when you buy?
I’m John Schmoll, a former stockbroker, MBA-grad, published finance writer, and founder of Frugal Rules.
As a veteran of the financial services industry, I’ve worked as a mutual fund administrator, banker, and stockbroker and was Series 7 and 63-licensed, but I left all that behind in 2012 to help people learn how to manage their money.
My goal is to help you gain the knowledge you need to become financially independent with personally-tested financial tools and money-saving solutions.
