Budget Friendly Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Moms are the most important people in our lives, and in today’s busy world, we rarely have the opportunity to really show them the appreciation they deserve. But for one day of the year – all attention is on them. This Mother’s Day, really show your mom how much you love her with a unique gift that fits her personality. And if you are on a tight budget, here are some tips to help find that perfect present.

For the kitchen-savvy mom

From our first meals and throughout our lives, moms make sure we never go hungry. And while some moms make their time in the kitchen short and efficient, others savor it, enjoying every minute and making the kitchen their favorite part of the home.

For those moms, you can really get creative by getting them kitchen supplies that make it easier for them to execute their favorite meals, give them more options for the meals they make or make the kitchen a more pleasant environment to spend time in. She is probably dropping hints for what she needs while she’s cooking, so listening carefully will give you an edge.

For the busy mom

Most moms these days don’t have the luxury of spending their time relaxing – or spending it on themselves at all! For a busy mom that needs some help getting organized, consider getting a planner that will help her keep all of her thoughts in one place.

Consider also giving her the day free of some responsibilities and letting her have time for herself. At the end of the day, quality time is probably the best gift, so organize a family lunch and make sure she doesn’t have to do any of the work.

For the health-conscious mom

We all want our moms to be healthy, and they want the same thing. But while some rely on genes and do their best to have some balance, other moms take their health into their own hands. They make sure to exercise, have a clean home and cook with health in mind. But there are days they can’t fit all of these activities in. Those days, they need a little extra help.

We suggest you help your mom with buying some quality everyday supplements, or give her a yearly/monthly supply of her favourite multivitamins. For example, a good supplement for ladies above 50 is the all mighty curcumin, and vitamin D is often recommended for them as well. Calcium helps the bones as does exposure to sunlight. Make sure you know what your mom needs. If you listen carefully you just might make it a personal gift, because she’ll know you are thinking about her health.

For the home-oriented mom

Mom’s touch is the glue that keeps the home together, and you can bet that every mom loves to make her nest a perfectly homey place. So, help her out by getting her something that will make her favorite house even more like home.

You can go DIY and create a picture frame with a collage of family photos, knit her a giant blanket or get her some new cushion covers to decorate the living room couch. If she likes having some flora in the house, then getting a potted house plant or some gardening supplies is a great idea as well.

 

For the beauty and fashionista mom

 

Let’s talk about the moms who don’t have “let yourself go” in their vocabulary. They are always dressed up and look like they could be on the cover of a magazine. If your mom enjoys playing with makeup and spending time in front of the mirror, then getting her some new makeup, a hand mirror, new lighting around her vanity mirror or a makeup travel bag are all good gifts.

On the other hand, if she prefers to dress up, then consider a nice scarf, shoes, a hat, sunglasses, or any other details that fit the season and her style. If you know she’s been longing for an item she doesn’t want to buy because she’s not 100% sure it will fit her style – this is the time to get it for her.

Make sure your gifts aren’t impersonal (like a generic “world’s best mom” heart plushie), because your mom will feel obligated to keep them, even if it only brings in clutter. Make the gift useful, personal and from the heart. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good gift, and if you do your research to find the perfect one, your mom will certainly appreciate the time and effort you put in it.

Budget Gift Guide for Women

I’ve left the best and most important budget gift guide until last. For women, that’s me! Give me an unlimited budget and I’d be filling my basket with the finest French fragrances, gold and diamond jewelry and shoes, shoes, shoes but I’ve already got those things. By living the way I do, that is by cutting back on everyday spending, I can afford to splash out on those things I really like. But in the meantime, I do love this round up of gifts in the Budget Gift Guide for Women should you wish to buy something for yourself or someone you know.

 

Candles

 

I’ve just recently discovered Soy and Shea, a company local to me who is a home business and Keeley creates the most amazing scented candles, diffusers, oils and burners, body products (for men and women) and artisan soaps. Soy and Shea was a regular contributor to the Domestic Goddess Subscription Box and I chose them because they are an affordable luxury made with the intent of setting the mood and adding fragrance to the home. They are made with soy wax, essential oils and all natural products. Compared to most products on the market, the range at Soy and Shea is very affordable. There is also a flat rate of shipping on all orders.

Coffee & Tea Products

 

Show me a woman who doesn’t at least love a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. There aren’t many of us around but I can’t get started in the morning without a coffee or two.

 

If they have a coffee maker, buy their favourite ground coffee or a nice bottle of good quality instant if they don’t. Same goes with tea. I love a pot of tea brewed from leaves so a nice teapot and box of tea leaves to match is a great gift idea. Beautiful tea pots are available from secondhand stores as are coffee plungers. Pop the coffee or tea inside.

 

For the woman on the go who loves to buy her coffee out, these eco-friendly BYO Takeaway Coffee Cup can be folded down and slipped into your handbag. Get it refilled at your favourite coffee shop and most places are offering discounts on coffee when you supply your own cup. Help save the environment by using a reusable coffee cup. Available in 4 colours from the Domesblissity Shop.

Phone & Tablet Accessories

 

You can go to town with mobile phone and tablet accessories for women. Available in silver, gold, rose gold, sparkles or any colour you want, you’ll find ear phones, chargers, USB drives, cases, covers to coordinate with each other.

 

They are all reasonably priced and any bit of sparkle we can add to our every day we’ll grab with both hands.

Stationery Supplies

 

I lurrve stationery. I love notepads, pens, colouring pens and pencils, rulers, scissors, and anything goes. You can get a good range from the dollar stores, stationery shops and online. You can go cute, like above, or something a little more sophisticated.

 

Desk sets come in gold, rose gold, silver, every colour of the rainbow. There are matching staplers, staple removers, paper clips, letter openers etc etc. Book marks, sticky tape dispensers, pen holders, you name it. There are some really well priced stationery items out there that will make any woman happy.

Bath, Shower & Shaving Products

A woman can never have enough of those luxurious bath and body products, well I can’t anyway but buying them in pre-made kits can be expensive. You can put together a nice kit yourself from dollar store buys or from the supermarket. Look for a nice shower scrub, cake of soap and a loofah and gift wrap in a tin or basket.

There are lady’s shavers and shaving products for underarms and legs. Bath salts and bombs are also a good idea. They can easily be made if you have all the ingredients but buying them individually and putting a gift basket together yourself is a great and budget friendly idea.

Books & Magazines

I don’t read as much as I would like, but I do love to thumb through a magazine or add another cookbook to my collection. There are so many good books (and magazines for that matter) on every possible subject available at second hand shops. You could buy a whole series or a whole set of magazines on your woman’s favourite subject.

There are magazines for craft, cooking, gardening and all the best sellers are at the secondhand stores. Failing that, a gift voucher towards a book she really wants is a great idea too.

I hope you like this round up. These are ideas that would appeal to me and you never know, they might just appeal to the girl in your life.

 

Budget Gift Guide for Teenage Boys

Having a boy who’s nearly a teenager, I have some experience in how difficult it is to buy for him. I’ve found, up until now, that whatever he is into at the moment whether it be Pokemon or Star Wars etc, I can’t really go wrong. But buying those themed items can sometimes be very expensive that’s why I’ve come up with a budget gift guide for teenage boys.

Video Games

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Boys of all ages love their video games but they are expensive, especially the latest releases. There is a way to get them a bit cheaper though. If you buy the brand new game in the case from the gaming store you could be looking at $80 to $100 or more. Depending on your device, you can download directly from the online store onto the device for around $20.

I was looking for a brand new Playstation game for my son and to buy it new was $80 but to download directly onto the Playstation was only $19.95.

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The other thing you can do is to buy your teenage boy a gift card towards from the gaming store and get them to do more chores to get more money towards the game. I know it works in theory but depending on how bad they want that game, they’ll do the chores.

Alternatively, waiting that little bit longer until the game has been around for a while it will always be cheaper.

Don’t forget about the accessories for video games. You can pick up controllers second hand quite cheaply and ‘skins’ are relatively cheap depending on what game they’re into. Chargers will also save you a packet on buying batteries and they don’t cost that much.

Phone & Tablet Accessories

By now your teenager will have either a phone, iPod or tablet of some kind. It’s the same as the girls. They’ll love their favourite characters displayed on their phone or tablet case.

Just Cause Head Phones

There are plenty of USB drives in every character imaginable. Ear phones and chargers in novelty designs are also relative cheap and the boys will love them.

Toiletries

The sooner you can get your teenage boy into using toiletries, the better. I know my son has an aversion to soap or deoderant already but getting their own special toiletry pack, soap or scrub might encourage them to use it. Having their own case to put it in when they go on camps or sleepovers is also a great idea.

Also, if your son is anything like mine, he loves doing his hair now in a spiky style so hair gels, hair wax or brushes/combs are a good budget buy.

Board Games

Boys love playing board games with their mates or the family. The old fashioned Battleship that I knew as a child is still a favourite of my son’s.

Did you know there are literally hundreds of different versions of Monopoly for example? Getting their favourite themed game of Monopoly for around $20 to $30 will be a bit hit. My son loves his Cars version.

Even some board games can be played by one player. My son often plays chess on his own and there are some really unusual chess boards available at second hand stores that could quite possibly stay with him for a lifetime.

Even a deck of cards is a great boredom buster for playing Solitaire or learning new card games with his mates or the family.

Money

Once my son started earning pocket money and receiving it for Christmas and birthday presents, he’s grown really fond of it. He’s not much of a spender so likes to save it. The more they can see their bank balance grow with an end goal in mind, like a car when they get their driver’s licence, they’ll love it. A novel money box or cash tin, with key, is also a good idea for them to keep track of it.

Gift cards to their favourite stores will also allow them to get what they like but most of them prefer hard cash.

The Great Outdoors

Soccer, basketballs or footballs of any kind are always a winner. Even good brands aren’t that expensive. Depending what sport they’re into they might like a new bat or glove but you can sometimes pick up near new second hand from online sellers.

A second hand set of golf clubs aren’t all that expensive either. He’ll love a new set of golf balls or other personalised golf accessories just for him. There are plenty of  accessories available like golf tees, shot counters, ball cleaners etc.

A basketball hoop in the backyard second hand is sometimes only $20 and will give them hours of fun.

Don’t forget if he’s into fishing there is always a tackle box, new fishing line, hooks, lures, knives, scalers and plenty of other things for his fishing creel.

Swimming Equipment

Boys love to swim whether it’s at the beach or the pool. New goggles are relatively cheap, even for the better brands. His own beach towel or small microfibre towel that can be thrown into a backpack is a great idea.

There are always surfboards, boogie boards, skim boards and plenty of other bits and pieces for the beach or pool that will appeal to a teenage boy. Surfboards, in particular, are a great buy second hand.

Art Supplies

Not all boys are into crafts but my son loves to draw. His own set of artist’s pencils and drawing pad are something else to add to a gift.

There are also plenty of themed art supplies for the younger teenage boy whether that’s Star Wars related. I’m sure there’s not a boy out there who would’nt love a Star Wars themed pen in the shape of Darth Vader or Chewbacca.

Books & Magazines

Not all boys love reading but if you do find a topic that interests them, there is a book or magazine for it. My son loves Pokemon and there are books galore on the topic.

There are magazines for all types of sports including fishing, surfing, bicycles, golf, athletics, tennis or general sports.

Personal Accessories

By now your boy will be starting to develop some style (or maybe not) so his own wallet, sunglasses, watch, jewelry like necklaces or bracelets are relatively cheap if you stay away from the well known brands.

Clothes

I’m not sure about all boys but some of them love their brand names and logos. Character tshirts or tshirts with goofy sayings are pretty popular (as long as they are appropriate for their age). I just managed to pick up a tshirt with a print of the Death Star from Star Wars with a Pokemon ball printed over the top. My son is going to love his two favourite things printed on a tshirt.

Socks, jocks, boxers and new pyjamas will never go astray as they’re growing at a rate of knots.

I hope this list of budget gift ideas for boys will help you through their teenage years. (You’ll find most grown men will love a lot of these things. They never grow up do they?)

Budget Gift Guide for Men

Finding gifts for men can be hard sometimes but it doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Here is a budget gift guide for men if you’re struggling for ideas.

 

 

Fun Gadgets

 

If your man is one of those tech-savvy people who can’t wait to test out the latest technological devices, you should definitely go for a fun gadget that’ll sweep him off his feet. A power bank is always a great idea, especially if your man is always on the move, since it’ll allow him to charge his phone no matter where he is.

 

There are plenty of cool phone cases, ear phones, USB sticks, chargers and other accessories that your man will love in his favourite character or something novel.

 

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Another awesome gadget he’ll adore is a multi-use mini massage cushion, which is probably one of the best picks if your boy needs to relax and unwind after a long day at work. Get one with four pressure points that massage in rotating circles, so that he gets a fantastic massage in the comfort of his home and even in his car.

Easy DIY Gifts

 

Making a present can also be a great idea, especially if you want to save some money but still provide a lovely gift. If you’re a crafty person who’s really skillful when it comes to DIY projects, don’t skip these. There are so many wonderful ideas, and one of them is a chalkboard mug. All you need is a white porcelain mug, painter’s tape, porcelain chalkboard paint, and a paintbrush. Use painter’s tape to mask off the parts of the mug you don’t want to paint, and then apply paint with the brush. When the paint is dry, remove the tape and bake your mug in the oven for 35 minutes at 150°C. Write your message before filling the mug with a hot beverage, and voila – your simple yet so effective DIY present is all done!

There are plenty more DIY gift ideas for Dad in these posts including food and other gifts.

For Readers

 

You can’t escape the online world these days but if your man loves to read stories other than online, his favourite sports star’s biography or action story in a book is a great gift idea. Think of his favourite magazine or even a newspaper subscription as a gift idea.

Favourite Drinks

 

For those men who drink alcohol, buying him his favourite spirit that he normally wouldn’t drink on a daily basis is a nice gift idea. There are a lot of possible options, but if you don’t really know where to search for a perfect bottle for your man, online shopping should be your number one choice. Depending on your budget, you can get a bottle of quality whisky online and surprise your loved one with something he’ll really appreciate. You can also opt for vodka, gin, beer, cider or anything else he likes, without even having to actually go to the store.

 

A set of glasses specifically for his favourite drink and/or a carafe can be picked up cheaply from second hand stores.

 

It doesn’t even have to be alcoholic. His favourite soda, coffee or tea is a great gift idea.

Accessories for Men

 

If yours is a man of style, cool accessories like trendy leather bracelets, classy cuff links, or fashionable sunglasses are just some of the possible options. Pocket squares are an amazing gift for gentlemen who prefer to wear suits on a daily basis. Of course, formal business attire requires this type of accessory, but you can also get elegant pocket squares if your man loves wearing a suit in casual occasions as well.

Anchor bracelets will also make a huge difference in any man’s overall appearance, since these will add a touch of edge to any outfit. What’s even greater, you can get any of these pieces for less than $20.

Shaving Products

 

Guys who are rocking a beard know that it needs a lot of extra care, so make your man’s life much easier and get him some fantastic beard products. You could buy him a beard oil, which is a truly magical product that’ll take care of both his facial hair and the skin beneath it. It’ll hydrate his scruff and tame it at the same time, which is exactly what he needs. A good beard wash and a beard balm are also a must, as well as a quality comb – just be sure to get one made of sandalwood instead of a plastic one that can cause static and beard frizz.

 

If your man shaves, there are plenty of beautiful shaving products around like brushes, soaps, balms and after shave products.  You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive after shave fragrances. A gift pack made from disposable razors and his favourite shaving cream is a nice gift or browse your local second hand stores for vintage shaving kits.

As you can see, there are so many fantastic budget gifts you can get for your man, even though you’re on a budget. You’ll find men are pretty easy to please and are grateful for anything they receive. You’re on the right track if you get them things they already use or like.

 

Budget Gift Guide for Teenage Girls

Well, there’s a teenager in the house and even though there hasn’t been much change to the beautiful girl that she is, she’s all of a sudden grown up and no longer interested in toys like she used to be so finding suitable gifts that aren’t too provocative or ‘grown up’ has been hard but I’ve compiled this budget gift guide for teenage girls hoping that it might help others.

Stationery

One thing my daughter has been interested in forever is stationery. She loves to draw and use all types of medium to create drawings and write stories. I think I should’ve bought shares in a stationery company years ago because I’ve spent quite a bit of money over the years on pencils, paints, drawing and colouring books. 

Gone are the days of normal markers and crayons. Teenage girls who are interested in drawing are learning new mediums to use at school and extend their artistic capabilities.

Here is a range of different and fun stationery items that will appeal to young female teens.

Water Colour Markers (available in packs of 12, 18 or 24)

• Sketch pad
• Exercise book
• Watercolor pad

Water Colour Pencils with Brush (available in tins of 24, 36 or 48)

Pencil cases of any and every description. The more unusual the better.

There are all types of cute stationery items for young girls like erasers, memo pads, sticky notes, rulers, lead pencils and pens. Just keep your stash hidden or it will be open slather.

iPad/iPod Accessories

Whether it’s an Apple or Android device, most teenage girls (well, mine in particular) have it stuck to their hands permanently. Whether it’s messaging friends or watching Youtube clips, they’ve got to be ‘in the know’ and kept up to date at all times. (I think back to my childhood and it’s not much different to me being on the hard-wired telephone to my girlfriends and my mother telling me to get off the phone. It’s just a sign of the times.)

So why not get them some cool accessories to compliment their device.

Headphones like the above light up cat’s ears headphones

A Pop Socket in any number of designs. Folds down flat while device not in use then pops out so you can grip the device better. (I only know because my daughter requested one for her birthday.)

No, the above isn’t a fidget spinner. It’s a bluetooth speaker. They come in every shape and design known to man kind. Again, the more unusual the better.

And there’s always a new case for their device. Just like any fashion accessory, the case is such an all important must have (according to my daughter).

There are so many different accessories for iPads, tablets, iPhones and laptops that any teenage girl would love to receive. I didn’t know half of them existed or were even a thing so there’s something for everyone at every budget.

Make Up

It might be karma for all the times I got into my mother’s make up, but my teenager has already been testing how to apply makeup using all my products.  Not that I let her wear it out except for a soft pink lipstick and maybe a clear mascara but they’ll still want to experiment when they’re young and of course want to wear it as they get into their older teenage years.

A make up kit stocked full of different coloured eyeshadows, lipsticks, blush, nail polishes and everything in between will keep her occupied for hours and hopefully out of your makeup stash.

Skin Care

The hormones are raging and so are the break outs. My daughter has pretty good skin, at this stage, but it’s never too early to develop a good skin regime. There are a lot of products on the market specifically designed for the teenage girl.

Look for all natural products or make up your own using ingredients found in your pantry. Buy some pretty bottles or jars to store the products in.

Make sure they learn to remove their makeup each night before bed. Throw in a soft makeup removing cloth to add to a cleansing kit specifically for your teenage girl.

Books

I’m lucky in that my daughter has always been an avid reader and she’s read most books over and over again. You can always find the cheapest price for the book on a website called Booko or browse the secondhand stores for a bargain. This comprehensive list details 17 books every girl should read before she’s 17 from Seventeen mag.

 

Throw in something like the above ‘book cushion’ which also doubles as an iPad holder and hope that she uses it more for reading a book rather than her iPad.

Jewelry

Between high school and their after school commitments, there’s probably not much opportunity for young teenage girls to wear jewelry but that’s not to say they don’t love to wear it. Pretty bangles, friendship necklaces and chokers compliment their outfits when they catch up with friends at the movies.

And there’s always those ‘best friend’ pendant necklaces that they will want to share with their ‘bestie’ (or is it BFF)?

 

I hope you like this list I’ve put together. Depending on your own teenager, they might be into other specific things. I know my daughter is quite scientific and loves things about the solar system and outer space so tailoring the above to specific interests will always be a winner.