Give the Gift of an Experience | brokeGIRLrich
Last week I saw this great infographic over at Financially Blonde about whether or not money makes people happier – to an extent, yes, but mostly no. The point of the infographic was that it’s not how much money you have, it’s what you spend it on.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, I was reminded that often the best gifts are simply time spent together. So today I want to share with you the result of my Mother’s Day Experience brainstorming:
- Have a girls’ night in with wine and manicures and chick flicks.
- Go on a picnic together.
- Google “free yoga classes City X” and check one out together. It’s likely to be healthy AND amusing, if neither of you are the physically fit type.
- Pick up some craft supplies and make something together – especially if your mom was the crafty type with you when you were little.
- Clean the whole house for her. She’ll love that as much now as when you were an 8 year old giving her those dorky coupon things. Actually do a good job.
- Make her breakfast in bed and eat it with her.
- Does she have piles of old photos in shoe boxes? Pick up a few photo albums and spend an evening reminiscing and organizing them with her.
- Google “free concerts City X” and go check one out together. Maybe you recognize the bands’ names, maybe you don’t. Either way, it’ll be an experience.
- Strap on a pair of skates and head to the nearest rink for adult skate night.
- Check out a local farmers market and stock up on supplies to cook dinner together.
Looking to spend a little more money on Mom, but still want to share an experience together? I’ve had pretty good luck with events from Groupon, Living Social and Amazon Local. For Christmas I actually got a voucher to Pinot and Pottery where we drank wine and made pottery for a few hours. It was only $12 each and we had a great time.
If experiences aren’t your thing or you’re far from home and just want to send her something so she knows you were thinking about her, check out some of these frugal gifts for the ladies like Mom and Grandma here.
Lastly, if you’re sending her flowers, make sure to check out Groupon, Living Social and Amazon Local for discount offers first and then order through eBates, they have terrific rebates on flower orders.
What was the best Mother’s Day gift you’ve given or gotten?
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A few year ago the kids and I made my wife a music video of her favorite band U2. The kids lip synced one of here favorite songs as her mother’s day gift. We still watch it today and when we do my wife comments on what a special gift it was.
Brian@ Debt Discipline recently posted…Week End Round Up #30
That’s so cool! Definitely a great idea.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Give the Gift of an Experience
I am with you on the experience! For the last few years, we have spent Mother’s Day with my mom having brunch at home. It is so much cheaper than going out, and less hectic, plus it gives us quality time to catch up and hang out.
Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…We have a WHAT?!?
That sounds nice. I remember picking my birthday parties growing up, my mom would always ask if I wanted to go somewhere or do something, and as tempting as that giant birthday wheel at the roller skating rink was, I loved home parties since they lasted as long as you wanted them to, instead of just two hours.
All awesome ideas! I love the house cleaning the the most, then organize the photos over wine!
debt debs recently posted…Worth IT Wednesday! ~ Blog Reader Choice
Last year I found a Groupon for a Chocolate Tour of NYC. It was such a hit- my brother and dad decided to tag along too.
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life recently posted…To Buy or Not to Buy a House—It’s about More than Doing the Math
I keep seeing that Groupon and thinking of doing that. I’m not sure how much my mom would actually like it, but she does love chocolate…. I kind of want to do it though!
My favorite gift I gave to my mom was a day together… we started with a spa treatment (went to a massage school and booked “advanced” students = very affordable massage) and then our city has it’s spring barrel tasting event Mother’s Day weekend… so then we toured the wineries around town and went wine tasting. It was so much fun to have that much one on one time with my mom!
A different year for we used Groupon to book a lake condo and the whole family spent the week enjoying the lake, playing games, and just hanging out together. It was so fun! I hope we can many more weekends like this once we move back from living in the UK. 😀
Nichole @BudgetLovingMilitaryWife recently posted…Grocery Budget & Meal Plan
I never even thought of contacting a massage school! That’s a great idea. And how convenient for the spring barrel tasting to coincide with Mother’s Day weekend. My mom would’ve loved that ;o)
We are having dinner at our house this year after church. We really enjoy being with family on days like this. Over the years, the presence of family has become more enjoyable than purchasing gifts.
Brian @ Luke1428 recently posted…4 Reasons Why We Paid Off Our Mortgage Early
We do dinner and hair appointments with my mom. We all go get our hair done together! It’s cute, but pricey.
But I love experience gifts. My husband and I have decided to only gift our nieces and nephew experience gifts once they hit 5. My niece got concert tickets (One Direction) for her 12th birthday. She’s got a countdown going and everything! HA!
Michelle recently posted…The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received
If you get them to countdown to your gift, I think you’ve nailed it!
It bums me out that I’m too far away from my mom to actually be there physically, but these are great ideas! Last year, I happened to be at my parents’ home during Father’s Day and I went out to hit golf balls with my dad. They live on a golf course so it didn’t cost me anything and I know he loved the quality time. Still got him a gift though. 🙂
Broke Millennial recently posted…Becoming Smarter About Money Doesnât Have to be Boring
I’m actually really excited to be near home for a change. It’s been years since I was around regularly. I definitely went the “experience” route with what I picked for this year, so hopefully my mom is as excited about it as I am.
Great post! I gifted my mom with tickets to show featuring a couple of her favorite artists. I went with her, of course, and it was a blast! Experiences are SO much better than products. I love your idea about chick flicks and at-home mani-pedis; my mom and I used to have one girls’ weekend a year where we’d watch movies, eat yummy food and shop (at discount retailers, of course). So fun!
Kendal @HassleFreeSaver recently posted…What’s the Value of Your Time?
I love this idea!! 🙂 I truly believe that memories and quality time are the best gifts you can give someone! 🙂 Thanks for giving me an idea for my mom for mother’s day. Visiting you from SITS 🙂
Amberly recently posted…Life in the Kitchen {New Series}
What amazing ideas! I agree that it is the time and it’s quality that matter so much more than the cost. Thanks for the ideas 🙂
Tiffany recently posted…ResQMe – Be Prepared for the Unexpected
Love the idea of an experience. So many ways to create lasting memories. Time spent together is the best gift after all, don’t you think?
Anne recently posted…And Another Week Done….
Love this! We have too much stuff. As I (and my mom) gets older, I realize that the most precious gift is time. Great post and great ideas. Stopping by from the Northeast Bloggers Weekend Wander. So glad I did! 🙂
Kelly
http://www.alovelylifeindeed.com
Kelly recently posted…Blessed: Teachers Make a Difference
Love these ideas. Last year my sister and I decided not to give each other gifts, but to do something together instead. We went to a wine/painting night for her birthday and had a blast!
Lana recently posted…Sobbing Through Preschool Graduation
I just went to a paint night for my best friends birthday and it was a lot of fun!
These are great suggestions for things to do. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah
aroseinthecity0.blogspot.com
Experiences are the best. My dream days involve lazing about the house with my daughter and my man. Especially when he takes the cheese grater to my feet, and then rubs shea butter all over my feet. Then he puts on the cotton socks. Good times for sure. 🙂
itzybellababy recently posted…Have we done enough to #BringBackOurGirls?
Such great ideas! I love Amazon local for great deals.
I was kind of out of it this year, but next year, I’ll be ready. I haven’t been the best planner lately and I miss it. These are some great ideas! Thanks for sharing with Countdown in Style.
April recently posted…Countdown in Style {21}
I think you are so right about the experience! It’s like I once heard someone say about kids. The want a parent’s time more so than anything else. Time we typically can’t get back so spending that with our loved ones is so important. I love your ideas of quality time. Thanks so much for using our button and linking up with us faithfully each week!
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