Away from Mom this Mother’s Day? Whether you live across the country or state from dear old Mom and can’t treat her to brunch, you likely want to send more than a text. Whatever’s keeping you and Mom apart...
Away from Mom this Mother’s Day?
Whether you live across the country or state from dear old Mom and can’t treat her to brunch, you likely want to send more than a text.
Whatever’s keeping you and Mom apart this Mother’s Day, May 8, there are plenty of ways you can show her you love and miss her. Not only that, but you can do it all while going easy on your wallet.
To help, we’ve put together a list of 25 Mother’s Day gifts under $20 you can order online. And that $20 includes shipping — free for some items.
Mother’s Day Gifts That Will Help Her Get Outdoors
Fresh air, exercise and flowers — all three are a nice way to celebrate Mom. Well, exercise if she likes that sort of thing!
1. Pickleball Glove for Mom
Pickleball is the hottest team sport these days. If your mom is seriously into this sport, you can pick her up a brand-name pickleball glove on Amazon for somewhere between $18 and $20. If you have Prime membership, shipping is free, keeping you under budget.
2. Annual Flower Bulbs
Does Mom love gardening? Give her a gift that keeps on giving with annual bulbs. Plant these flowers once, and they will bloom year after year. Bulbs that need a freeze to bloom (iris, daffodils, tulips) are typically put in the ground in the fall before it gets too hard for digging so that they blossom in spring. The following bulbs can be planted in the spring to bloom in the summer.
Gladiolus Flower Bulbs
Gladiolus are beautiful and you can get a lot of them even on a budget. You can pick your color, ordering a bag in white or purple for $13.95 on Walmart’s platform. Shipping is free.
Lily Flower Bulbs
You can get about three lily bulbs for under $20. Some options from Walmart sellers include Pink Tiger Lilies and Sumatra Oriental Lilies.
These options run between $13.95 and $15.99 and come with free shipping.
3. Gift Certificate to a Local Garden Center
Maybe Mom doesn’t have space for a garden, but does love having flowers and plants around. In this case, consider getting her a gift certificate to her local garden center for $20.
There’s an added bonus to sending your card on Mother’s Day; when she goes shopping after the holiday, excess inventory will be marked down dramatically, giving her more bang for her buck.
4. Twisted Mandala Planters
Perhaps Mom’s got all the plants she needs. What she could really use is a planter — especially for indoor use.
The Geometric Twisted Mandala Planter from FunctionalAM on Etsy is a beautiful option. You can get sizes from 3 inches to 6.5 inches for $8-$20 depending on which option you choose. And shipping is free.
5. Butterfly Habitat
Butterfly habitats may be marketed towards children, but Mom can enjoy one, too! This kit from Target is $19.99, and comes with a habitat and voucher for live caterpillars — which ship separately. Your order should qualify for free shipping.
Mom will be able to watch the caterpillars as they build their chrysalises and grow into butterflies, eventually releasing them into the wild. Bonus points for sending a card with a cheesy analogy about how she helped you grow into a butterfly, and what a great job she did.
Sweets & Culinary Mother’s Day Gifts
Mother’s Day is a great time to shower your mom with sweets. Or, if Mom’s great in the kitchen, it’s a fun time to celebrate those skills with gifts.
6. Personalized Recipe Cards
Mom’s a great cook. Everyone’s always asking her for recipes. Pick her up a set of personalized recipe cards on Etsy so she’ll get full credit when she shares her skills. This set costs $9 and costs $4 to ship to the U.S.
7. Heart-Shaped Pan
Check out this heart-shaped pan from Ecolution on Amazon. Whether your mother’s making pancakes or eggs, she’ll appreciate that Ecolution’s products are eco-friendly yet durable. You’ll appreciate that it clocks in at just $11.93 and ships free with Prime membership.
8. Fruit Infusion Pitcher
This fruit infusion pitcher is great for making mimosas and flavored water alike. It is $19.99 on Amazon.com and ships free with Prime membership.
9. Chocolate
Believe it or not, you can get a fair amount of good chocolate for under $20. The G-Cube from Godiva comes with an assortment of 22 flavors, and costs $12. With shipping, you can expect to pay around $19.95.
10. Delivery from a Local Bakery
Ask your mom about her favorite local bakery recommendations. Then, place an order for delivery with them on Mother’s Day. This allows you to not only get mom a gift, but also support small businesses in her community.
If the delivery fee would put you over budget you can find another way. You could request curbside pickup or she could take a quick trip inside to pick up her present.
Self-Care Gifts for Mother’s Day
We all need a little more self-care. Help Mom relax with these soothing Mother’s Day gift ideas until you can see each other again.
11. Comfortable Sleep Mask
Help Mom get some better shut eye. These cute, silk satin sleep masks from Beyarina from Walmart not only comes in under budget at $13.95, for a total of $19.98 after shipping.
12. Amethyst Yoni Soap Bar
This Amethyst Yoni soap bar from Organically Bath & Beauty is pH balanced for sensitive skin costs about $15.30 to send to Mom after accounting for shipping costs.
13. Best Mom Ever Sugar Body Scrub
This cute product from Joon X Moon will help remind mom that she’s the best ever, all while basking in the glow of champagne-scented exfoliation. It’s available at Target for $10, and there are a few ways you can get it to her. Shipping isn’t really an option as it only ships with orders of $35+.
But, you can purchase it at the Target near where Mom lives through Target’s Pickup or Drive Up services. Or, if you already have a Shipt membership, you can get it delivered to Mom’s house from her local store for just $7, bringing your total to $16.99.
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14. Luxe Face Masks
Charmed Bath & Body offers several different face masks available via Etsy. You can choose from:
Matcha Rose clay. White clay Charcoal TurmericIt should cost you around $15.79 in all to purchase and ship one of these mask powders for Mother’s Day.
15. Aromatherapy Humidifier
If Mom’s really into essential oils, consider this aromatherapy humidifier on Amazon. You can pick between one that’s LED lit or one that’s wood printed. Prices range from $14.99-$19.99, and shipping is free for Prime members.
16. Mother’s Day Coloring Book
Give Mom an opportunity to de-stress with this Mother’s Day coloring book from Amazon. Each page comes with intricate drawings to color in and encouraging and cute quotes about motherhood.
This book is $14.99 and ships free for Prime members.
17. Blue Light Glasses
All of our devices — phones, PCs, TVs — give off blue light. Staring at blue light can cause migraines, damage our vision and even throw off circadian rhythms, our natural sleep-wake cycles.
Help Mom out with some self-care she didn’t even know she needed with these blue light blocking glasses from Nordstrom. They’re only $15 and shipping is free.
18. White Noise Machine
If her circadian rhythms are messed up, a white noise machine can help Mom get to sleep easier. Sharper Image’s Sound Soother Revo is available at Target for $14.99. While the $5.99 shipping fee may take you slightly over budget, you can get free shipping if you purchase with your Target RedCard. Plus you’ll save 5% off your order.
19. Essential Oil Diffuser Bracelet
This Jack & Rose diffuser bracelet will set you back just $15 and the shipping is free with Amazon Prime. The locket-style bracelet comes with eight color pads that can be changed to match an outfit or a mood. If she’s already into essential oils, all she has to do is squeeze a few drops on the cotton pads and be surrounded by that aroma when she wears the bracelet.
Does she need essential oils? A three-pack starter set of eucalyptus, lavender and tea tree oils is often on sale on Amazon for $5.99. That may put you a tad over your budget, but isn’t she worth it?
Sentimental Mother’s Day Gifts
These sweet, mom-centric products will highlight your relationship as you take a trip down memory lane.
20. Tell Me Your Story Book (Grandma Edition)
This is a cute idea if your mom has grandkids. Have them gift her this memory journal. It’s available for $7.96 on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members.
21. Tell Me Your Story Book (Mom Edition)
Don’t have kids, but love the memory book idea?
Fear not. There is a version of these products for children to give directly to their moms — no procreation required. This daily journal of childhood memories will run you $12, once again with free shipping for Amazon Prime members.
22. You & Me Mom Journal
Want to make the memory journal thing a two-way street?
This journal from Uncommon Goods can be sent back and forth between you and your mother. Each page has prompts encouraging the two of you to reflect on your life memories and love together over the years. It will run you $13, and should come in just under $20 after accounting for shipping costs.
23. Photo Book
There’s nothing moms love more than pictures of their kids and grandkids . Photo books can often be cumbersome to create, or come with deceptive discounts and “deals” that don’t account for exorbitant shipping costs.
You can get around all that by creating a book with Google Photos. You can easily import all the pictures already on your Google account, and can create a 20-page, soft-cover photo book that’s sure to put a smile on her face for just $14.99 without any shipping charges.
24. Photo Puzzle
Two things moms love in one: Photos and puzzles! Pick your image, and NannyGoatsCloset on Etsy will send you your own puzzle for $13.99 plus $3.95 for shipping.
25. And Then There’s … Cash
You’re shopping on a tight budget, so your wallet is probably thin right now. She might not want to admit it, but money might be tight for your mom, too.
Instead of buying her physical presents, consider sending her the cash in the form of a gift card or a check, not an actual bill. Be sure to send a card or heartfelt note along with it.
Pittsburgh-based writer Brynne Conroy is the founder of the Femme Frugality blog and the author of “The Feminist Financial Handbook.” She is a regular contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.