Happy Mothers Day!

Mothers Day is this Sunday. This means I need to get my rear in gear and get her something that shows how much I really appreciate and love her.

Then I started thinking. Since when did Mothers Day turn into such a commercial holiday where you are pressured into finding the perfect gift? Where the more money you spend the better.

When I was little, a picture that I drew with my own two hands was more then enough! Now whenever I turn on the television or go online, I am presented with gift ideas that tell me buying a $500 diamond necklace is the only way my Mom will know I love and care about her.

I am very lucky to be blessed with a sweet, caring and understanding Mom. She NEVER has made us feel that we need to buy her fancy or large gifts. Taking her out to lunch was more then enough for her. My Mom even told me last week not to buy anything big for her. A house plant would be more then enough.

After much debate and thought of what I should get my Mom, I decided that I would head to Things Remembered at my local mall. When I was planning my wedding, I bought all the bridesmaids/Maid of Honor’s gift through them. They were not only gorgeous but the staff was amazing and so helpful. They even redid the jewelry boxes I first ordered because I wasn’t 100% satisfied. All for free! Don’t be afraid to call up a business if you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase/product. Most companies strive to make their customers happy.

Before I left, I Googled “Things Remembered printable coupon” and found tons of sites with coupon offers. But the best one I found was $5 if you spend $25 right on the Things Remembered website. All I needed to do was sign up for their Reward program and received a printable coupon in my email. I also did a search on their website to get a good idea of prices and what I would be able to afford.

When I got there, I saw that they were having a really great deal going on. If you buy any of the jewelry there and have it engraved, you get a free jewelry box (which needs to be engraved too). I was very happy to find plenty of affordable necklaces/bracelets. I found a really pretty heart shaped pendant that had a amethyst stone and a second piece that you can engrave. My Mom will love this!

The necklace was $19.99 so I was well in my budget. But then I got to the engraving part. It was $3.00 per word! That was just for the standard engraving too. You could add color engraving, symbols or fancier script. But I was on a budget so I stuck with the basic engraving.

I wanted to have “Mom” on the jewelry box and “You’re an amazing Mom. Never Forget that” on the necklace. It came to $24.00 just for the engraving!! Yikes! So I condensed it to “You’re an amazing Mom” It wasn’t what I wanted on there but I couldn’t justify the price. Even with the $5 off coupon, the total came to $34.05. Slightly higher then I wanted to pay but I know my Mom will love this.

I wanted to make a blueberry coffee cake for my whole family to enjoy. My sister was making breakfast on Mothers Day which would mean everyone would be full for the entire day. So I wanted to make something light that they can enjoy later in the evening and even for breakfast the next day.

Since my brother has Celiac disease (Gluten intolerant) I had to search for something that the entire family could enjoy. At Market Basket I was able to find the mix for a blueberry coffee cake for $2.99 because it was the stores brand! All I needed was to add blueberries and other items that I had around the house. I found a cute platter at Kohl’s for only $3.99 marked down from $7.99! I love buying cute inexpensive platters toped with homemade goodies to give as gifts. Its two gifts in one!!

While I was at Kohl’s I really needed a pair of pants for work. I budgeted myself $25 which I added to my $35.00 Mothers Day budget. I went directly to the clearance section and found a pair of cute pants for $17.60 marked down from $44.00! I will never buy pants full price ever again. I found so many great pairs for under $20.00!

To go with the necklace I decided to buy my Mom a small pair of earrings. Since I saved so much on the pants, I could spend about $10.00. I was able to find a cute pair of heart shaped silver earrings for $7.20 marked down from $12.00. They will go perfect with the necklace I bought her.

At the checkout I had a 15% off coupon and a $25.00 gift card. I ended up only spending $.07 out of pocket! This is why I love shopping at Kohl’s!

I didn’t have time to make a card for my Mom so I ended spending $5.19 for a card and gift bag! I was not too happy to spend so much on a card that my Mom will read once and probably throw away after a while. Next time, I am making my own card and purchasing a cheap roll of wrapping paper at the dollar store!

My biggest blow to my budget was the flowers. I planned to spend under $10.00 for flowers but everything was double or triple what they normally are. David also wanted me to get a bouquet for his Mother. Since both Mom’s like carnations, that’s what I went looking for.

At Stop and Shop I found small bouquets of single colored carnations. I decided to buy $30.00 worth or different color carnations and then split it into two bouquets. I was pretty darn lucky to find an employee at Stop and Shop who was putting together flower arrangements for people for free. I had her split the two bouquets up for me and they really looked great. I just hated that they cost $15.13 per bouquet! Usually the same amount of flowers would be no more then $10!

All in all, my Mom ended up loving her flowers and gift. The smile was worth the money. I love my Mom so much and wish I never had to have a budget on her.

Happy Mothers Day, Mom!

Now to do the math: Did I break the budget? Am I getting anything for my House Fund???

Budget for Mother’s Day + Pants budget: $60.00 ($35 + $25)
Things Remembered: -$34.08 (including $5 off coupon)
Blueberry coffee cake mix: -$2.99
Kohl’s: -$0.07 (15% off and a $25 gift card used)
Walgreens -$5.19
Flowers: -$15.13 (Crazy!!)
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Money into House fund: $2.54

Notes:
Not bad but if I bought my Mom a houseplant instead of carnations and made my own card, I could have saved more.