14 Inexpensive Gift Ideas for a Busy Mama

I don't know about how things work in your family, but it seems like at my home, my husband tends to struggle with ideas about what kinds of gifts he wants to give on special occasions.  Seriously, I'm not picky.  I just like to know that he thought of me enough to pick something out.  I do know that sometimes he has amazing, complex ideas that just don't work out.

I decided to make a list of ideas for my husband and any others looking for great ideas for their loved ones.  Please leave a comment below telling me a fantastic addition to this list.

* Massage Oils

* Handmade Soap

* Exercise Videos

* Homemade Dinner

* A Live Plant

* A New Bag

* A Simple Date (hiking or a fire on the patio)

* Photos of the Kids

* Hobby Supplies

* A Fun Hat

*Hand Crafted Jewelry (think Etsy)

* Coffee and a favorite creamer

* A Tshirt from someplace significant to your story

* A framed map, menu, or advertisement of the place you met

Thrifty Advent Tools

Here is our complete advent calendar.  This project cost us approximately $3!  The pockets are envelopes, each envelope contains a note card with the activity for the day!

Our advent wreath cost less than $10 to put together.  (I would love to have an expensive fancy one, but it's not currently in our budget).  The wreath was $2.50 at Walmart.  Candles ranged from 84c for a 4 pack to $3 for the larger center candle.  Candle holders are old baby food jars.  Pine cones were collected locally.

Our table, ready for advent.

What thrifty materials have you used in preparing for advent?