Every year we launch a Mother’s Day Gift Guide and I’ll be honest. This year I don’t want to. I don’t want to point you to a lot of, admittedly, lovely products that mum will no doubt love but will cost you a pretty penny. Not when I have insider knowledge from thousands of mums on what they really value. What they truly want. The majority of mums I talked to mentioned gifts that are completely free. That’s why I came up with this guide, so you can give what she truly desires while also saving some money for her birthday, a meal, a surprise later in the year.

If you do truly want to spend some cash then I’ve also got you covered. Check out this guide, and this beauty guide, and this, although marketed for Christmas the gifts are still incredible and spot on for mum today. You can also see our latest product reviews on haircare and appliances, food and experiences to discover guaranteed to satisfy gifts.

Here’s what mum truly wants, adapt it to your own mum as no one knows her better than you, and let her know that a no bull magazine to enhance her day off is waiting for her reading pleasure. Free to subscribe, free to read, minimal ads, just pure entertainment. Oh. I think we should be on this list! Let’s start with a bit of self promotion!

A Sunday Woman Magazine Subscription

It doesn’t matter what your age is, what your gender is, if you love relaxing, leisure time, reading and being entertained then you will love Sunday Woman. We take everything you love (or want) to do on your day off and make it better with insider facts, controversial opinion, interviews, real honest reviews, stories and much more. From Netflix to Minecraft, Harrods to Aldi and True Crime to Fan Fiction we have it all. It’s completely free to read, always. It’s completely free to subscribe. Always. It’s just really free! We do appreciate a share but you don’t have to! Sign up mum now to get the latest stories to her inbox. She can be down with the kids while also finding news and stories she’ll love.

A Handwritten Note

Most mums love receiving a card however it isn’t the card they look forward to, it’s the message inside. If you’re just signing any old card with, Love Me, you’re doing your mum a disservice. Think of all the things you love about your mum. The gorgeous bread she bakes, the way she makes your bed, the way she makes a bad day at work worth laughing at. How she always has your back. Put them in words. I’ll tell you a little story here. My mum and I often butted heads, she was an alcoholic and a workaholic. My dad brought me up but he died when I was just out of my teens and my mum and I formed a great friendship but there was a lot left unsaid. Now one day, we’re together and I’m buying my children’s favourite foods from the supermarket. She says, “do you remember when I used to do that for you as a child?” I had PMT, I’d just had a therapy session about cutting through the BS and I replied, “you were never around long enough to.” I still hate myself for that comment to this day. However, I thought about it, and thought of all the brilliant memories I had of my mum. How she bought me an owl when I went to sit my exams, how she organised my 13th birthday party, how she taught me how to have food fights. I put them all in a card. It wasn’t Mother’s Day, it wasn’t Christmas, I just needed to say it. Her friends told me she opened it and cried. After all these years all she wanted was to be recognised for the great work she had done, not criticised for what she hadn’t. Our relationship blossomed and we opened up to each other, I discovered so much more as she spoke without judgement but sadly she died a month later. Imagine how incredible our relationship would have been if I’d done this many years earlier, let go of the resentment and just celebrated her, as she did work very hard, for us. Now when I open a Mother’s Day card I go to the message, I love to see a note from my children. This I treasure.

Time Spent How She Wants To

A mum rarely has a free day stretching out in front of her to do what she wants. Even on holiday she’s always taking care of someone else, making sure everyone else is having a good time. A full day where she does exactly what she pleases is a real gift. This may mean you have to pick up the slack. You may have to do a school run, feed the animals, put the washing on, sort the evening meal. Whatever you take on make sure you do it all. Don’t leave a lie of dishes for the next day, that just ruins the whole gesture. Don’t feed the animals then not walk them, that leaves her with guilt. Don’t judge how she spends the day.

Relax a little longerWe'd love your views on these

She may want to spend it with family, she may want to play on her PS5 (that’s me), she may even want to spend the entire day in bed. The point is, it’s her day and it doesn’t cost a cent. She needs more days like these but Mother’s Day is a good place to start.

A Favour

You can either do this as an IOU (but make sure you follow through) or on the day itself. Think of what your mum would really like doing and do it, to completion.

Such as:

A full car clean
A declutter of a room
A meal (wash up afterwards)
Dog grooming
Garden weeding
Lawn mowing
Errands run
Bathroom deep clean

Anything she’s moaned about you can take on, using only your time and energy to put a huge smile on your mum’s face.

Showing appreciation means more when it’s shown with actions and handwritten words. Show and tell your mum how much you love and appreciate her this Mother’s Day by giving her a gift that won’t cost you a penny.

Other ideas include:

Arranging a video call with family from far away
Drawing or painting her a picture of a scene she adores
Writing a song or a poem
Sharing a lovely update on her favourite social media platform and tagging her (telling the world how much you love her too shows you’re not embarrassed by your love for your mum, she’s just awesome and it’s a fact).
Leaving her with the house for herself for the day, or inviting family and friends for dinner, whichever she prefers.
Waking her with her favourite breakfast.

Just remember, the day is about her. No demands, no chores, no guilt, just time to enjoy life however she wants to.