Five Ways to Spoil Mum (For Free)

Luckily, our team of savvy Wise Ones have compiled a list of ways you can spoil the motherly figure in your life without breaking the bank. Whether you’re a gift-giver or an activity planner, you’ll be their favourite for months to come if you pull out one of these thoughtful ideas.

Ever caught your Mum singing along to a little diddy from her personal greatest hits list? Appeal to her more musical side and craft a playlist full of her favourite tracks. Whether it’s the Boys To Men banger she hums along to at the supermarket or the George Michael classic she thrashed on your last family road trip, make it personal, fun and full of memory-evoking tunes.

If your Mum is anything like mine, you’ll know that there is no such thing as meandering. She only has one speed: faster than you. So, double-knot those sneakers and join your Mum on a walk, hike or run (if that’s your thing) in a place you’ve never explored before. Australia has more than 500 National Parks and who-bloody-knows how many nature reserves, gardens, public parks and generally tranquil areas to explore, so your options are nearly endless.

You know the tasks you avoid doing because they’re so unbelievably joyless? The ones you might even contemplate paying someone else to do, just to avoid the drudgery? Whatever those tasks are for your Mum, give her the gift of taking them off her plate. Scrub the 3-year build-up of grime in the oven, clear out the gutters, poison the weeds and polish those timber floorboards. You’ll be the apple of her eye.

You don’t need to shell out hundreds of dollars for a day of entertainment. Check your local community Facebook page or council website, or ask around if there are any fun, free events happening in your area over the Mother’s Day weekend. You might find a local gallery or museum offering free admission for Mums or an outdoor market you can go and peruse.

There’s a good chance you’ve got some flour and sugar lingering somewhere at the back of the cupboard. Pull out some ingredients you already have in the pantry and see what you can make. Damper is an easy choice, but honestly, you can do better than that. Try searching terms like 3 ingredient brownies or easiest cake recipe ever. If you ask, the Pinterest Mums will deliver.