Mother's Day gift ideas in a budget

Mother¡¯s Day is around the corner, and no, your wallet does not have to cry. Here¡¯s how to spoil your mom with thoughtful, budget-friendly gifts that hit the heart, not the bank balance.

Create a cute DIY coupon book and watch her melt. Something like: One free chai delivery, no TV soap spoilers for a week, or I won¡¯t argue today.

Grab a new masala dabba or just refill her current one with fresh spices and custom labels. She will bless you mid-sambar stir.

Start documenting your family¡¯s legendary biryani or her 5-step kadhi recipe. Print or handwrite it in a cute journal. It is sentimental and you are guaranteed more food experiments.

Make her a playlist of songs she used to sing around the house ¡ª from Lata Mangeshkar to AR Rahman. Add voice notes with ¡°Maa, this one¡¯s for you¡± intros. Cue the happy tears.

Take an old saree from her wardrobe and DIY it into a tote bag, cushion cover or framed wall art. Or best, curtains. It's vintage, emotional and stylish in a very Indian way.

Get her a few herb pots, paint them, and throw in seeds of her favourites ¡ª dhania, tulsi or even chilli. Low-cost, high-reward and very satisfying to watch grow.

Print retro family photos, or just your mom's portraits pop them in a DIY frame or scrapbook. Add little captions like, ¡°When you still called me cute.' Or just do a photoshoot of her!