Six Frugal Father’s Day Gifts

Father, Dad, Daddy, Daddy-o! It’s YOUR day!

You know you’d like to get him something nice, but maybe an expensive gift isn’t in the budget. These six frugal ideas for a special father are sure to make the father in your family feel loved and appreciated.

1. Let the children make him a T-shirt with their hand prints on it.
This craft is quite easy and your children will love the opportunity to make a mess just for Dad! Purchase fabric paints in Dad’s favorite colors and a new 100% cotton T-shirt for each child to decorate. Put the fabric paint on a disposable plate and then have the children place their hands on the shirt. Follow washing instructions after the paint has dried. You may want to have the children sign and date the shirt so Dad can see how much the children have grown.

2. Support Dad’s dreams by opening up a “dream fund” for him.
You don’t have to fill the entire fund up immediately, but you can add a little here and there every year to help him make his dream item a reality. Maybe you could save change in a decorative coin bank or contribute as little as $5.00 a month. Before long there will be a good sized amount in the account and he’ll be well on his way to getting that dream tool or new big screen TV.

3. Purchase a small ad in your local newspaper.
Many newspapers will run special advertisements for major holidays, and that would include Father’s Day. Run your own ad to let Dad know how much he means to you and how much you love him. Just remember to put his name on the ad & purchase that day’s paper (just in case he doesn’t get his own that day) or someone else’s dad might think the ad is for them!

4. Give Dad a gift card specifically for his next gas robbery fill up.
Gasoline prices change every day – and generally not in the most beneficial way for your wallet. Not only is this gift practical, it will also let him keep that much money in his pocket for the week. He can either put the money that he saves into his dream fund or splurge and take Mom out to dinner one night!

5. Dress up Dad’s grillin’ habit & poke some fun!
If he’s like most men, he has an uncontrollable urge to grill. Get him an awesome barbeque apron to celebrate his manliness. You could even get a solid color apron and decorate it yourself with those wonderful fabric paints the kids used on his shirts to write “Kiss the Cook” or “Never Trust a Skinny Cook.” Throw in some cool grilling toys just for fun!

6. Plan an outing for the entire family to enjoy on Father’s Day.
This might be something as simple as a picnic in the park to something more elaborate like an entire day of fishing or hiking with him. Whatever his favorite activity is – sports, tinkering, card games, or just watching TV – do that activity with him. He’ll appreciate it more than you contributing to his cheesy tie collection!

I hope these six frugal ideas for Father’s Day have helped inspire some creative ideas of your own. Remember, as long as you let Dad know you love him, he’s sure to be happy.

Chele Neisler is your host for Moms Love Shopping. As a mother of three boys, Chele is happy to have Moms Love Shopping as an outlet and a connection to other women. Spending every moment with all males isn’t easy! Hosting the show also allows her the chance to return to her two first loves, shopping and chatting.