Father’s Day is approaching and with the constant commercial reminders, it’s easy to feel obligated to spend lots of money rather than take time to acknowledge and celebrate the father or fathers in your life.
If you are skint but want to make the day special here is a list of things you can do.
Get the kids to make a card
You can’t fault a handmade card from a child. I personally think handmade cards are so much more sentimental than a purchased card. If you have young children, getting them to make a card will also be a fun and interesting activity. Let your child be creative and expressive in making their card for their dad. Whatever they make will be valued.
Gift dad some time
When you think of Father’s Day, you usually think of spending time with the father. But if you are watching the pennies, you can gift them some time to be on their own to do whatever they want, guilt-free. That could be watching uninterrupted TV on the sofa, time down the pub, time in their ‘man cave’ doing God knows what. Basically, time to themselves to be free and in peace while you watch the kids. For some mothers, this gift could be quite annoying and unfair but it’s free and will probably be greatly appreciated.
Give them their favourite treats…
If you’re strapped for cash, take a trip to the supermarket. Why not buy all their favourite snacks and drinks rather than some expensive present? You might benefit from some supermarket deals too. You could buy their favourite alcohol (which will go down well if you’re also gifting them time in their ‘man cave’) or perhaps add some things they haven’t tried before, and always wanted to. Put all their favourite treats and surprises in a fancy gift bag and I’m sure they will feel special that what they enjoy has been carefully considered and curated. All this for a budget you can manage.
Cook A Meal at Home Rather Than Go to a Restaurant
I love eating out, but let’s face it, it’s expensive. Especially when it’s a family affair you have to pay for. A meal out can cost the best part of a week’s food shop. So why not cook some special dishes at home. Even if you can’t cook, a fancy ready-made meal will do. It’s Father’s Day, so make sure the meal is geared around their preference. Unless the father you are catering for is a vegetarian or is teetotal, you can’t go wrong with meat and beer. What my husband is getting for this Father’s Day is a Mexican meal along with lime infused lager cocktails in salt encrusted glasses.
Lazy Spicy Beef Nachos
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 large bags of plain nachos
200g of grated cheese
A large pack of beef minced cooked as a chilli
A tub of sour cream
A tub of guacamole
A tub of salsa
A jar of jalapeño peppers
Spread all the nachos in a large baking tray and add the grated cheese across the nachos
Put the nachos covered in cheese in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Take the nachos out of the oven and spread on a large serving dish. Then place the chilli beef mixture on top of the nachos.
With a spoon, drop dollops of sour cream, guacamole and salsa all over the chilli. Add jalapeño peppers on top.
Then enjoy!
Lager and Lime Cocktail with salt-encrusted glasses
Freeze the amount of glasses you need for at most 20 minutes. (Be aware glass can crack if left in the freezer for too long)
Take out the glasses and there should be a mist covering each glass
Cut limes in quarters lengthwise.
You need enough limes so that each glass has a quarter of a lime
Get one quarter of a lime and slice it slightly in the middle and smear each glass with the juice of the lime
Then rub the rim of each glass in ground salt on the plate. The salt should stick to the lime juice on each rim.
Pour the larger in each glass and either place the quarter of lime in each drink or wedge the lime onto the rim of each glass.
Finally…
Be Nice
If you really can’t afford to buy a gift, one thing you can do is show compassion, love and appreciation. Let the person who is celebrated on Father’s Day feel your warmth and loving kindness. Even if it’s just for 24 hours. Pick your battles with this Father being celebrated on this day. Listen to them, let them feel special, make them a cup of tea. Do things they enjoy. Father’s Day doesn’t have to be a day of materialism. Ultimately, it’s a day to let them know that their role as a father is acknowledged, hopefully, appreciated and loved.
Author Bio
Denise is a mama of two who is passionate about empowering women through health and fitness. www.themamaprojectonline.com Catch her on social media at @afrosandhightea
*All thoughts and opinions remain the authors own and do not necessarily reflect the sentiments of Sareta Fontaine.
