If you are feeling discouraged because you are shopping for a Mother’s Day gift on a shoestring budget, don’t be. Mother’s Day gifts need not drain your bank account, especially since there are some amazingly affordable gifts that will fit almost any budget. While how people define “inexpensive” may vary, there are several thoughtful gifts that you can purchase under $20 to honor the mother in your life.

Photo Gifts

Giving photos is a clever, inexpensive Mother’s Day gift idea, according to Tory Johnson in a May 2009 “Good Morning America” feature on ABCNews.com. You can make a digital scrapbook or photo book on the Internet using a photo-editing website or you can take your photo-loaded USB drive or CD with you and hop into your local drug or department store to create a book using a photo kiosk. If you shop smart, you can even find a digital keychain that holds up to 40 photos for less than $20.

Gift Baskets

If your mom needs a little pampering, consider giving her a gift basket. A Mother’s Day brunch basket complete with eggs, chicken sausages, chocolate scones and a card or a spa basket consisting of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and soap can be created for less than $20, according to Diane Wilson of WTVD, a Raleigh, N.C., ABC News affiliate.

Books

For moms who like to read, consider giving a book or a gift certificate to the local bookstore for her to select her own book. If you know what genre of books your mom tends to read from, select something you think may piqué her interest. Parenting.com recommends “Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon” in its list of inexpensive Mother’s Day gifts.

Magazine Subscription

Setting up your mom with a subscription to a favorite magazine or one you think that she may enjoy is another affordable gift idea, according to Kiplinger.com. Since magazine subscriptions may take an issue or two after ordering before they start being mailed out, wrap a current issue of the magazine and present it to your mom with a card that says that you’ve given her the gift of a subscription.