Let me guess: there’s an upcoming holiday, and you need coupon book ideas for a homemade gift? We’ve all been there. Coupon books are fantastic frugal gifts for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, birthdays, and they even work as part of an inexpensive gifts for teachers. But sometimes, in the panic of forgetting the holiday or the stress of trying to come up with the “perfect” gift, our brains shut off and we can’t think of anything to include.
Coupon books are a frugal person’s dream, but they’re great for things besides saving money. Coupon books lean heavily on experiences, time spent together, and showing you really know someone. All of those can really make someone feel loved! I know some of my favorite presents have been coupon books from my husband.
You can, of course find an editable, online template to print your own coupons. But grabbing a deck of good-quality index cards from Amazon and handwriting them works just as well.
To help you out, I’ve created this list of 101 coupon book ideas to jump start your creative juices. Many of these sections (mom, dad, kids, significant others, and friends) have a lot of overlap. This means you shouldn’t be afraid to look in the Dad section if you didn’t vibe with any of the ideas designed for your Mom.
You might also like: 100+ Frugal Gifts: Creative Ideas That Don’t Cost a Fortune
Love Coupon Book Ideas for Significant Others
- One back rub
- An afternoon doing their favorite hobby with them
- A week’s worth of homemade bagged lunches with love note
- One slow dance in the kitchen
- One day of doing their most hated chore
- A batch of homemade X (brownies, cookies, breakfast food, whatever)
- A weekend spent camping
- One book read out loud to each other
- An evening in front of a fire, cuddle up under blankets
- A tech-free day together
- One evening spent cooking dinner from youtube tutorial videos
- One mixtape or playlist
- An afternoon making bucket lists together
- A trip to the thrift store to pick out clothes you think the other would look good in
- One toe-curling kiss
- A week of daily compliments
- One moonlit walk
- A night with ice cream sundaes
- One romantic letter
- One night where you recreate your first date
- One hand-drawn doodle of the two of you
You might also like: 25 DIY Gifts for Boyfriend or Husband: Homemade Gifts He’ll Love
Ideas for Moms
- One day off diaper duty
- No whining or complaining for a whole day
- One bug, mouse, spider, or other pest disposed of for her
- Three grocery pick-ups
- An evening spent uninterrupted in the tub, reading a book, pampering, whatever she likes
- One thank you card for all her hard work
- One day of driving the kids’ carpool
- One girl’s night out
- Help organizing scrapbooks, photo albums, preparing a printed memory book, etc.
- An evening spent watching her favorite movies with her
- One foot rub
- An event “get out of jail free” card (for introverts)
- A night on the town (for extroverts)
- Time spent doing her favorite hobby with her
- Breakfast in bed
- Taking over her most hated chore for a week
- Help in her garden
- One “yes, mom” to end an argument
- A day to sleep in
- Unlimited hugs!
- Two loads of laundry (washed, dried, folded AND put away)
- Queen for a Day
You might also like: 12 Alternatives to Wrapping Paper: Frugal and Festive
Coupon Gift Ideas for Dads
- “Teach me anything about X” day (for Dads who have special skills and like to talk about them a lot)
- One head scratch/back scratch
- Take over all chores for a day
- One hour of uninterrupted “Dad time”
- Help washing the car(s)
- One night of game time (either board or video)
- A day to go fishing, hiking, or doing other favorite activity
- One afternoon nap
- No arguing for 24 hours
- Help finishing a project of Dad’s choice
- One GIANT bear hug
- Watching a sporting event with him
- New artwork for the office/workplace/fridge
- One “Dad controls the remote/car radio” day
- Help with cleaning the garage
- One cold beverage delivered to Dad’s easy chair
- One favorite dessert made special
- A night out with Mom
- One afternoon outing to a place of Dad’s choice
- One song composed in his honor
- Help organizing his bookshelf, tackle box, car, etc.
Coupons for Kids
- One hour of playing their favorite video games with them
- One afternoon at the park
- One batch of homemade slime
- 10 minutes later bedtime
- A ‘get out of chores free’ coupon, good for for 24 hours
- An afternoon of lego building, craft projects, or doing any other favorite activity
- Time spent making a batch of cookies together. Kids get to pick the additions (M&Ms, dark chocolate, Hershey’s kiss, raisins, whatever)
- One ‘one on one’ afternoon
- An hour learning silly dances together
- One trip to the library to check out movies, craft books, or whatever they’re interested in.
- An hour of room cleaning help
- A parent/child “date” to get a scoop of ice cream
- One day calling in sick to school
- An afternoon making blanket forts or nests and reading together
- One good tickle
- One ‘double dessert’ night
- A giant snowman building afternoon
- Three repetitions of listening to their favorite (and your least favorite) song from your phone
- One scavenger hunt ready for them when they get home from school
- An hour of snuggling and/or tackle rough-housing
- One indoor picnic-style dinner
DIY Coupon Book Ideas for Friends, Siblings, Neighbors, Cousins, etc.
- Babysitting
- Yard work (mowing, weed wacking, trimming trees or bushes, etc)
- A week’s worth of freezer meals
- Help moving things around the house/redecorating
- One all-you-can-eat, at home taco bar
- Dog walking / pet sitting
- Be their Uber for a day
- Help deep cleaning one trouble spot in their house
- Free borrowing privileges from your home library / movie collection / video games
- One tool, machine, or car part fixed for you
- One jam session with your instrument of choice
- One listening ear whenever you need
- An afternoon of pick up football, nail-painting, or whatever else they’re into
- A coffee shop catch-up ‘date’ on you
- One movie marathon with the saga of your choice
- One “make up your own” coupon
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