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There's such a classic routine for Mother's Day, but not so much for Father's Day, right? Maybe as a culture, we're way cooler acknowledging that women need pampering ... but guys are tough and never need a moment of love, self-care, and relaxation (except maybe in the form of some fly fishing). But that's not reality, is it?
Dads deserve love and care, too, and Father's Day gives us an excuse to plan something special for the man, whether he's the kind of dude who can get really into exploring the great outdoors or he's more interested in creative pursuits and some good museum time. Some of these ideas take more planning than others, but they're all relatively inexpensive, and many are absolutely free or under $10 -- perfect for families who want to spend time together on a budget.
That said, it's also totally cool if Father's Day has become a great excuse for mom to get some chill time while dad takes the kids out and does activities with them. To this end, we strongly recommend gifts to help give mom some alone time in the house. They're fun, they'll be beloved, and they're totally going to win the mom who gifts them at least an afternoon all to herself, which ... also sounds pretty darn good, I'm not going to lie.
And if big gifts or tons of planning ahead seems like more work than it needs to be for Father's Day this year, I recommend just ... offensive Father's Day cards. No, nobody should actually give one of these to him, but ... they're worth checking out. Or, of course, go ahead and do him the most major solid possible and build him an awesome outdoor barbecue area. This definitely won't be going over budget. Nope, uh-uh, not at all.