Gifts on a Budget: Mother’s Day Steals and Deals

By Jodi Furman on May 2, 2012

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Mother’s Day is all about showing one of the most important women in your life how much she means to you - but at the same time, the last thing your mother would want you to do is empty your wallet!

Jodi Furman, the savvy shopping guru from LiveFabuLESS.com, has tips that will make your Mother’s Day money go further and still make mom feel more special than ever. Get mom some pampering or a great gift basket or even a gadget for less with these fabuLESS tips!

Spa Certificates

Check for daily deals for spa services on Groupon, Living Social and other 'daily deal' sites that may offer 50% or more off of retail for popular spa services. SpaFinder.com will often run a nice discount on their gift cards just before Mother’s Day. Their gift cards are accepted at many spas nationwide so it gives your mom the option of redeeming her gift card at the spa of her choice, at the location of her choice.

Restaurant Certificates

Many restaurants will offer Mother’s Day specials that might include a discounted gift certificate or bonus gift certificate. PlasticJungle.com offers gift cards with a discount up to 35% off retail. Restaurant.com is a popular option and offers gift certificates for as low as $2 for a $25 gift certificate. Some do have some restrictions on minimum spending or have date restrictions, but they're still a fantastic deal. Also, if you have credit card points to redeem, many rewards programs offer a slight discount when you redeem points for gift cards for national chain restaurants.

Chocolates and Fruit Baskets

Amazon has a great selection of both chocolate and fruit baskets. If you spend more than $25 or have an Amazon Prime membership (Get a 30-day free trial), you'll get free two-day shipping with no minimum spend required. By ordering through Amazon, there will be no special handling surcharges or delivery charge. The site has a great fruit basket selection and chocolate basket selection. Other excellent options include Harry & David, which is certain to issue a coupon code for a discount just in time for Mother’s Day, and if you first click through Ebates, you will receive 8% off your purchase price back.

Electronic Gadgets

Most large retail stores will have major discounts on mom-centric electronic gadgets in the days and weeks prior to Mother’s Day. Even if an item has already been purchased, many stores and websites have a price adjustment policy that will allow a refund for the difference between the current price and the price you paid. Also, many stores, including Target, Walmart and Best Buy will match their competitors' prices. Just bring in the competitors' ad and get a price match.

Amazon is also a great place for deals on electronics. Their daily deals and 'lightning' deals, as well as low prices and free shipping make it simple and cheaper to purchase gifts. Additionally, you can use the Camelizer plug-in or their website to track Amazon’s constantly fluctuating prices.

Flowers

If you live local to your mom, consider picking up flowers from a local grocery or warehouse store and delivering them yourself to save upwards of 80%. If you’re not local, consider purchasing from a florist shop that is local to your mom. Ask the florist which flowers are local and in season. By selecting those blooms that haven’t traveled halfway around the world, the flowers are likely to be fresher and your dollar is sure to stretch even further. Another option is to have the flowers delivered a few days earlier and to beat the rush as well as to avoid the inflated prices that you’ll pay for Mother’s Day delivery.

Want more great ideas? Check out our 2012 ModernMom Mother's Day Gift Guide!

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