I was reminded of this when I walked into Walgreens this afternoon and saw the countless amounts of cards and little knick-knacks. Do not get me wrong, some of those little gifts are cute and all, but they tend to be the type of gift that gets displayed for a little bit of time and then slowly disappear into a corner or a box. The gifts were bought with money, not love. I personally would prefer a homemade card over a box of chocolates, more lotion and perfume, or a fake flower.

In these days, you may even prefer making something over buying something. For instance, would you rather make a card from the materials that you already have at home, or spend $2 on a card and the time to go buy the card? While $2 could save your behind on Mother’s Day, your homemade card may work even better!

So, what can you do besides buy things for your mom? One idea would be to treat your mom to your own “homemade” spa. Give your mom a pedicure, well, at least to the best of your ability, or paint her nails. Maybe even, give her a back massage. Besides a spa, another idea would be to give her breakfast in bed. Going for a walk with her or cleaning the house for her are things that I have done in the past. Your mom probably does not care about the gifts as much as she cares about spending the day with you. So, treat your mom as if this day was all about her, because it is!

Stay off your cell phone for the day and devote your attention to your mom. She has probably taken care of you for a while, so the least you could do is to give her one day.

Try staying away from the little gifts and give your mom something that means something, love!

This website reminds me of a large craft bazaar-only much larger. You will not only find a great gift for mom, you will probably be tempted to buy yourself something (or two). Etsy’s shop keepers also keep the prices very reasonable, which only adds to the appeal. You could spend hours here searching in what may seem a bit of a hodge-podge of  an art gallery.

Etsy is not only fun to browse, it is also easy to navigate to find exactly what you’re looking for. Once you’re on the homepage, look to your left, and you will see the list of categories which list the types of products. Click on one type of item (such as accessories), and you’ll find yet another list on your left of the subcategories. You also can search for specific items by typing in keywords in the search bar above.  If you need some great ideas on where to start, you c.an browse Etsy’s Gift Guides and Editor’s Picks.

You must register for free on Etsy to buy and access special features, set up your own shop, and participate in the community. What is really great about Etsy, though, is that you can buy really unique and quality handmade items. This is not only a great place to find eco-conscious gifts and items. It’s also an easy way to support small business and thus stimulate the economy.

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and if you have not picked out your gift for your mom, you may be interested in how much the average American spends and on what item for Mother’s Day gifts. According to BIGresearch the top items are:

• A Special Outing (like dinner or breakfast) – $25.48
• Jewelry – $23.80
• Flowers – $17.65
• Gift Certificate – $13.89

When I see this list one thing really jumps out at me…. where can you get any jewelry item for $23.80?!?

No matter, pick up something nice for your mom, I am sure she deserves it!