Flat broke, but still in the market for a Mother's Day gift? Check out Bookreporter.com's Mother's Day Contest. In addition to a variety of Mom-inspired reading material, they're also giving away 15 swanky-looking gift baskets. Their book choices are hit-or-miss (I'm sorry, but it will be a cold day in hell before I celebrate *my* mother with anything written by Dr. Laura), but the baskets themselves would make a lovely gift.

Labels: contests, Mother's Day

Sadly, some of us don't have $50 to spend on our mothers (even if said mothers are worth every penny). If you're shopping for Mom on a limited budget, we suggest hitting up your local Goodwill or Salvation Army for some delicious genre fiction. (Tip: Try to find paperbacks that don't smell like 1,000-year-old cigarettes.) You can usually find a solid stack of mystery or romance titles--you want at least five--for under $10. Tie the books up with some pretty ribbon* and give your mother the gift of a few afternoons' worth of mindless entertainment.

*This present works as-is, but if you're aiming for the coveted "She's the good child" position, we recommend combining it with a batch of cupcakes.

Labels: Gifts, Mother's Day

Many of us woke up this morning, glanced at our calendars, and realized: Sweet Georgia peaches, Mother's Day is this weekend. (Seriously, how did it sneak up on us like this?) So if you're in the market for a last-minute present, we're here to help.

For mothers who live far away, may we suggest a short-term membership to a Netflix-style book rental website? Sites like Booksfree.com offer 3-month memberships for under $50. And while that isn't the world's cheapest Mother's Day option, it has one great advantage: it's an online purchase, so you don't have to ship it, which means your mother will never know that you bought it for her at the last minute!

Labels: Gifts, Mother's Day