Each week, our resident Couponista, Amy Leneker, shares her personal shopping experiences and extreme couponing tips so that you too can be a Coupon Expert!

Mother’s day is right around the corner – are you ready? If you haven’t started shopping yet, don’t worry! You still have a few days to score the perfect gift. Ultimate Coupons makes it easy to save money on Mother’s Day gifts – they compiled a long list of Mother’s Day coupons to help you save on flowers, gift baskets and more.

In order to find the perfect gift, first take a few minutes to reflect on your mom (or aunt, or sister, or whomever you are honoring this mother’s day). What does she enjoy? What would make her smile? Here are a few ideas to consider.

Flowers: An Oldie but a Goodie

Flowers make not be one of the most creative ideas in the book, but they are often one of the most appreciated. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t like getting flowers?! I recently placed an order with ProFlowers and it was so simple. Their website was easy to navigate and from start to finish, it took less than 10 minutes. And that included the time it took me to come up with a cute rhyme for the card from the grandkids! Make sure and check the Ultimate Coupons site before you order because they have a coupon offer for ProFlowers.

Photo Gifts

Have you noticed that these days you can put a photo on just about anything? Costco offers some fun and creative photo gifts, including canvas wrapped prints, coffee mugs, and even stationery. They also offer photo books - I love giving photo books as gifts. Depending on the size of your photo book, it doesn’t take long to assemble – you just click and drag the photos you want to use. Shutterfly (and dozens other places) offer photo books, too, so just find the one you like best and voila! Mother’s day gift magic. Another bonus? You can order multiple copies of the book for all the grandmas (and great grandmas!) on your shopping list.

Dinner Out: No Cooking Required!

Unless the mom on your list simply loves to cook, I bet she would love a chance to take a break from the kitchen. Check out restaurant.com for participating restaurants – you can save as much as 90 percent off gift certificates! Another option is to purchase a meal plan from a “cook and carry.” One of my favorites is Dinners Done Right. All of the ingredients are spread out for you and you simply assemble the dishes. It is the closest I ever feel to channeling Martha Stewart! If you want to pay a slightly higher fee, Dinners Done Right will assemble the meals for you and you simply drive by and pick them up.

Gifts from the Heart: Think Outside the Wallet

I know it might sound cheesy, but the best mother’s day gifts don’t cost a thing (dear husband, if you are reading this blog, feel free to stick to the list I gave you!). For mother’s day last year, we hosted both grandmas for brunch. Our son made homemade place cards and took his waiter role very seriously. Then after brunch he sang a song to the grandmas – he sang “What a wonderful world.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when he was done! Granted, I had to encourage him to do with a little maternal guilt and the promise of a new Lego set, but it was priceless. We captured it on video and it melts my heart to this day.

So, if you haven’t started shopping yet, don’t worry! It may turn out that you don’t need to buy anything at all. And if you do need to buy something, Ultimate Coupons has a list of Mother’s Day coupons just for you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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