Easy Last Minute Mothers Day Gifts

How do you save yourself when Mother's Day arrives and you still don't have a gift for Mom? Think on your toes and you can see almost anything as an opportunity to squeeze out a convincing and even thoughtful gift.

Here are a handful of clever and low cost ideas that our staff came up with (we think some come from past experience, though nobody here is admitting anything).

1. Recipes by the Dozen

Armed with just a printer and some paper you can quickly whip up an impromptu and customized cookbook with Mom in mind. What kinds of food does she like? Is she a real kitchen maven or does she struggle to even make a PB&J?

Check out a popular recipe site where you can access print-friendly recipes categorized by skill level. Bind your pages, add a fancy cover and you're done.

2. Create a Customized Cell Phone Screensaver

Create a personalized cellphone screensaver for Mom. Choose from a wide selection of freeware and shareware programs that quickly guide you through the steps necessary to create a screensaver of family photos.

Red Dodo provides online templates you may easily customize with your own text. Then you simply download to Mom's cellphone.
Download a program like MobileShare 2.2. The program guides you in creating a cellphone screensaver from the photos and transitions you choose.

3. Make One Magazine Go Far

You're on your way to Mom's house without a Mother's Day gift, again. In retrospect a magazine subscription would have been an excellent idea had you thought of it a month ago. But for less than $5 you can still buy yourself some time.

Swing into the grocery or drug store and pick up a current issue of one of Mom's favorite magazines. Tell her she'll continue to receive one each month...and don't forgot to follow through!

4. Does Mom Like to Read?

If you have books of your own you might consider choosing a couple that she might enjoy. Think of this as the perfect second-hand book gift.

Who says a good book has to be brand new? If second hand bookstores can do it, so can you. You might even be able to free up some closet space at the same time.

5. Fill Mom's Gas Tank

This is by far not the cheapest Mother's Day gift these days, but if you show up at Mom's on Mother's Day, no gift and without a clue, remember that this can save you in a pinch.

You can even take it one step further and run her car through the car wash.

6. Dozens of Classic Novels in the Palm of Her Hand

Find an affordable flash drive for under $30. Then Download a couple of classic novels or biographies onto the drive.

Mom can simply plug the drive into a computer and access PDF files of copyright-free works. Search for classics like Moby Dick, Wuthering Heights, and The Odyssey.

7. Set Up a Virtual Family Reunion

Treat Mom to an online family conference call or full-blown, multi-media Internet meeting. Voice over Internet (VOIP) and video capabilities make a family gathering among far apart family members a very real possibility and memorable event.

Conference calls make it easy for large numbers of family and friends—anyone with a phone—to call into a central number at a planned date and time and connect with their loved ones.

Companies like iVisit, host virtual, private conference rooms for an affordable price and cater specifically to families. Invite family and friends to login and share video, documents, photos and even messaging tools.
For a simple telephone conference call, you can go with a free service like FreeConference.

8. Mom's Own Domain Name

Register your Mom's first and last name as a .com, .org, or .net. If she has a common name that is already registered, think of a phrase that describes who she is and what she likes.

Set up an appointment to show how she can use her new domain. Mention that she can have an online voice with a blog, and set this up for her using free blogging software such as WordPress or Blogger.