Recession-Proof Gifts For Mother's Day

Mother's Day is somewhat of a recession-proof occasion. No matter how bad the economy is or how totally broke you are, you will still do something for Mother's Day. And in mom's eyes, an inexpensive gift is worth just as much as something expensive. It's the thought that counts. If you're totally broke, you can simply show up and spend the day being fed. At the very least, you could buy a Mother's Day card and write your heart out. For less than $25, you could pick one of these inexpensive Mother's Day gifts.

Still broke and can't get to mom's house? As a last resort, send a free Mother's Day eCard. Then pick up the phone and call her early on Mother's Day. You should call by 10am at the latest. Chances are she's up at 6am waiting. If you call after noon you're in the dog house.

Economic Stimulus Gifts

The U.S. Gov could have just sent the economic stimulus checks straight to the oil companies, because that's where they will eventually end up. In recent polls, most people indicate that high gas prices are putting the greatest strain on their budgets, causing them to cut back on non-essentials like morning coffee (Starbucks stock is in the toilet), which then results in billions in lost productivity at work because everyone is asleep by 10am. So here's a gift idea for your Economic Stimulus Check: buy a Shell gas card for someone so that they can fill up this month without worry.

It now costs me over $60 to fill up my tank and I drive a relatively small car. I can't imagine what it costs to fill up a big-ass SUV. Oil companies keep reporting unbelievable profits (something like 17 billion in the first quarter of 2008 - See article) and our government just wants to keep rewarding them with ideas like a summer gas tax break for consumers so they can do what? Buy more gas and send oil profits even higher. When is this twisted circle going to end? I don't know. I moved two blocks from work so that I could walk to work in Los Angeles.

It's Earth Day - Stop Using Plastic Grocery Bags!!!

Plastic grocery bags don't decompose. They last forever and spoil the environment. They are hard to recycle and often end up cluttering your kitchen drawer. Grocery stores like to use them because they are cheaper than paper bags.

It's time for you to make a difference. We all go to the grocery at some time or another. Get a reusable hemp or cotton grocery tote from ReusableBags.com and keep them in your car for when you go to the grocery. Ask your checkout clerk to use your reusable bag and be sure to frown at anyone in line behind you that didn't bring one.

This has to be a collective effort if it's going to have any kind of impact. Start shopping!

Bacon Gifts

I thought I had seen everything until I came upon Coastal Vineyards Bacon Club. I do enjoy bacon every once in a while. I've even put it on the turkey at thanksgiving to add extra flavor. But describing it as 'meat candy' is taking the concept of pig fat to a whole new level. I love the 'in your face' concept of this website and even if you don't order their products, you can have hours of fun sending the link to all of your vegetarian and vegan friends. In addition to the bacon club, they offer bacon gift baskets, t-shirts and more. This is perfect for Father's Day or as a get-well gift for anyone having triple bypass surgery. With all those brand new arteries, it's time once again to pig out.

Gifts for the Compulsive Traveler

I remember when I bought my first red suitcase. I thought I'd made the smartest travel purchase of my life. No more baggage claim confusion, no more fighting with other travelers over which black rolling travel bag belongs to whom, peace of mind and love all around - not. Apparently everyone else went to TJ Maxx and bought the same red luggage. I was right back at it, picking up other people's bags and causing mass hysteria. Color alone is not enough to distinguish your bag anymore. Purple, red, green, it's all out there. Here's where today's gift idea comes in really handy. Colorful luggage tags from Practical Design offer a great way to make your luggage stand out. They velcro on in seconds and won't come off on the conveyor belt. At only $5.99 Canadian, they're perfect for any compulsive traveler on your list and make a great stocking stuffer.

Back to My Gift Wishlist - The Honda FCX Clarity

The new Honda FCX Clarity is by far the best eco-friendly 'beyond my budget' gift idea. I've added it to my ultimate Earth Day wish list along with the Smart Fortwo. The FCX Clarity will be available in certain southern California cities for lease at $600/month. I've included the photo of the fuel cell here because this is the groundbreaking part of this car.

The biggest barrier to widespread distribution of the vehicle is the lack of refueling stations. A smart move would be to start opening up hydrogen refueling stations everywhere because this is the where the future lies. Here's an even bigger idea to jump-start the switch to fuel cell vehicles: As a promotion for the next few years, the government should subsidize the cost of hydrogen refueling. Make it a fraction of the cost of buying gasoline and see how fast consumers switch over. Read more about the Honda FCX.

Mother's Day is Coming Up

It's never to early to start thinking about gifts for mom. Mother's Day is one of the most important gift occasions of the year. Missing a birthday is one thing. Missing Mother's Day is a totally disasterous blunder and simply unacceptable. It's not so much the gift that counts, it's the thought that goes into it. You could send your mom a dried up daisy as long as you put your heart and soul into it. One option is to get crafty and make something totally unique that she can hang on her wall or display proudly on her desk. But if you're older than five, you might want to consider something fun for her garden along with some beautiful Mother's Day flowers. Flowers are a staple item that I always send along with and in addition to something unique, fun or interesting. You should have some idea of your mother's interests. With that knowledge, there are certainly some great books out there that would peak her interest. My mom is into fashion so I recently gave her Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design, available from Amazon.com. It was a huge hit. Gifts.com offers a cool way to shop for mom by her interests. They've organized gift ideas by 'decorator mom', 'stylish mom', 'gardening mom' and more. In the next few days I'll look at some additional great gift ideas to get your creative gifting brain going for Mom's special day.

Let's Keep the Tree Hugging Going! Earth Day is Upon Us.

Are you still looking for the perfect gift idea for Earth Day? Here's one that really speaks to the occasion. Plant a tree in someone's honor on Earth Day. If you can't get out there and dig in the mud yourself, the next best thing is to donate to a foundation that will plant trees for anyone you choose. The Arbor Day Foundation will plant trees in honor of any event including birthdays and graduations. Each dollar donated plants a tree in one of America's national forests. They will also send a certificate to the gift recipient indicating that trees have been planted in their name.

Even if you do give a tree as a gift, get out there on Earth Day and plant a few trees yourself. For more information on Earth Day events and getting involved, see this list for the United States.

Earth Day Gift: Power Your Parent's Home With Solar

I hate reading news stories every single summer about elderly people dying in their homes from the heat all because of a fear of high energy bills. They won't turn on the A/C with often tragic consequences. It's time to help out mom and dad and save the earth. It's time for solar power.

Here's a gift idea that, while expensive, could cut your parent's energy bills in half or out completely. Install a solar system to help cut energy costs. Yes, it can run anywhere from eight to fifteen thousand dollars but as more and more companies offer ready-made solar power systems for the home, we can expect the prices to drop dramatically. There's no reason why every home in California, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi and other sunny states couldn't be powered to some extent with solar energy. If elderly people knew that solar was powering their homes, they'd feel fine about running the air conditioning. Of course you would also be helping the environment and reducing our dependence on oil, coal and nuclear power.

One company offering systems is Wholesale Solar. Shop around as there are many companies jumping into this hot business. Or make it easier and call a solar solution provider such as Empire.

Gifts for Spring

What better way to enjoy the season than to get out and work in the garden. It's time to turn the vast frozen tundra of your backyard into a blanket of wildflowers. American Meadows has all the seeds you need to plant for late spring and summer. This is a great gift idea for the gardener. They also have a gift certificate so the recipient can choose the flowers of their choice and climate. So get out there and start digging!

An Apple for the Teacher - Gifts for Teacher's Day

Teacher's Day is Tuesday, May 6th this year. While the best gift we give teachers every year is a whole summer without the kids, it's nice to acknowledge their hard work throughout the school year with a nice gift basket or gift card for Teacher's Day. If you want to go the traditional route, you could send some delicious apples from Harry & David. They also have wonderful pears as well as the essential fruit of the month club. Here are some of the top Teacher's Day gift ideas courtesy of Gifts.com.

Maybe one year they will invent what the teacher really needs: eyes in the back of her head. Enjoy!

Carbon Credits for Earth Day

Continuing on my eco-friendly gift theme, today I wanted to look at the purchase of carbon credits as a gift. The idea of personal carbon credits and carbon trading is still in its infancy and designed to help countries meet their carbon reduction goals. Learn more about carbon credits for personal energy consumption at Wikipedia. As a gift idea, you could buy someone additional carbon credits when you know they are having a party and will need the extra energy. It seems like a stretch now, but carbon credits could eventually become great wedding gifts so that brides and grooms can feel better about flying around the world on a honeymoon vacation. All said and done, the concept of the carbon credit should get people to think about their energy usage and energy waste with the goal of reducing both for a cleaner environment.

The Wine Stopper - Perfect Wedding or Housewarming Gift

Winestoppershop.com has a great selection of wine stoppers in attractive designs. I especially like their stainless steel designs, perfect to go with todays high-tech kitchens. People can always use these and these inexpensive and attractive stoppers make a very nice gift. I know that I enjoy a nice glass of wine every day after work and before getting a stopper, I felt I needed to drink a whole bottle to avoid being wasteful. Now a bottle can last me up to a week. Find out more at Winestoppershop.com.

Spring is Here - Do Some Eco-Friendly Surfing

Know someone who could use a little outdoor time? Here's a fun, experiential gift idea for a college student or anyone heading to southern California. Surf eCo. in San Diego is offering eco-friendly private and semi-private surf lessons for all ages and experience levels. Learn surf ettiquete, safety and all the basics to get your wave on!

The Surf eCo site also has some tips on being green in addition to the wave height and weather concerns. For example, one should never surf after a big rain due to pollution runoff. See the Surf eCo site for more info.

Be Good To Mother Earth - Gifts for Earth Day

Green is the new red. What's hot is not just the gift but how much good the gift can do for the environment. I recently blogged about the Smart Car being one of the hottest new gift ideas. Well if the $12,000 price tag pushes it out of your gift-giving budget, another way to find eco-friendly gifts is the go-green gift advice from Gifts.com. They've got great ideas that go well beyond the dress made from recycled bottle tops. The gift idea from JustGive.org will let you help the environment in someone's name.

Grace Period for Sending a Wedding Gift Extended to 10 Years

It used to be that the friends of the happy couple had up to one year to send the wedding gift. Not any more according to the new rules adopted by the International Wedding Gift Research Council, a non-profit wedding gift think-tank based in Pleasantville, Florida.

"Now you can wait a few years and really think long and hard about what to send as a gift" says IWGRC president Doris McInerny. With the average wedding lasting only 3.4 years, many wedding guests and friends of the bride and groom can wait to send the wedding gift on the second or third wedding. "With our economy the way it is, we thought this would save people a lot of money" says Doris, who is married to her fourth husband Earl.

Be sure to set a reminder in your calendar for 2018 and happy gifting!