Recently a site called Eversave ran a Mother’s Day survey. Of the 187 women who answered, just over 42 percent craved “a clean house” as much as a day at the spa.
Note: They did not say they craved to clean house, but to have a clean house. Big difference there.
If you can afford it, why not grant both wishes? Spa services are among the most frequently offered deals at social commerce sites such as Eversave, Groupon, Living Social, SocialBuy or Buy With Me. Eversave happens to be running a “Mom-A-Thon” this week, with hot regional deals on restaurants, spas, cleaning services and floral delivery in 15 U.S. markets.
Quick aside: Plenty of mums do love flowers. I like pretty blooms myself. But why cut flowers? Why not have a small flowering plant delivered, or select a rose bush or flowering shrub you know she’s been craving? You’ll earn good-child points for helping site and dig if you live nearby, or for arranging someone else to site and dig if you’re six states away.
More ways to save
If you’re new to these sites, you may get a sign-up bonus that will further reduce the cost of your purchase. For extra credit: You might be able to purchase your voucher through a cash-back shopping site such as Mr. Rebates or Ebates, thereby carving another 3 to 8 percent off the purchase price.
Don’t see a deal you like? Check out the secondary market for social commerce deals: Lifesta, DealsGoRound and Coup Recoup might be able to give you another shot at that lovely day spa or interesting new neighborhood restaurant.
The Internet is loaded with daily deal sites that deliver not just startling price points but also free shipping codes. Two I can recommend from personal experience are Savings.com and My Bargain Buddy. Swagbucks has some swell deals too, such as 50 percent off from ProFlowers.com plus 675 SBs. (Not yet a customer? Please consider joining from the widget elsewhere on this page. This would mean a referral bonus for me.)
You might have your own favorite shopping sites. Go with what works, but don’t wait too much longer if you want the spa cards or sparklies delivered on time.
And if you must do flowers? Some of the highest rates at cash-back sites are through floral services. Social commerce sites are likely to be running specials, too.
(Note: The hyperlinks to five of the above companies – Groupon, Eversave, Buy With Me, Mr. Rebates and Ebates – include referral codes that net me a small percentage of any items purchased. If you prefer to bypass those links, just seek the companies out through a search engine. As previously noted, joining Swagbucks from the widget on this site would mean a referral bonus for me; you may decide to join on your own, or using someone else’s referral. I urge you to join Swagbucks somehow, because it is a swell program.)
I love searching for online codes. One time, less than 5 minutes work netted me a $10 savings.
@Harry: You kick frugal patoot. I’ve seen your videos!
We do flowers every Mother’s day, but like you said not cut flowers, usually a hanging plantar or filled pot. My folks have a screened-in patio that during the nicer weather they sit in every evening relaxing & reading. Mom loves to have flowers in the summer, so a potted plant/flower arrangement is something she can enjoy the whole summer, not just for a week or so like cut flowers.
Also, we could probably save a few bucks with one of the listed sites, but we have a couple of local garden centers that do some absolutely beautiful potted arrangements for a reasonable price, so we can support a small local business owner that way.
Mom’s gone now but while she was still here, she was very easy to please. All she ever wanted was money. ;o)
Social buying is an awesome way to include those niceties in life that frugality usually doesn’t include in one’s budget.
Recently I purchased through social buying: house cleaning services, massages and mother’s day flowers for my mom and MIL
On the topic of online codes – I recently netted a savings of over $50 through use of online codes (and loyalty rewards) – I purchased a badly needed shelf unit (to store my “free” and cheap drugstore purchases) from OD and recieved a free overnight bag set valued at $29 (I really needed a new overnight kit), $9 off my purchase, and free shipping. So, my $88 purchase cost me $44.00 OOP.
@Ro in SD: What thoughtful Mother’s Day gifts! Plus some smart shopping for yourself.
I tried giving plants once, but I think it ended up as a source of guilt/stress for my mom, who ended up having trouble keeping it happy. (I’ve since had my own struggles with the black thumb.) I switched my approach and will give her a treat to savor, instead. I look at Etsy for preserves that combine her favorite flavors – chocolate marmalade, lavender lemon curd, etc. I’ve recently found Heartsy, which offers the group discounts for etsy shops, so now I’m looking for places that offer the treats I buy.
@Bashtree: Can I be your mother, too?
Yea, I’m not a fan of flowers b/c they die so fast. But, potted plants are great!
I asked for tomato plants to kill for Mother’s day. They would probably be better off just skipping to the end and giving me a dead plant for my big day. It would probably be cheaper too!