Mother's Day is Coming Up and Nerd Wallet Knows!

I got an email today from Matt over at Nerd Wallet

Without even knowing what the email was about I was excited, because I love the company's name. It's fun to say. Say it with me, "Nerd Wallet."

See! I told you!

Matt told me about this contest they're having over there...wait...over where? Why at Nerd Wallet of course.

Nerd Wallet is a financial literacy site that helps people stay out of debt and manage their money. Hey...maybe I should check them out. I'm terrible at managing money.

Anyhow, the contest works like this. Nerd Wallet wants to know what would be the best Mother's Day present for $25 and under. The winner gets $1000! So here's my answer.

Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday. It should be Mother's Day every day, because moms are awesome, and let's face it, if it wasn't for your mom, you wouldn't be here on this planet.

But you know who makes money on Mother's Day? Greeting card companies and florists. Cards and flowers are overrated.

Here's what I think would be an awesome Mother's day present, take some family photos that you love (from your digital camera, phone or that you've already posted on Facebook) and combine them to make a photo book.

I love the photo books that Shutterfly makes. You can see them here. They're on sale for 40 % off right now and the prices start at 12.99.

Giving a photo book is meaningful way to express gratitude to the maternal one. It's also an excellent example of a gift that is thoughtful, but doesn't break your bank account.

 By the way, Shutterfly has no idea that I'm telling you this, and I'm not getting paid to say it. They're just awesome, and I thought you should know. So now you know! 

I love this gift idea for mother's day because it's personal. When you see pictures of your family compiled in a book, it feels like your partner put thought into their present. And it's something that you can look at for years to come. The nice thing about photo books as opposed to albums is that you don't have to worry about the physical pictures becoming weathered or damaged. The pictures and the memories are still there; they're just on printed paper.

The other thing that's special about this gift is that it allows the gift giver to express creativity. You can personalize your photo book in so many ways. No two photo books look the same.

What do you think would make an awesome Mother's Day present for $25 and under? If you think you've got a great idea enter Nerd Wallet's Contest! You could win $1000!