Forget the winter holidays — spring is one of the most stressful times of year for gift shopping.
Hear me out! That’s not to say that everyone on your holiday gift list isn’t equally important, or that you don’t put due thought into giving those gifts. But there’s just something about Mother’s Day and school graduations that raises the gifting stakes a notch or two this time of year. After all, we’re honoring the moms and other motherly figures that have guided us through our lives, and celebrating the accomplishments of young folks as we help guide them from high school or college into the real world. It just calls for something a little more meaningful — or at least elevated — whether you’re giving a gift that’s practical, sentimental or fun.
Thoughtful Mother’s Day gifts for mom and celebratory gifts for new grads don’t have to cost a ton, though! From tech helpers to relaxation essentials, there are plenty of ways to show your appreciation or congratulations to those that matter most this spring. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of our favorite picks for a variety of price ranges, to ensure that you can still celebrate them properly at any budget.
Shop our picks by price:
- Under $25
- Under $50
- Under $100
- Under $200
Gifts for Moms and Grads Under $25
PureWine The Wand Wine Purifier
Once you’ve graduated college — and even more so when you’re 30+ — hangovers come at you quick! Fortunately, this handy little wine purifier can help moms and new college grads avoid sulfite allergies and wine-induced headaches with a simple stir. It absorbs the sulfites and histamines in red, white and sparkling wine via a pouch of food-grade resin beads (kind of like a tea bag), and they’re totally FDA-compliant and BPA-free.
Price: $11.99 for 3 at Amazon
Lonely Planet’s Where to Go When: The Ultimate Month-by-Month Travel Planner
If you’re shopping for a new grad who’s planning a gap year or hoping to explore the world with limited vacation days from their brand new job, this handy guide will be a great inspiration. Organized by month, it pinpoints the perfect time of year to visit hundreds of destinations around the globe, whether they’re into nature, culture, food, relaxation or adventure. The month-by-month format is also perfect for moms, so she can plan some trips when the kids are off from school — and some other kid-free girls’ trips too!
Price: $19.69 (orig. $24.99) at Amazon
Gifts for Moms and Grads Under $50
TheraICE Migraine Relief Cap PRO
If there’s one thing moms desperately need, it’s a few minutes of peace — eyes closed and ears covered while someone else takes the reins on the kids for a bit. That’s where this headache cap comes into play, with concentrated pressure zones, light-blocking material and cooling gel for the ultimate relief. Between this and the foot massager below, mom will be pampered from head to toe! (P.S. It’s also handy for general stress and hangovers, so it makes a great graduation gift, too.)
Price: $39.95 at Amazon
Wonderbly Mother’s Day Books
Wonderbly has long been a treasure for gifting adorable, personalized story books for little ones, but they also make beautiful books for adults’ special occasions as well. There are dozens of customizable options for Mother’s Day, including books for first-time moms from daddy and baby, cute stories from little ones to mom, and celebratory books from adult children to their own moms. Plus, they’re all 20% off for a limited time!
Price: From $34.99 (orig. $44.99) at Wonderbly
Nestl Backrest Reading Pillow
All moms deserve a little “me” time to catch up on their latest read, and this cozy back support pillow is the perfect companion. It’s also the ideal gift for high school grads getting ready to move into a dorm, or college grads moving into a small apartment with roommates. It easily turns any bed into an instant reading nook or an otherwise cozy place to relax and unwind before actually heading off to slumberland. It comes in lots of pretty color options, and there are even three convenient pockets on the sides to stash a book, their phone, the TV remote and whatever else they need on hand.
Price: $37.49 (orig. $49.99) at Walmart
Gifts for Moms and Grads Under $100
Nekteck Shiatsu Foot Massager
A shiatsu foot massager is perfect for anyone that’s on their feet all day, whether they’ve been chasing around little ones or working the floor at their retail job. This fan-favorite choice offers three modes: kneading and rolling massage, low- or high-intensity air pressure massage, or a combination of both. Plus, any massage mode can be combined with optional heat for maximum relaxation and a much-deserved, indulgent self-care moment.
Price: $75.59 (orig. $99.99) at Amazon
Soolla Studio Hobby Bag
As the screen-free cozy hobby trend grows across all age groups, hobby bags are having a moment as a much-needed place to stash — and transport — a variety of hobby-related essentials. Maybe mom needs a neat place to organize her knitting and needlepoint tools, or maybe the new grad needs to rein in their growing collection of cozy hobby accoutrements. Either way, this hobby bag has tons of small pockets on the outside for easy access to paintbrushes, markers, crochet hooks and any other small tools, and a large interior for everything from scrapbooking journals, adult coloring books, knitting projects, puzzles and more. The heavy duty canvas tote comes in lots of fun colors and it’s machine-washable — so there’s no worries about paint spills or grass stains when taking their hobbies out into the wild.
Price: $65 at Amazon
Online Cooking Class – Pancakes and Mimosas Pajama Brunch
If mom is more into experiences, treat her to a live and interactive online cooking class that the both of you can share. There are lots to choose from at Cozymeal, but this Pajama Brunch, in particular, sounds super yummy. It offers guided instructions to whip up some fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote, crispy peppered bacon and mouthwatering mango mimosas. Cheers to that!
Price: $39 per person at Cozymeal
Nova Birthstone Necklace with Engraved Names
This beautiful birthstone necklace would make a truly heartfelt Mother’s Day gift. You can customize the number of beads as well as the inscription and birthstone on each to coordinate with her children’s birthdays. Choose from silver, gold-plated or gold vermeil to suit her style. It can also be customized to commemorate grad year and school colors, making it a great choice for a graduation gift, too. (P.S. There’s also a version with pretty rings and a beautiful heart necklace, if you like the sentiment but prefer a different style!)
Price: From $81 at Theo Grace
Gifts for Moms and Grads Under $200
BÉIS The Weekender
This is the perfect gift for moms treating themselves to a little weekend away, or for grads already planning their weekend trips home from college. The main compartment opens nice and wide for easy packing and unpacking, and the bottom compartment keeps shoes or toiletries separate from clothes. Plus, the zipper pocket on the back doubles as a trolley sleeve to slip over your rolling luggage handle for travel-day ease. It comes in a handful of gorgeous colors — and the black, olive and maple options would work great for guys, too.
Price: $108 at BÉIS
Ottocast Cabin Care Wireless CarPlay Adapter
All moms have eyes on the back of their heads, but this takes it to a new level! Whether she’s a new mom, a toddler mom or even a dog mom, this rear-seat monitoring adapter will allow her to see what’s going on back there with a simple glance at her dashboard display. It’s an easy-to-set-up solution to keep everyone safer and provide peace of mind.
Price: $105 at Ottocast
KODAK Dock Plus 4×6” Photo Printer
An easy-to-use, dockable photo printer is the perfect Mother’s Day gift for a mom or grandma because she probably has a ton of pics of the kids just trapped on her phone. This way, she can print them out, frame them, put ’em on the fridge, add them to a scrapbook — whatever! It’s also a great gift for grads for the same reason, except swap “kids” for those otherwise evanescent high school or college memories. It’ll come in handy for commemorating all of their brand new experiences ahead, too. (If you’re feeling generous, you could also toss in an extra refill for the ink cartridge and photo paper.)
Price: $139.99 at Amazon
Solawave Eye Recovery Pro Red Light Therapy Mask
Perfect for tired mamas or high school grads heading off to all-night college parties (I mean, study sessions), this red light therapy eye mask is truly a sight for sore eyes. It helps reduce the appearance of crow’s feet, frown lines, puffiness, dark circles, under-eye bags and other signs of fatigue. Whether they were up with baby all night or cramming for a midterm, they can still face the day bright-eyed!
Price: $189 at Ulta
The post The Spring Gifting Guide for Moms and Grads: What to Gift On Any Budget appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
