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Best Gifts For Mom: Dinner Out And Your Time According To Survey [Photos]

By Maat van Uitert
Published on: 02:08 PST, May 6, 2015

If you’re still scrambling for gifts for mom, search no more. All it takes is dinner out and your time to make her happy. A survey put out by The Christian Scientist Monitor reveals what Mom truly wants for Mother’s Day: a nice dinner out and a phone call.

The Christian Scientist Monitor polled 450 moms in their DealNews survey this week, and mothers reported a meal out with their family is one of the best gifts to satisfy them on Mother’s Day. Mom also reported that you have a 50-50 shot at making them happy with just a phone call – an average that seems paltry but far outweighs any other survey results.

That is, of course, unless you’re in elementary school or don’t have a phone (or live under a rock), in which case you better get her a card also, preferably one you made yourself. Cards came in at 19 percent, while flowers were a close 14 percent. And the survey revealed about 10 percent of moms get no gifts at all on Mother’s Day.

If you do get your mom gifts, be sure to get something she’ll love: Only 62 percent of mamas were happy with their Mother’s Day loot, while 38 percent reported they hated their gifts. About half of moms fake it, with 40 percent pretending to love it. And a shocking 10 percent of mothers surveyed returned their less-than-satisfactory Mother’s Day present. Seems you’ll do better with just a phone call.

Still want to get Mom something? According to U.S. News And World Report Money, the cost of a gift is less important than the thought behind it. A framed poem written in your handwriting is one of seven gifts she probably won’t return. Keeping trend with picture frames, you can also give her a framed photo of a special moment you shared with her, or consider spending a day together (more involved than just a phone call).

And since Mom could always use help around the house, assuming responsibility for her “to do” list or complete an “elbow grease” task are other gifts for Mom that will make her happy. Mow her yard or fix that leaky faucet she’s always complaining about.

Or take a hint from Ashton Kutcher: the actor reportedly surprised his mom with a remodel of her Iowa home for Mother’s Day.

U.S. News And World Report Money also suggests teaching her a new skill, if she’s been hounding you to teach her something.

The underlying theme with the best gifts for Mom isn’t expense or even receiving a tangible present. This year, give her gifts she can’t return: a meal outside the home with you or your time.

[Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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