Gift Ideas for Moms, Dads, and Grads!

It seems like the holiday seasons keep coming and now what a better time to introduce MotherGraduFathers Day, the time of year from early May to mid-June when Americans are spending more than $20 billion on gifts for Moms, Dads and Grads. So whom do you love? Is more money spent on Moms or Dads? Is cash the best way to go for a new Grad? ShopLocal.com blogger and shopping expert Eva Yusa, also known as Eva the Shopping Diva, joins with tips and trends on getting the most out of your MotherGraduFathers Day shopping. MotherGraduFathers Day Stats and Tips * Typically, Americans spend more on Mom than on dear old Dad ($11.4 billion versus $8.2 billion) * MotherGraduFathers Day is the third biggest retail season of the year (after Christmas and Back to School) * There are more graduations than ever before, with people celebrating pre-school, kindergarten and junior high school ceremonies as well as the traditional high school and college festivities Some of Evas tips: * Technology is putting a new spin on traditional gifts, like digital picture frames on which you can dock computer camera cards and display a slide show of favorite photos. Comparison shop! Jewelry is a huge Internet search mover around Mothers Day, and you can use the Internet to get great ideas and then comparison shop to get the best prices on the items you want. * Buy in bulk a lot of people have to buy more than one gift during MotherGraduFathers Day, so check off your list quickly by purchasing the same thing for everyone on your Mothers, Fathers and Graduation list not only can it save time and money, but it can also save headaches. * How do you handle gifts for the pre-high school graduations? Eva will take you through the etiquette of buying for the little ones. More about Eva the Shopping Diva: Eva Yusa, known as Eva the Shopping Diva and shopping efficiency expert for ShopLocal.com, has talent for spotting whats hot and a gift for helping people find the best deals online and in stores. A merchandising manager for ShopLocal.com, the Chicago-based Web-to-store comparison shopping site, Yusa maintains a national shopping blog under the moniker Eva the Shopping Diva. In addition to timely postings on the latest in gifts, fashion, accessories, housewares and more, Yusa uses this forum to review other aspects of the consumer shopping experience. Prior to becoming Eva the Shopping Diva, Yusa served as a fashion stylist for catalogues and print and broadcast advertising. She also has extensive experience working in theatre, commercials and film. A native of Chicago and graduate of the University of Chicago (bachelors of arts degree in English literature), Yusa resides in Chicago with her husband, musician David Singer.