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| Mother’s Day 2026: Your Last Minute, Money-Saving Gift Guide |
Is it just us, or did Mother’s Day totally sneak up on you this year? If so, friend, you are not alone. The good news? You absolutely do not need a big budget or weeks of planning to make the mom or mother figure in your life feel incredibly special.
We’ve rounded up some of the best last-minute gift ideas that are thoughtful and won’t bust your budget. Some of them will actually cost next to nothing, but end up being the most meaningful.
Case in point, this gift idea from HerMoney reader Ramona: "My kids didn't have much money when they were in high school and college, so I'd ask them to join me for a picnic and board games in a park we didn't usually go to," she shares. "We'd pick out some gourmet (or not) favorites from the deli at the grocery store, then play board games on a blanket."
Morale of the story? It’s all about the memories, not the money spent. For the rest of the HerMoney-approved Mother’s Day gift guide, head here. |
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| This Week In Your Wallet |
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Wondering why your body wash costs more? This could be why. The war overseas isn’t just hitting you at the pump – higher energy prices are driving up the cost of chemicals, plastics and transportation, meaning everyday products like body wash (up nearly 8%) to bottled water (up nearly 6%) are getting pricier. "Plastic is at the core of this," Steve Zurek, vice president of NielsenIQ’s advanced analytics thought leadership team, tells Reuters, referring to the price increases. "Especially in the home and personal care categories, because they’ve got lots of plastic bottles and tubes."
If you have a donor-advised fund, watch this court case. Donor-advised funds, also known as DAFs, are popular with wealthy givers because they let you "bunch" donations for bigger tax breaks. But here’s the catch: once you contribute, you legally cede control of those funds to the DAF sponsor – you’re just an "adviser." A federal lawsuit is now testing how much say donors actually have. "This fight isn’t over whether donors have a legal right to require grants and specify recipients, because they don’t," reports The Wall Street Journal. "Instead, it’s about whether the donor is entitled to, say, receive information about the funds in the DAF, have grant recommendations considered, and communicate with the DAF sponsor." For more on the questions current and potential DAF donors should be asking, head here.
Local governments…they’re just like us. Much like household budgets, local governments are under financial pressure too – and in many cases are passing the cost on through higher property taxes. The average property tax bill rose 3% last year, driven by both municipal budget gaps and rising home values, according to The New York Times. The good news? There are ways to push back. Start by making sure you’re claiming every exemption you’re entitled to."They can include ‘homestead’ exemptions if the home is your primary residence or reduced rates for older people and disabled service members," reports the NYT. "Some states offer so-called ‘circuit breakers,’ a type of tax credit or rebate available to people whose property taxes are high relative to their incomes." |
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Your May Money Reset
(Without the Overwhelm!) |
We’re well into May now… and if you’re anything like us, that early spring energy to "get your life together" didn’t exactly go according to plan.
We had every intention of doing a full reset back in April — closets, calendars, finances, the whole thing… Instead? Life got busy. Work picked up. Expenses crept in quietly. And suddenly, here we are… halfway through Q2, wondering where all that good momentum went.
That’s exactly where Monarch comes in. It’s an all-in-one personal finance platform that pulls together your checking and savings accounts, credit cards, loans, and investments into a single, clear view. Because when everything is in one place, patterns become impossible to ignore. You’ll immediately be able to spot anything unusual — spending spikes, upcoming bills, shifts in your net worth — so nothing sneaks up on you. In a season of life where things move fast, that kind of clarity is everything.
Best of all? You can now use code HERMONEYFAM at Monarch.com to get 50% off your first year! In other words, if April didn’t go as planned, consider this your May reset. Your future self will thank you :) |
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| Things That Make You Money |
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| The Best Personal Finance Tips Of All Time – According To 35 Experts |
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When you look for financial advice, who do you turn to? According to a recent survey, Americans are still most likely to rely on friends and family for financial guidance, surpassing even financial advisors. Which tells us something: we are all still searching for someone we trust to cut through the noise and tell us what really matters.
That’s the idea behind Kiplinger’s recent cover story, "The Best Money Advice of All Time." In it, Diane Harris (the first and only woman ever to serve as editor of Money Magazine) asks 35 top personal finance voices one question: What’s the most impactful tip you’d pass along?
Harris recently joined the HerMoney podcast to share some of her favorite tips on the list, including one from financial therapist Megan McCoy. It has to do with the power of automation.
"So many pieces of advice rely on motivation and then they make people feel like they failed if they can’t do it," Harris explains. "Instead, it should just be the default…you make it easy for yourself to do the right thing."
In practice, that means automating your savings before the money ever hits your checking account. "The only way I’ve been able to save for a variety of things is by automating it," Harris says. "I set it up, and then I don’t think about it." |
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| Ask Jean |
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| Q: |
I am getting ready to pay off a credit card, which has an annual fee of $60. I don’t want to continue paying the annual fee, and would like to close it. Is this wise? |
| A: |
Closing a card can temporarily ding your credit score by increasing your utilization ratio — the amount of your total credit that you’re currently using — and shrinking your average account age. If you did decide to close this card, the hit would likely be small – but there are two smarter moves for you to consider.
First, call the credit card company and ask for a fee waiver. If you’ve been a good customer, they may be willing to give you a break.
Another option? Ask about a downgrade. One HerMoney staffer did exactly this recently – she swapped her fee card for a no-fee version at the same company, keeping her account history (and importantly, her credit score) intact. |
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| Submit your questions to Jean here. |
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