It's not that much less, actually – a poll by the National Retail Federation (whose slogan should be "SHOP! NOW!", just cuz that would be funny) found that people will spend 51 cents less this year than they did last year. That doesn't sound too bad.

What is slightly surprising is how much they spend, and how it breaks down by age. The overall average, says the survey, is $138.63; the number was $139.14 in 2007. But, according to Newsday, "if your child is in the 18- to 24-year-old age group…they'll be the big spenders, averaging $170.71 for their Mother's Day gift, up from $137.73 -- fourth out of five age groups -- in 2007."  One 22 year old is quoted as saying that he's spending less this year because of his pending college graduation. The article doesn't say whether or not his parents were footing the bill for school, but I'm going to guess that perhaps this fact could skew the data a bit. When mom and dad are paying off the credit card, hey, go nuts. Once it's your money? Uh-uh. (I acknowledge that this is a huge assumption that may not be true, so if I'm wrong, tell me in the comments.)

In my case, my gift-giving budget has increased with my income level, but at the same time, it's not about how much you spend. I learned that the hard way one year when I thought it would be okay to wait until Monday to give mom her present. I was pretty young at the time (maybe 10 or 11) and I had made something at school that wasn't ready yet. When I told mom on Sunday that I would give her the gift tomorrow, it became clear very quickly that this was not a good solution. I immediately went out and picked up something small – flowers, candy, a card – and brought it home. Problem solved, lesson learned. Don't mess with mom.

So, keeping in mind that it really is the thought that counts, does $135+ sound right to everyone? Too much? Not enough? How much are you planning to spend?

image: 123greetings.com