Mother's Day Flowers

Flowers are the most-purchased Mother's Day gift, and two-thirds of consumers plan to pick up a bouquet for Mom this year. They can be expensive though. Kelli Grant, Senior Consumer Reporter for SmartMoney.com, discusses how to make sure you're getting a good value.

Order as early as you can. Some vendors offer fewer sales and higher delivery fees as the week progresses. You might also see more substitutions on late orders, since it's down to what the florist has on hand. You might pay premiums of up to $20 for delivery on Mother's Day weekend. Make sure you order by Thursday at the latest.

Hunt down the sales. Local florists and online sites both offer plenty of Mother's Day specials. Check their sites, as well as coupon code sites, for discounts. You might save up to 50% on a specific bouquet, or 20% site-wide.

Calculate total costs. That enticingly cheap online bouquet probably won't be once you factor in taxes, fees and delivery. That can easily add $20 to the bouquet cost. Some sites also charge $10 to $15 extra for a vase, or up to $15 extra to have it delivered by a certain time of day. Factor all that in when you're shopping around.

Even if you grab a cheap bunch of flowers from the corner store or supermarket, experts say you can easily rearrange them to look like a pricier bouquet. They suggest picking blooms of the same color. Or just get a few smaller bouquets of the same single type, like roses or tulips.

We did a test of some sites that ship bouquets, and it's safe to say that consumers should take preview pictures with a grain of salt when they're ordering. It's common for both sites and local florists to make substitutions. If it's important that Mom's bouquet have say, yellow roses, you may want to call a local florist and order an arrangement to your specifications.

For more information on Mother's Day savings and other consumer tips click here.