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Mother’s Day is this weekend and chances are, you’ll be pulling up 1-800-FLOWERS from your speed dial and ordering a bunch of flowers. However, if you’re in a panic over what to get momma, especially beyond the standard red roses and chocolate-dipped strawberries, this list will help you on your way to buying her something sweet and useful.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The Atlantic is quoting research from IBISWorld that says we’re spending $20 billion on Valentine’s Day goodies for our Valentine’s. Almost $10.7 billion of it will be on dining out. Overall, the site says, two-thirds of the money is spent on food. So the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach apparently.

And despite being inundated with commercials for Jared’s and Kay’s, only $1.6 billion is spent on jewelry. Still a healthy amount.

More than half (56 percent), unsurprisingly, goes to our romantic partners. Or maybe it is a surprise. One would expect that the lion’s share would be for the significant other. But in some cases, that special someone is a friend (seven percent), family member (20 percent), or a pet (four percent).

Also unsurprisingly, men will be spending more on this holiday than women. The National Retail Federation says women expect to spend $53, but guys will spend $108. For all that we spend all year on lingerie, makeup, hair stylists, and all other things to look good and keep things nice, I think we deserve it ladies!

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Happy Christmas Eve everyone! You got one day left to fantasize about your Christmas presents. What are you wishing for? A winning lottery ticket? An iPad? A clean breakup? Obviously, we’d love to hear about your Christmas time fantasies but since we only have room to express our thoughts right here in this post, we’ll start off with the three items that each of us editors are coveting. Make sure to let us know what you would like for Christmas in the comments below because we know for a fact that Santa Claus checks for Madame Noire on the regular.

About This Episode

Stuck trying to find the perfect gift? In this episode we will show you two great gift giving ideas for the holidays or any occasion!

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WANT MORE HOME SAVVY? WATCH THESE EPISODES:

SEASON 2

• Episode 1: How to Install a Bathroom Vanity
• Episode 2: How to Install a Bathroom Faucet
• Episode 3: How to Save Money on Your Home Energy Bills
• Episode 4: Home Decor Tips
• Episode 5: How To Decorate For The Holidays
• Episode 6: How to Light Your Home For The Holidays

SEASON 1

• Episode 1: Creating a Container Garden
• Episode 2: How to Grow Vegetables at Home
• Episode 3: Interior Painting
• Episode 4: Closet Makeover
• Episode 5: Kitchen Backsplash

Between the kids, the friends, the co-workers and the significant other, the gift-giving season can be strenuous on the pockets. You strive to get everyone the perfect gift, while putting the trimmings on the Christmas tree, feeding the family on Christmas Day, and pleasing professional contacts with a great gift idea. But at what cost?

On average, Americans are expected to spend about $854 on gifts this holiday season alone, according to Yahoo! Finance. To some, that’s close to a week’s pay, which usually means cutting back extremely during the coming New Year. Minimize that expenditure and give inexpensive gifts that are more sentimental then the latest iPhone and you could have a win-win on your hands. Here are a few gift ideas that are budget-friendly, do-it-yourself, or simply straight from the heart, without costing you a whole paycheck in advance.

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Prepare and Give Your Tastiest Dish

One great idea to give this holiday if you are trying to budget while gift to a whole family is prepare and give your favorite dish or treat! Whether it is cookies, homemade candy or pie, or making something straight from the heart, something straight from your stove is a great gift for an entire family. It also saves on the money spent buying individual gifts. If someone has been raving about one of your scrumptious side dishes since Thanksgiving dinner, gift them one for Christmas. Or if baked goods like cookies are your specialty, bake a couple dozen and find a special holiday cookie tin. The only real cost is a little grocery money, elbow grease in the kitchen, and time.

Looking for a little more to add to your holiday plans besides the normal tree trimming, stocking stuffing, and gift giving festivities? With a little planning and a just few dollars, you can experience the holidays in many different ways.

So, put away your wallet, pull out your planner, and gather your friends and family, because with these nine cost-effective holiday plans, you’ll be celebrating the season without breaking the bank.

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Potluck Dinner/Cocktail Party

Nothing says the holidays more than the extra pounds you gain from eating grandma’s favorite Christmas sides. Spare grandma the extra man hours of cooking for the entire family. Gather her and a few friends for a Christmas potluck-style dinner and cocktail party. Not only is a potluck gathering cost-effective for everyone, but it brings a little variety (and maybe even a little competition!) to the dinner table.

Ask guests to cook their best dish (make sure no one doubles up) and have one designated person to serve as bartender. Grandma would be more than happy about saving her time and money this year!

Mississippi customers lined up before Black Friday opening in 2011. AP photo/The Commercial Appeal. Stan Carroll

Ahhh… Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving where most retailers open early and offer highly-discounted items to kick off the holiday shopping season. Or the day when shoppers run amok during the wee hours of the morning in the name of holiday cheer. Whichever definition you prefer.

For some people, Black Friday is totally worth the money-saving hype, and for some it’s not. For us, we look forward to Thanksgiving night where we browse through Black Friday store ads and map out our game plan for execution. To help you decide whether to partake in the Black Friday madness, we’ve outlined a few tips and ideas to see if it’s worth your while.

Key strategies that most retailers follow are competitor price-matching and placing their hottest items on the front of their Black Friday ads. This practice draws larger crowds and anticipates higher revenues year-over-year. The downside of this for most consumers is that these items are usually limited per store. For example, a store may only have 10 televisions to sell at an unbeatable price. If you’re not one of the first to purchase a particular item, you’re out of luck. To make sure you’re one of the ones to get the most out of this Black Friday’s sales, here is is what we’d advise.

First, avoid the crowds by making your purchases online. Most major retail outlets allow consumers the option to shop via their website. While shopping online, remember to use a major credit card and not a debit card to prevent identity fraud. Most banks will replace funds that were unauthorized out of your account, but you may have to wait as long as a week before your funds are replenished. A credit card company can release you of responsibility of fraudulent use by the time your next bill is due. (Please note: we do not promote using credit cards unless you pay off the balance in full to avoid finance charges.)

Second, prepare ahead of time by creating a budget and making a list of items you would like to purchase. Black Friday ads are available online up to two weeks before the big day. Start today, and you will still have enough time to browse your favorite stores ads and to execute your game plan. Also, remember to stay focused. Retailers will put doorbusters with great prices in their ads to lure you in. They’ll use creative marketing tactics to persuade you to purchase items you never intended. We are avid believers in staying within what you can afford, even during the holidays.

Last, don’t overlook smaller items that are most times overshadowed by 50 inch TVs and other flashy items. For example, if you are a new homeowner, Black Friday is the perfect time to purchase your smaller appliances, such as coffee pots, toasters, blenders, and more for as low as $5 each. Those same items can be used as gifts for other special occasions, such as bridal showers, birthdays, and housewarmings to name a few.

With these tips in hand, do you believe Black Friday is worth the money saving hype? Please share your thoughts.

Tai and Tarin Perry are financially savvy identical twin sisters, and investment bankers turned money saving experts at www.DoubleSavingDivas.com. You can also connect with them on their Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube Channel.

Join us on Facebook this Wednesday at 3pm when Madame Noire Business and the Double Saving Divas will be hosting a chat, covering all of your budgeting and money-saving questions. 

AP Photo/Facebook

Just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Facebook is pushing its new Gifts program, which officially launched in September and allows users to purchase physical items to send to friends or family.

At an event at the famed FAO Schwartz store in New York, the social network announced new retail partners, including babyGap, Brookstone, and Lindt. Users can also purchase online subscriptions as gifts, such as Hulu Plus or Pandora.

PC World spoke to Jeff Petrosillo, a senior e-commerce manager for L’Occitane, one of the new retail partners. L’Occitane will offer gifts starting at $19, he said, and using Facebook will be just one more way to sell products.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, users were able to use Facebook to give gifts to charities, and that will still be available, said Lee Linden, head of product for the gifts division. But the main focus for post-IPO Facebook is diversifying its revenue streams and attracting sales.

Additionally this week, Facebook announced updates to its mobile presence for both iOS and Android devices. On Wednesday, Facebook debuted its share button for mobile, its version of the re-tweet, allowing users to re-post an update or photo posted by a friend or Facebook page. It was originally available on Facebook’s mobile site, but with the debut of new versions of the Facebook app for iOS and Android yesterday, it is now more widely accessible.

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Okay, I know we’re all excited but everyone, please, just breathe.

One of the most popular Oprah themed shows in the history of her 25 year run was, of course, “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” The repeated phrase, “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!,” has become one of the most memorable moments in daytime television.  Well, OWN just announced that “Favorite Things” will be making a very special appearance next month.

Set to air on November 18th on OWN, this episode of “Favorite Things” will have Oprah surprise a group of unexpected military spouses.  This is sure to be one of those exciting yet emotional moments as military spouses tend to deal with so many trials and tribulations and can always use a break or big surprise. No matter what they receive, every giveaway is sure to be a “big moment.”  This special will be immediately followed by a new docu-series, Married to the Military: Alaska.

I don’t know about you all but ever since Oprah was still on and I realized (and accepted) that I was never going to get tickets to any “Favorite Things” episode, I find myself so excited for all the people in the audience. Plus, it gives me new things to look up and obsess over.

Wait, a thought: First Lady Michelle Obama is big on support for military spouses. What if – wait for it – they get to have something like lunch or even just coffee with her?  Well, I’d just die…but jealousy would set in first.

If you could think of one thing to receive as a “favorite thing,” what would it be?

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