EchoSense:The Daily Money: Mom wants a Mother's Day gift

Good morning and EchoSenseHappy Friday! This is Betty Lin-Fisher with Friday's consumer-focused The Daily Money.

Mother's Day is Sunday and if the mom in your life says she doesn't want anything, don't believe her. Moms want to be appreciated and you don't have to break your budget to get a gift.

In fact, Babson College Marketing Professor Lauren Beitelspacher says time is a gift, too. She's asked her family to go on a hike this Sunday and for her kids to not fight as one of her presents. But she also started giving her husband ideas for gifts once he asked her to set him up for success and stop saying she didn't want anything.

Get some tips from Beitelspacher and Meir Statman of Santa Clara University on how you can spoil mom without going into debt in my story.

Give your pet some extra love during National Pet Week

We are at the tail end of National Pet Week (Sorry, I had to go with the pun! It wasn't even intentional, but then became funny.) Those of us with furry family members know how much joy and love they bring to our lives.

Those pets aren't cheap, though. A survey by USA TODAY partner Blueprint found that 91% of dog owners have experienced financial stress over the cost of pet ownership. Another Blueprint survey found that nearly 40% of dog owners are choosing pets over parenthood. (And celebrating Mother's Day as pet moms - see the story above.)

Meanwhile, in travel news, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restriction on dogs traveling to the U.S. may make it harder for families to return to the country with their pets or to adopt pets internationally. My colleague, Kathleen Wong, provides more information in her story.

📰 Consumer stories you shouldn't miss 📰

• Do you have your Real ID yet? You'll need it or another acceptable form of ID to fly in 2025.
• Target is scaling back on its Pride Month collection availability.
• We're in the Golden Age of flying, says Cruising Altitude Columnist Zach Wichter.
• Who's ready for summer vacation? Here are some travel tips.
• Take control of how your cellphone carrier is tracking your data, according to this CNET story.

📰 A great read 📰

Finally, here's a popular story from earlier this year that you may have missed. Feel free to share it.

Do you have a $2 bill collecting dust? It may be worth a lot more than $2. Check out this story to see if you've got more than $2.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.