Mother’s Day spending expected to equal 2007

WASHINGTON Consumers plan to spend about as much on Mother’s Day shopping this year as they did in 2007 despite higher gas prices and other economic woes, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

The NRF survey showed consumers on average are going to spend $138.63 on Mother’s Day shopping this year, a drop of less than 1 percent from last year ($139.14).

While fewer consumers plan to make jewelry their gift of choice this year (29.7 percent compared to 32.8 percent in 2007), they’re expected to spend $2.7 billion in the category. Consumers are also projected to spend $3 billion on dinners and brunch, $2 billion on flowers, $1.4 billion on clothing and $1.2 billion on consumer electronics like digital photo frames and cameras.