There is a great debate on whether gift cards are appropriate as gifts (ie. Christmas, birthday, wedding, etc.) or if they are a cop out/didn't know what to get you kind of gift.
I, for one, think a gift card is a great gift to give, or receive. To some the gift of shopping is a better present than an actual object (speaking from experience here), to others it may not. I guess the key here is to know which kind of person the receiver of the gift is and give appropriately.
At our wedding we got TONS of Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond gift cards - it was so fun to go shopping and load our carts (yes, plural) to the max and not be out a dime. It's probably the only chance we'll get to do that for the next few years, so it was that much better. My aunt Deanna in Houston gave me some restaurant gift cards for my birthday and called them "date cards" for going out on dates with Jared - love that! Such a good gift for married couples on a tight budget.
Here are some gift card ideas I think you can never go wrong with:
I, for one, think a gift card is a great gift to give, or receive. To some the gift of shopping is a better present than an actual object (speaking from experience here), to others it may not. I guess the key here is to know which kind of person the receiver of the gift is and give appropriately.
At our wedding we got TONS of Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond gift cards - it was so fun to go shopping and load our carts (yes, plural) to the max and not be out a dime. It's probably the only chance we'll get to do that for the next few years, so it was that much better. My aunt Deanna in Houston gave me some restaurant gift cards for my birthday and called them "date cards" for going out on dates with Jared - love that! Such a good gift for married couples on a tight budget.
Here are some gift card ideas I think you can never go wrong with:
*Great gift for college students, newlyweds, or anyone with in need of a room makeover!
*Always a safe bet - you can pretty much get anything from groceries to home stuff, beauty products to sports equipment.
* This is a favorite of mine. You can choose any year long subscription from
the 50 listed inside! There's stuff for girls (InStyle, Real Simple, etc.) and guys (Sports Illustrated, Men's Health, etc.). It's the gift that gives all year!
* Not one you would think of as exciting - but they have more than just 30 gallon jugs of Hershey Syrup and 100 count boxes of granola bars. My mom found some AWESOME patio furniture there and I've had my eye on a set of Apothecary jars that look exactly like the ones I want from Pottery Barn.
* Also not one I would think of off the bat - but their dishes and cookware are awesome. Everything is pretty much always on sale so, with a gift card, a little goes a long way at Kohl's.
What do you think? Do you like giving/receiving gift cards or does it seem insincere?
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3 comments:
I am a huge fan of gift cards! I would rather receive that than almost anything else! I also like to give them because you are giving the person a gift to get whatever you want, whenever you want! (That's another big plus with gift cards, they can be used whenever!)
Are you totally hoping your parents and relatives will be reading this and see exactly what you want for Christmas? An IKEA gift card would be beautiful but it would need to be at least $100.00 to not make you feel like you are missing out. Actually no matter what the amount I spend there I feel like I am missing out om something.
And I definitely prefer gift cards over money to make sure they don't go towards unexpected bills or groceries!
I used to think that I was more "clever" than a gift card, that the bride and groom would love my "picnic basket" full of goodies more than a Target gift card. Now I am an experienced mother in law that has witnessed the utter joy and bliss that comes as the gifts are opened and the gift cards are reverantly stacked by the bride. No more "Aren't I amazing to come up with this clever gift theme basket?" I finally get it and I want to be on the list of givers that brings a tear of joy and a calculating grin as the bride dreams about her post honeymoon shopping spree!
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