Gift Cards- Not Just a Last Minute Gift Idea #GiftCardsRock

Several members of my family always said that giving gift cards was a cop out... you weren't really trying to get a gift that reflected your affection for a person.  Me, I'm all about making sure that my gift is appropriate and when I come to people that I don't know as well as I'd like or that are truly hard to buy for, Gift Cards are the answer and I'm not ashamed to buy them, but there are creative ways to present gift cards that help bridge that gap and show people that you didn't just stop off and pick the first card available...
Pair the gift card with something fun!



This doesn't have to take a lot of money, but you can pair up lots of things:

• A Starbucks GC with a reusable travel mug
• A Movie Gift Certificate with some microwave popcorn and some other movie treats (My personal faves are M&M's and Licorice when I go to the movies if anyone is thinking about things for me)
• A Restaurant Gift Card paired with a certificate for babysitting
• A book store gift certificate with some tea or hot chocolate and a bookmark
• A grocery store gift certificate with a basket of fruit
• A Credit Card GC tucked into a new wallet or purse

My mom is really tough to buy for - she has more than enough STUFF and she buys what she needs for herself when she and my sometimes shopaholic sister go out regularly, so I love to buy things that I know that she'll need in the future - oil changes, car washes, massages so that the gift keeps giving throughout the year - if she doesn't need to spend the $$ for the oil change in March, she can buy something else or save it for her trip abroad!

I have to say that one of my favorite things to receive is a gift certificate - as a Never-Stay-At-Home Mom I don't have my own money per say, everything is household, so when I get a gift certificate for the Mall or one of my favorite stores, I know I can splurge on ME - not the kids or hubby... and it makes me feel good to play the 'how much can I get for this Gift Card game'

I also love to give gift certificates - especially right now when I can save money on them by purchasing through deal sites or even getting fuelperks! or other rewards when shopping at the grocery store, drug store etc.   Heck, I racked up enough restaurant gift cards to take my whole family out by buying some for friends and family!

One of the ways that I keep up with all of the Gift Card opportunities is to keep an eye on www.giftcardsrock.com, because they're definitely in the know about where to score great deals on Gift Cards this season!



“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Gift Cards Rock blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”