See, this is why one should tidy up their desk multiple times a week, as opposed to only doing it before Mercury goes into retrograde, because they just might find a treasure trove of random gift cards!
Over the years, I’ve learned that there are three types of gift card people in this world.
- The people that spend their gift cards decisively and right away without any hesitation.
- The people who hoard their gift cards, allegedly for a rainy day, but end up holding on to them for months or years. (Ahem! Yours truly.)
- The people who totally forget about or lose their gift cards and end up frittering away what was essentially free money. (I hate to admit it, but I’ve been this person, too.)
Why do I hoard gift cards for so long? — because honestly it makes no sense. I like to shop.
No, I loooove to shop. I could get an honorary Ivy League PhD in the shopping arts, LOL! And I especially love that I get to pick exactly what I want when I use a gift card, because I’m super picky about…well, almost everything.
(And this is why it took me more than 10 years to finally decide on a new couch.)
But with great power comes great responsibility. Do you spend the gift card on something you need, or do you spend it on something you want? And if you go with something you need, do you play it safe, or do you get the thing you’ve been lusting after forever but never would have gotten yourself in a million years?
For example, say you suddenly get a $400 gift card to spend solely (ha ha) on shoes. Do you buy a single pair of Jimmy Choo glitter heels (SWOON), or do you go the practical route and buy the four pairs of Nike running shoes that you know you love and wear all the time (and that you know you’ll eventually go through over several years)?
As you can probably guess, those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books were a great source of vexation for Little Karen when she was a kid.
All of this is to say that I’ve been sitting on a Nordstrom gift card for months.
I know I should probably use it to replace my favorite Blank NYC faux leather jacket, which I’ve worn and loved for years. It held up well, but the pseudo-leather is falling off in huge flakes on the back of the collar, and I don’t think there’s a good way to fix it. Thankfully, I found out that Nordstrom still sells the exact same jacket.
I’ve hesitated to pull the trigger, though, because part of me thinks that even though I’ll wear it all the time…why not look around for something new and different?
Beyond that, should I even use the gift card get a jacket? I could use it instead on that Chantecaille foundation I’ve wanted for a while…
I think that maybe because gift cards feel like getting free money it ups the ante on the final decision. There’s more pressure.
Another funny thing I’ve noticed about gift cards — and I know I can’t be the only person who does this — once I finally get around to spending one, I still keep the physical card, instead of throwing it away.
Why I do this, I don’t know, but it results in a whole mess of confusion.
[I guess it’s kind of like going to the Chanel counter and leaving with your purchases in a Chanel bag? That is, you know the bag is disposable, but you keep it around anyway because it says Chanel? I MAY OR MAY NOT KEEP THIS, DECIDE LATER.]
I think it may be time to turn over a new leaf and transform into one of those decisive gift card people — or so she says after adding and removing the same black jacket to her cart multiple times over the past hour…
How do you typically handle your gift cards? If you’re the type who always knows how much is left on them, or if you can readily and swiftly make a decision, teach me your ways!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I saw a news article once about the millions or billions of gift cards that don’t get spent. So I try to spend mine right away before I forget about them. First I usually try to think of something I actually need with the gift card. If I can’t think of anything essential I just treat myself, which is fine because it’s what the giver intended!
I will usually use a general card (like VISA gift card) within six months of receiving it, and usually spend on either something expensive I usually wouldn’t buy, or on things I have on my Amazon wish list. (I still try to get the most value for the dollar, though.) Sometimes I save them with a large purchase in mind; I saved a few in order to get a video camera last year. If someone gives me a restaurant card for a place that’s not convenient, I usually end up keeping it for a long time before using it. I’ve held some for years.
I am type 2, I have a drawer full of gift cards that I organize once a year to sort out the ones that have already expired, promise myself that I won’t let that happen again and that the rest of the cards will be spent soon and then leave them there for another year…
But there really is so much pressure!
Oh man I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets gift card anxiety! I occasionally get gift cards to Ulta for my birthday and Christmas and I plan out my purchase as if I’m planning an invasion of a foreign country. I also wait for the 20% off unicorn coupon plus the regular 3.50 off to really maximize what I can get. It’s insane. I’m insane. I got a Target gift card and I used it right away because I never go to Target. There’s seriously nothing I want in that store. But I found a hanging pot planter that is exactly what I was looking for and only have about a dollar left over on the card.
I definitely throw cards away after I use them! I’ve never heard of the idea of people holding on to them. Why? maybe give them to Connor to play with. I remember my dad giving me expired cards to play with when I was a kid and I thought I was cool as shit playing “store” with them.
When I get a gift card, which BTW, I love to get, I typically spend it right away because I am usually in need of something. I might spend it on something I have wanted (like a Chanel eyeshadow quad) but it’s usually because I need new eyeshadow. Sometimes, I will purchase practical things, like a new bra, but mostly I’ll buy beauty products. It’s a gift card after all!
Omigosh Karen- same! I’m a teacher and school just ended so I have a bunch more now. ? I love getting them, but I feel pressure to get something significant that will last to remember my students by. I’ve been sitting on a Nordstrom one since Christmas (yet I’ve bought things from there. I want to make sure it’s a for-sure thing and not something I might not like and have to return).
I received a printed out one from a local spa for my birthday 10 months ago and now I can’t find it. Do I email my friends (not knowing which one purchased it) and ask if they could reprint it? Such anxiety!
Hi Patti,
Yay, teachers are awesome! Thank you for doing what you do, because it’s such important work. YAY FOR TEACHERS!
Oh, and you’re not the only one to have temporarily misplaced a spa certificate. I’m pretty sure I have one around here for a place in town but I just can’t seem to find the card. I vote that you do one last look (perhaps think about the most likely place you’d put it), and then if you still can’t find it, send out a lighthearted email to your pals. 🙂
P.S. Are you going anywhere or doing anything special for the summer break?
Thanks Karen!
I may have to do that. I have been pulling out drawers to see if it has dropped behind.
Happy to be on break to rejuvenate! Just going on a couple of small road trips in the area, but greatly looking forward to them. Have a beautiful day!
Patti
As much as I love me a good gift card, I always feel guilty spending it on myself. I always try to get something for my kids or the house (unless it’s a Sephora or Ulta gift card!). Lol I thought I was the only one who kept gift cards after I’d spent it all. Almost as if somehow the transaction will bounce and I need to keep the card “just in case”. I do try to spend it as soon as possible or they’ll just stack up and I’ll forget about them.
Quick tip: I use a skinny permanent marker and write the value of the cards right on the card itself so I don’t need to tape paper on it like you’re showing (though you may be doing that for picture taking sake). Then as I spend down each, if the full value isn’t used, I cross out the beginning value and write down the new value!
OMG I am exactly the same!!! I never know if I should buy myself some kind of special treat that I don’t necessarily need but want, or if I should use it to get “staples” that I need and would have to buy anyway. Then I switch wallets a few times and the gift card disappears into the general entropy of the universe as if I’d never had a gift card at all.
The only ones I’ve spent right away are the ones I get as a holiday gift and I immediately go out and buy stuff I need and maybe one little treat if there’s any money left after I buy things I need. Usually I can manage to spend the entire card in one visit to the store and end up having to put some of my own money to it to boot. I’m not a good gift card person at all! The best ones for me are cards that could be used anywhere (like Visa gift cards) so that I might actually end up using them.
In our family we have stopped giving gift cards or vouchers. They either get forgotten and expire, or the company goes out of business, or it gets taken over and the new people won’t honour the card.(here in the UK that has happened quite a lot over recent years). So we give what we call “Queen Elizabeth Vouchers” instead – those nice oblong pieces of paper with the Queen’s picture on them never expire and are never refused! 🙂
I love this!
I rarely receive gift cards, but when I do I spend them. Better to spend them than have that money go to waste. If there’s some splurge I’ve been yearning for and the gift card will cover it (usually it doesn’t) then I splurge. I always try to buy things I know I will use/wear and love. As much as I love pretty shoes, I know that 4 inch sparkly heels would hurt like heck, so I don’t go there anymore.
Now if only someone would give me a gift card with a couple thousand on it so I could buy the fancy designer purse I’ve been lusting after for at least 3 years but can’t bring myself to spend my own money on. (Because I think spending that much on one purse is obscene.)
Haha last year, I used a gift card given to me at my bridal shower to get a prenatal massage. The bridal shower was back in 2009. Better late than never!
I will never understand not using gift cards. They are, as you said, LITERALLY money! When I get one, I like to go shopping and pretend the giver is with me while I pick something out. They gave me the card, they want me to use it! I use mine within a month, a week even if I can. They’re hot potatoes to me ?
You just described my life with gift cards!
I recently came across an unused gift card given to me by my son’s 2nd grade teacher as a thank you for being a home room mom (note: my son will be graduating next year from college – oops). I also have a (much more recent, thank goodness!) Sephora gift card that will be used soon-ish, or at least before September….I hope.
I’m the same way too with keeping stuff that should be tossed. My weakness are the Chanel boxes your makeup comes in when mailed. I had about a dozen of them collecting dust, but discovered that two narrow boxes fit into an Ikea Alexis drawer if placed side by side, so I’ve been using them to separate out makeup items instead of just stashing everything hapazardly into the drawer. Then, if anything spills, I can toss the box (finally!) and replace with another box lol.
Hi Mitzi,
I can totally see myself doing the same thing you did with your home room mom gift card, LOL! What is your son studying?
P.S. Say hi to Marcus the cat for me.
I’ll be giggling if I see a post about that. 🙂
He’s currently studying Computer Science, with an emphasis on Cybersecurity. I think he’ll go far in that career, but just hoping that he doesn’t end up with job burnout when he starts working. Ahh, such is the life of a mom! (Worry and nag, worry and nag)
Marcus sends a loud purr and head boop your way!
Confession time: I am an extreme hoarder of gift cards!
I tend to stockpile them to save for something special; a prize, as it were, for not dribbling them away on frivolities like scented candles. I used to amass Target gift cards (usually in $5 increments earned for stocking up on toilet paper, tissues, detergent, deodorant, sunscreen, razors, shampoo and the like), bundle them into batches, then take them to a physical Target store to consolidate them into single cards in the amount of $100-300 (they no longer do this). So, when I wanted to buy a camera, a GPS, a new vacuum cleaner, a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, or an iPad, I would use my gift cards towards this notable purchase.
Sometimes I’d wait until there was an offer for a gift card with purchase (for example, $150 gift card with purchase of an iPhone), then purchase the item with my gift cards, thereby actually getting money back. (I’m particularly fond of Target because they carry brands like Dyson, Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Canon, Nikon, LG, and Apple, as well as offering plain old groceries and Makeup Geek palettes.) I also have numerous gift cards for TJ Maxx and Marshall’s, from items bought on (ill-advised) impulse, then returned. As for Ulta points, I hoard those as well (facilitated by frequent point multipliers) awaiting the ultimate palette or fragrance (Nars, maybe?). Unfortunately their points expire so I need to be vigilant.
The joy of gift cards is that they don’t expire. I make sure the cards are all stored in a secure place, and mark the dollar value on the back in permanent marker. Every once in a while I tally up my stash and rub my hands together with glee like Scrooge McDuck.
So, if you need help spending your gift cards, don’t come to me! However, if you need help organizing your stash, I’m available for consult! ?
Hiya Susan,
You’re a professional, WOW! Seriously, the whole waiting for a deal where you get a gift card back from purchasing something (WITH A GIFTCARD!) is genius.
I’m going to write the amount on the back of my cards when I get back from my trip. Right now they’re on Post-Its which I know will fall off or get lost eventually.
And lol regarding acting like Scrooge McDuck! 🙂
Happy Friday and have a great weekend.
Thanks, Karen, you too!
I’m not sure it’s genius as much as this girl has too much time on her hands and would rather devise a system of organizing gift cards than, say, clean out the perpetual clutter in her guest bedroom. I keep waiting for a “shoemaker’s elves” type situation (or Mary Poppins’ magical cleanup) to occur, and so far it is just not happening.
Oh, I feel your pain but I’m going to say it’s a bit worse for me because I hate shopping. We now try to get only Amazon gift cards (or iTunes) because you can just load those on your account and call it a day. Being in the sticks, we purchase a lot from Amazon so it gets spent on every day things (not really special purchases). I would absolutely buy that black jacket and 3 pair of Nike running shoes but that’s because I’m not really a shopper/splurger. But I think YOU should buy whatever makes you happy. 🙂 You may remember years ago that I loaded my Sephora gift cards into their site and cut up the cards. When I went back months later, I realized that they didn’t store them and I lost $100. I didn’t get much help from Sephora customer service and it was quite a while before I bought anything from them again. But it was a lesson learned. I don’t throw away cards anymore until I know they are saved or used. My biggest issue with store/restaurant cards is just forgetting that I have them. We do have one spot for all the cards but don’t carry them so, if we impulsively stop somewhere, chances are good we won’t have the card with us. I understand the purpose of gift cards (a bit more personal than cash) but very much hate them because they’re so often wasted. And don’t get me started on “mall” gift cards that actually expire or lose their value over time.