Simple last-minute gift idea for Valentine's Day

Get Valentine a gift card and tie it to a potted plant. The plant will last longer than roses and won’t cost near as much. Add a simple note revealing your true feelings, which is all anybody really needs on Valentine’s Day anyway.

Go Crazy

If you want to go crazy–buy a collection of gift cards and tie each one to a different stem. Use a theme so Valentine knows you picked cards purposefully (and didn’t just stand at the kiosk grabbing things.)

Some Ideas

- Pedicure and shoe store
- Dinner and a movie
- Clothing store and salon
- Spa and bookstore
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Tennis lessons and tennis store

Or keep it simple and just write that heartfelt note.

Kids make bookmarks to go with bookstore gift card.

We just finished a family gift exchange and my kids are THRILLED with the Target gift cards they received. They also got iTunes gift cards from our dear friends and have already downloaded enough songs to keep them singing right through the winter break. My step-daughters gave Paul and I a gift card to the movies and dinner–along with free babysitting. (Priceless!)

Don’t Panic:

If you still have some shopping to do – grab a gift card. Then grab a little something extra so the recipient has something to open and enjoy right away.

We received:

1. Gift card to Fandangowith theater snacks and a coupon for free abysitting.
2. Gift card to Target along with a giant, click-able pen.
3. Gift card to iTunes along with some yummy caramel corn, each with a different flavor hint that we’ve been testing.

We love the gift cards and look forward to using them. And the carefully selected accessories made the gifts fun to open.

Go Electronic if You Have to:

And don’t forget the electronic gift card options if it’s too late to ship. You can try sites like Tango card or Gift Card Mall found on our Links page. You have about 24 hours to finish that shopping list, so take my ideas and get to work!

The gift card my mom deserves

I’m a fan of buying gift cards at the grocery store kiosk for a few reasons. The first is convenience. I can pick up a gift while taking care of dinner, soccer snacks, and a hundred other things. The second is selection. I can choose from shoe stores and movie gift cards to office supply stores and restaurants. Choice is good. The third reason I like to buy gift cards at the grocery store is because I can buy the little goodies I like to pair with gift cards. It’s truly one-stop shopping and that’s a gift for this busy mom.

Mom’s Birthday

Today is my mom’s birthday. After being a stay-at-home mom to seven kids for nearly 30 years, there isn’t a gift card big enough to thank my mom for all she’s done. I’m wiped out raising three…seven doesn’t seem possible.

So in honor of my mom, I’m profiling her favorite gift card–the My Choice gift card at the Gift Card Mall in Safeway. With this ultra convenient gift card, the recipient takes the My Choice card back to Safeway (or an affiliate grocery store) and buy anything in the store OR exchange it for a different gift card.

Her Choice

In her own words, she says, “I received a $25 My Choice card for Admin’s day. And don’t think I didn’t ponder plenty on which card to exchange it for. But now that I am really using my new Ipod, I exchanged it for some iTunes today! I feel I got something I really wanted, when I really wanted it. The gift card mall has so many choices. I could have used it towards a Southwest trip or JoAnn Fabrics, both would have been fun. But TODAY, I wanted ITunes and didn’t have to spend my own $.”

My Choice

So there’s a shout out to the My Choice card at the Gift Card Mall. If I’d received the gift card today, I would have exchanged it for Golfsmith where I could buy a new tennis skirt without feeling guilty. Tomorrow, I’d probably be looking at the movies because the kids are out of school for labor day weekend and we’re going to need a little entertainment. One option is a treat for me. Another option is a treat for the family. Either way, what gift I end up with would be “my choice.”

What would be your choice?

Wish my iPhone had a flash!

I took my kids to see Toy Story 3 this morning. I don’t normally like the animated flicks, but I chuckled even more than the little ones this time. Toys I hadn’t thought about in years showed up on screen like old friends. (Including a few toys I coveted but never got to make friends with, like that three story Barbie Apartment!) But the best part of the day was using the gift card I found last week to offset the cost of admission.

Saving Money

This little Disney-Pixar flashback would have cost me $45 without the gift card. That’s a lot of money for a matinee, especially when I’m trying to stretch the family budget across a summer’s worth of activities.

While a movie gift card may no longer be the most original gift to give, it’s still a great gift for a kid, teen, family, or anybody who likes to go to the theater. The recipient might not use it right away, but is certain to appreciate it when they do.

Make the Movie Gift Card More Personal

Partner a movie gift card with some movie snacks, popcorn, or something relevant to the movie you think they’re most likely to see. For Toy Story 3, for example, get a slinky akin to the one in the movie. For the new Twilight movie, Eclipse, get a gift card to the movies with some fake blood and vampire teeth. Or, if you’re like me, a movie gift card would go perfect with a purse size salt shaker for the tub of popcorn I’d buy once I got there.

With the kids home for summer, my once quiet work-from-home mornings have turned into a swirl of Legos, Wii games, flying Nerf balls, flying Legos, and a constant barrage of tattle-taling (You don’t want to know about my new threat, ominously called, “The Tattle-Tale Treatment.”). I can barely remember what day of the week it is, much less get anything done. And just when I feel guilty about that, I remember that it’s summer–my kids are old enough to remember the days we share, and young enough to still want to share them with me. What a treasure.

Another Treasure

So today, I shook my head in shame and then threw my arms into a double fist pump when I found an unused movie theater gift card tacked to the bulletin board in my office. ME, the one who spends her days obsessing about gift cards, forgot I had one. Unacceptable!

Then the self-loathing mixed with euphoria turned to anxiety as I wondered if the unused gift card would still be usable. On the back of the gift card, I found a web address on which to check the balance. Thankfully, I still had $21 to spend at the movies. (Back to the fist pumping!)

No More Worries

The good news – as of August 22, 2010, gift card laws are changing in a way that you’re less likely to feel anxious about unused gift cards. The new law says that gift cards can’t expire in less than five years and you can’t be dinged a non-use fee for at least a year. Most importantly, in my opinion, terms such as these must be clearly specified on the card before purchase. No more wondering.

So if I ever find another unused gift card in my possession, I won’t have to worry or wonder about whether or not I can still use it.

Now, my friends…Shrek 3, Toy Story 3, or Karate Kid? Any help here?

My favorite Easter memory comes from my childhood when my mom bought each of us kids a chocolate Easter bunny and then accidentally left them in the car. The bunnies melted into brown puddles with floating eyes and a little bow. Since replacing seven rabbits would have been costly, she plopped the boxes in our baskets anyway. We all had a good laugh and to this day, I can’t look at Easter candy without picturing those vagabond eyes.

Though I’m obviously a gift card junkie, I don’t often think of gift cards for this particular holiday. But today, proved me wrong. My kids each received a gift card in the mail from their Aunt Cher. When we called to thank her, she said, “I figured your kids would get enough candy for Easter. So I thought they’d enjoy picking out a different kind of treat from me instead.” Too fun! The kids are super happy and already plotting their shopping trip.

What a nice gesture. Now I’m re-thinking my position. Cher is right. The last thing we need here is more candy. It’s not even Easter and already I’ve eaten the two bags of Whoppers eggs I bought a week ago. (By myself! And I’m not kidding!) With the gift cards, however, the kids get to buy something that I won’t steal and have to jog off later. Bonus!