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!

Save me a seat!

People who know my husband will find this hard to believe, but it’s true. Paul likes chick flicks. He willingly indulges every Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams movie I put in front of him—at home or in the theater. So I’m pretty sure we’ll see the new movie, “Valentine’s Day” when it comes out in a few weeks. I’m excited.

(Don’t bother sending me a review. McDreamy and McSteamy on the big screen. We’re going.)

My sister, on the other hand, has to bargain with her husband to get him to see a romantic comedy. To surprise her this Valentine’s Day, all my brother-in-law needs to do is agree to see this movie, without rolling his eyes. To exceed her expectations, he could get her a gift card to the theater, a box of tissues, and some movie candy–all packaged up with a pledge to willingly watch (even embrace) this likely-to-be-cheesyrom-com.

If he can’t stomach the Valentine’s Day movie, then a gift card to the video store and a promise to indulge a chick flick of her choosing would be equally romantic.

Find other creative gift card ideas on our Valentine’s Day page.

Win this Sephora Valentine Gift

Having never been to Sephora, I planned to dash into the store for a quick preview before posting this Valentine Sephora Gift Card Giveaway. 

Instead, I found myself perusing the cosmetic aisles with my eyes all a twinkling. My 4th grade daughter looked just as mesmerized. She ogled neon eye shadows. I tested long-lasting lipsticks. Together, we caught a whiff of Amazing Grace and followed the delicious scent back to the fragrance section. 

I haven’t worn perfume since realizing my signature scent masked the new baby smell on this very girl now by my side. We decided that Mom, after nearly a decade, could smell like something other than peanut butter and Lady Speed Stick for a change. I like the smell of Amazing Grace. I love the quote on the packaging even more. So I bought a bottle for me and one to share. 

For Valentine’s Day, we’re giving away a $35 gift card to Sephora, a .5 oz. Amazing Grace spray fragrance, and a Sephora compact mirror (their gift card freebie), with one of Brooke’s most popular prints, “Love in red.” 

Two ways to enter. (Yes, you can do both and get two entries in the drawing): 

1. Sign up to receive blog posts and announcements via e-mail.
   
   Enter your email address:
   
2. Finish this sentence in your post. “The best Valentine I ever received…”

Legal Stuff: Contest open to continental US residents only. Contest ends February 14, 2010 at midnight PST. Winner announced February 15, 2010.