Jamba Juice is doing it right this holiday season. At participating locations, you can buy a $25 gift card and get a free smoothie. If you’re a Jamba Juice regular, buy the gift card for yourself and start slurping! If you’re going to give a Jamba Juice gift card, then this next offer is even better.

Gift with Purchase

As Kevin B at the San Ramon Jamba Juice explains, for $15, you get a 22 oz. Tumbler and a $5 Jamba Juice gift card. I love ths promotion because it follows my 5 Steps to Better Gift Card Giving. The gift card can be used at a variety of locations, is in a usable amount ($5 is plenty for Jamba Juice), and the recipient gets to “open something.” This would make a great gift for teachers, office staff, and others you want to give a small token to this holiday season.

Add a Personal Scoop

Make it even more personal by putting a list of your favorite smoothies or the “secret Jamba Juice menu” inside the tumbler. Have fun with it.

I don't want to feel like Michael did.

The holidays are just around the corner and I’m not ready! I don’t mean that I haven’t bought my gifts yet (I haven’t). I’m just not ready for it to BE the holidays–not ready to pull out the decorations, make “the list,” check “the list” a bazillion times and still forget something. Not ready to gain five pounds. Not ready for the craziness to begin. I’m not quite the Christmas Kranks, but I like a clean house, a simple lifestyle, and under scheduled kids. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s less likely to happen once we start rockin’ around the Christmas tree.

Goal: Simplify with Gift Cards

This year, I am going to use gift cards to simplify my life. Rather than chase all over town buying traditional gifts, I’ll buy gift cards by the armful. And with the time savings, I’ll be able to make the those gift cards more personal. I’m even thinking the kids might find a gift card or two in their stockings. Because one thing I like less than clutter, is wasting time and money. With gift cards, the recipient can buy something he or she wants. With my personal touches, I’ll feel good about giving the gift cards as well.

Goal: Take Advantage of Gift Card Offers

I’ll be on the lookout for the “Give one, Get one” (G.O.G.O.) gift card deals and might even buy gift cards from online discounters. Though I prefer to pick a gift card off the rack so I can hold it, get inspired by it, and check for fees and expiration, the discount savings at places like Plastic Jungle can’t be ignored.

Goal: Budget.

Though it’s hard to find traditional gifts that fit exactly in your budget, with gift cards you decide how much to spend and don’t have to give a penny more. I rarely blow my budget on the accoutrements that go along with the holidays, but I do sometimes go overboard on the gifts. Another reason to stay with the gift cards.

Goal: Enjoy it.

With these parameters in place, I vow to enjoy the holiday season–even embrace it’s coming. If the worst problem I have is too much holly in the hallways, then I’ve got it pretty good. And I do. I just want to simplify the gift giving and keep the budget in check so I can spend more time reveling in the the blessings of this holiday season and less time worrying about it.

Savvy shoppers save money with gift card offers

With each holiday, I see an increasing number of bonus gift card offers. They go something like this: Buy a gift card for a specified dollar amount and get a lesser gift card for free. Savvy shoppers can take advantage of these incentives to save a few pennies.

For Example:

For example, my local Safeway is offering a $10 coupon on my next shopping trip if I buy $100 or more in Visa Gift Cards. Now, Visa gift cards typically have an activation fee. But if the activation fee is less than ten dollars, then I could earn a few bucks just by buying the gift card. But do I need a Visa gift card? Sure. Here is how you pocket a few dollars without buying unnecessarily.

Take Advantage:

• Buy a Visa gift card for your personal shopping–an upcoming vacation or just daily expenses. You’re spending the money anyway. Putting your money on the gift card first simply allows you to get the bonus groceries.
• Buy a Visa gift card to put kids on a budget. Got kids going off to college, in need of spending money, or wanting to do a little back to school shopping?  With a Visa gift card, they can shop anywhere they want, but have to stay within the limit of the funds on the gift card.
• Plan ahead and buy gifts early. Think about upcoming birthdays, weddings, or even holiday shopping. If you’re going to spend the money in the near future, might as well save on groceries while you’re at it.

Expiration Dates?

One word of caution is to check the expiration dates. Thanks to gift card laws changing in August, the gift card you buy will be good for at least five years so you don’t have to worry about shopping too early. But the bonus gift card (in this case coupon), is likely only to be good for a specified period of time. So check restrictions before you buy.

Think Ahead

If you’re buying more than one gift card, you might need to do it in separate transactions so you can get the bonus for each gift card purchased–rather than one bonus for the total number of gift cards you buy. Check with the cashier to see if there is limit so you don’t over strategize.

Love the “Give One Get One” gift card offers all over the place.  For example, CVS pharmacy is offering a free $5 gift card for every $25 CVS electronic (downloadable) gift card purchased.  You can get up to $30 with a $150 purchase. 

That’s got me thinking.  I bet I spend at least $150 at CVS over the course of a few months.  Shouldn’t I just get BOTH gift cards for myself?  It’s basically a 20% savings on anything I buy in the store.  I called CVS and they confirmed there is no expiration date on the card.

So if you regularly shop CVS, you might want to GoGo or just GT (That’s get two!)

These deals are everywhere.  I can’t open a newspaper or get my mail without seeing a new GoGo offer.  I’ve got a coupon for a local mexican restaurant that’s giving away a $20 gift card with every $50 gift card purchased.  I’m seriously on the lookout for offers I can take advantage of for my own personal use as well as for holiday giving. 

P.S. Always a good idea to inquire about any restrictions on the free gift card. Some expire and some can only be used during a certain window.  But I think the window is worth looking into.

CVS GoGo "Give one, Get one"