Run date: September 24, 2010

By Laura Rowley
Work & Life: Real Simple’s Simply Stated

In my research for a recent story on the pros and cons of prepaid debit cards, I stumbled across Shelley Hunter, a mom of three who created the website GiftCardGirlfriend.com. I occasionally give gift cards (although I’m not a huge fan). I feel a little funny about the impersonal nature of the whole thing. So I enjoyed Hunter’s site, which is full of ways to make the simple gift of plastic a whole lot more fun.

Giving a gift card “feels lacking, because there’s nothing to open, there’s no ‘ooh-ah’ moment,” says Hunter. “You hand over the card, the (recipient) says ‘this is great!’ and there’s that dead space.”

Her site has creative ways to create ‘ooh-ahh’ moments for a variety of occasions. “For example, you’re going to give a birthday gift card for your friend who loves to cook and you don’t know what tools she needs,” says Hunter. “You give her a gift card with your favorite recipes or your grandma’s favorite recipes. That says, ‘it’s not an afterthought – I was really thinking about you.’”

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Read the full post here.