Do you shop JC Penney or Kohl’s? If so, click over to GiftCardRescue.com and buy gift cards for personal shopping.

3 Reasons to Buy Gift Cards for Youself?

If you shop these stores anyway, might as well get 16% savings before you even head into the store. Here are 3 reasons to buy gift cards now for future purchases:

• Back to School Shopping – Ease the budget crunch that happens at the start of each school year. Both stores have great Back to School sales. So buy the gift card now and combine the 16% savings with in-store offers and you can save a bundle.
• Cheap summer clothes – We just went through the kids drawers and all are in need of shorts and t-shirts for the summer. With a 16% savings at either store, I can get what we need for less.
• Graduation or Wedding gift – Give the gift card as the gift or use the 16% savings to buy a traditional gift at either of these stores. They have everything from clothes to furnishings.

Break it up!

Wanna know a trick? You can buy a gift card with a gift card–which allows you to get a gift card that looks like new or break up the dollar amount into smaller gift card denominations. For example, get a $100 gift card at GiftCardRescue.com for $84. When the used gift card arrives in the mail, go to JC Penney and buy two $50 gift cards that look new and are ready to gift. (Plus, that’s an easy way to ensure the gift card is valid.

Be sure the recipient can buy something without spending her own money.

My sister-in-law recently gave each of my children a $10 gift card to Target. Though ten dollars isn’t extravagant, it can be used to buy a variety of things at that particular store. Matthew bought a book. Ally bought a shirt. Michael is saving up for a new Wii game so he put the card away in his wallet. (Good boy!)

The dollar amount you put on a gift card should give the recipient enough buying power to make a purchase without spending additional cash. Otherwise, your well intentions could turn into more of a burden than a gift–requiring the recipient contribute towards his own present or possibly not use the gift card at all.

That doesn’t mean you need to spend more than you can afford on a gift card. Stay within your budget, but choose a gift card accordingly. If your limit is $20, for example, then a gift card to Kohl’s or Jamba Juice, where low-price items are available, would be more fitting than a gift card to Anthropologie or Outback Steakhouse, both of which are more expensive.

Picking the right dollar amount is another way to show you put some thought into selecting a gift card.

Read all of my gift card rules:

• Gift Card Rule #1: It’s Not About You

• Gift Card Rule #2: Location, Location, Location!

• Gift Card Rule #3: Buying Power

• Gift Card Rule #4: Avoid the Gotchas

• Gift Card Rule #5: Something for Now and Later