I don't know about anyone else, but I absolutely love gift cards. I love getting them as gifts, I love earning them as rewards at Target and Walgreens; to me they are just one of life's many simple pleasures! But the funny thing is I don't spend them! I hoard them. Which is even funnier, because anyone who really knows me knows I am not a hoarder!
I had a McDonalds gift card that I had had for two years. It only had $10 on it, but do you know that I finally used it up this past November? Two years I carried that card in my purse! Me! The person who can't wait to cash their check and spend it on payday! Hard to believe, I know!
Last week I was cleaning out a cupboard and you know what I found? 4 Starbucks gift cards! 4! Where they all came from I have no idea. I know one was a Christmas present from Chris and Amanda last Christmas. One was from Marty that he won at work. But the other two? Couldn't tell you. I looked online and sure enough all four were fully loaded! How fun was that?! Now, I will admit that I have treated myself to Starbuck's three times since finding them and while it does seem excessive on my part, I figure at the rate I typically spend gift cards Addison will have graduated from college before I use them all up. (maybe by then they'll accept gift cards as tuition payment?!)
I had one to Macy's that took me 10 months to use. A Walgreens that I am still using from 2 1/2 years ago. (I'm finally down to $1.81 on it) Two Caribou cards, both fully loaded, from who knows when. Two to our church's Fair Trade store that we got two Christmases ago, still fully loaded. And I always have a stash of Target ones lying around. This past October I took part of my Target stash and paid for my entire shopping trip. Sure one only had maybe a dollar left on it, but the others were still full. It was like shopping with found money!
We always joke that when my parents pass away whoever has to clean out their house will find coffee cans with money stashed everywhere. Well, in our house you will find my gift cards!
I'm like you, I can't spend them as easily as I can cash.
ReplyDeleteSo I've taken to buying $5 or $10 Target gift cards when I have a little extra cash. I then hide them away. They come in handy when you need to make an extra large purchase. It's like a giant coupon to help offset the cost.