Saturday, April 30, 2005
Gift Cards
My sweetie loves to shop, but doesn't often go shopping for herself. With what kids need, car and home repairs, medical bills and so forth, there isn't a lot of money to go shopping with and she often feels guilty if she spends anything on herself. Even if I give her cash for birthday or Mother's Day, she will often spend it on something the kids need or want.
One thing that works are gift cards from a store where she likes to shop. Sometimes gift cards feel impersonal. They seem to say "I don't really know you well enough to choose a gift you would like." For that reason I try to avoid giving gift cards to people. But in the case of my sweetheart, it works out well. First, I spent the money so she doesn't have to feel guilty about it. Second, since it can only be used at a place she likes to go, she can't spend it on the kids. Third, she likes me to accompany her when she shops so it makes a nice date night for her. Lastly, it lets her know I am paying attention to what she likes.
Of course, getting a gift card is lots easier than trying to decide which size and what color to buy. Works out nice for both the person giving the card and the person receiving the card.
One thing that works are gift cards from a store where she likes to shop. Sometimes gift cards feel impersonal. They seem to say "I don't really know you well enough to choose a gift you would like." For that reason I try to avoid giving gift cards to people. But in the case of my sweetheart, it works out well. First, I spent the money so she doesn't have to feel guilty about it. Second, since it can only be used at a place she likes to go, she can't spend it on the kids. Third, she likes me to accompany her when she shops so it makes a nice date night for her. Lastly, it lets her know I am paying attention to what she likes.
Of course, getting a gift card is lots easier than trying to decide which size and what color to buy. Works out nice for both the person giving the card and the person receiving the card.
