Christmas is a time of year when everyone gets rushed
and overspends, often without even realizing it. To avoid a surprise credit
card balance after the holidays, stick to budget. In fact, make shopping easy
on your time and budget by purchasing gift cards for everyone on your list.
With gift cards, it is easy to stay on budget and, if you set a limit of just
$10 per person, you can have an inexpensive and stress-free holiday. Not every
gift card lends itself to a smaller denomination but the following are all
great choices.
- Best
Buy: If you have a technology lover or a gamer on your list, they will
love a Best buy card. True, a $10 gift card won’t buy much but it helps
defray the cost of what they really want.
- Starbucks:
Seriously, who doesn’t love Starbucks? A frugal spender can get four or
more cups of joe out of one little gift card.
- iTunes:
With the popularity of iPods and similar products, every teen and young
adult loves these gift cards. They can download several songs of their
choice to their device and listen to your gift for years to come.
- Blockbuster:
Netflix has lured many people away from traditional video rentals but, if
you have someone on your list that still prefers their local
BlockBuster, you can be sure that
they will love a gift card. You could even wrap it with a pack of
microwave popcorn. Buy it at the grocery store; it’s cheaper.
- Cold
Stone Creamery: I scream, you scream. We all scream for ice cream. This
popular ice cream parlor is a step above the corner soft serve. Savvy
shoppers doing Christmas on the cheap can look for a coupon to enclose
with the gift, too.
- Barnes
& Noble: Purchasing a gift card from Barnes & Noble (or whatever
bookstore is closest to your gift recipient) is a great way to share your
love of reading with your loved one. An afternoon spent leisurely
wandering a book store and, then, returning home to enjoy your purchase is
a great gift.
- Phone
Card: If you know that your friend has a pay-as-you-go cell phone plan or
makes frequent overseas calls, you can buy any number of gift cards for
those phone services. It is not the most personal gift but it is
definitely thoughtful.
- SkinIt:
It’s a fact; tech lovers like cool accessories for their gear. Skinit.com
gives them what they want. The site offers 1,000’s of “skins” for laptops
and mobile devices. Think of it as a giant, re-positionable sticker. They
smallest denomination is $14.99 but the cool factor alone is worth the
extra 5 bucks.
- Movies:
Your local movie theatre offers gift certificates for both the movie and
for the snack counter. With the rise in prices, you may not be able to get
a pair of tickets for you niece but you could get one each for her and her
sister.
- Amazon:
The internet powerhouse, Amazon.com, offers gift cards. The really unique
feature is how they are delivered. You can email one, download it and
print it at home or send it to a friend in a Facebook post.
Hopefully, you’ll take these gift card ideas and have
your own Christmas on the cheap.
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