- Caribou Coffee: Cumulative of about $1.48
- Starbucks: $25 card from DH at Christmas, plus a cumulative $11.78 on a couple old cards
- Local restaurant: $68.69 gift card balance
- Target: $30 in Microsoft rewards, $5 in store purchase card
- Green Mill: $13 balance on an old card
- Best Buy: $178 balance on three cards (DH old perk)
- VISA: $400, combination DH earned perk and rebates from something-maybe tire purchase?
- McDonalds: $25 gift card, forgot about this sitting in the cupboard from a neighbor who DH helped get her car massively unstuck a couple winters ago as a thank you.
- Grocery store: $1.61 left on a golf tournament door prize card
- Dunn Brothers coffee: Two $10 cards. I think I actually bought them for choir directors gifts and then the kids pooled money for a group gift instead
- Amazon: $2.00 credit for doing an online survey
DD2 has a collection of her own Target, DQ, and local game store gift cards to use. For the most part, her entertainment at school is free on campus activities. She'll probably spend more this week than she does the entire 16 weeks at school for the semester. Occasionally they treat themselves to a walk to Erberts and Gerberts, but there is a DQ by her as well so she should make sure to bring the card along. $3 billion dollars in gift cards go unused each year. Granted, some of that is money spent one year and rolled over and spent the following but much I am sure is just lost. My family needs to make sure we maximize these opportunities for cash free spending.
I track this as well, and try to ensure nothing goes to waste. If you don't already have the Starbucks app, you can add all of the gift cards together into one place, and then pay on your phone without having to remember any sort of physical gift card. I find that to be an awesome solution for not losing/wasting gift card money
ReplyDeleteEmbarrassing, but my personal cell phone is so old, the memory for apps is quite poor. I do have the Starbucks account, so maybe I could just log in and add.
DeleteI used to dislike giving and getting gift cards. I thought they were impersonal. As the kids get older, though, turns out they really love gift cards, AND I can get Rite Aid Bonus cash by purchasing cards they use. My kids keep them in their wallets. I keep my gift card "stash" in a container in my gift bin. So far, with the exception of someone mistaking my $20 Visa Reward card from Rite Aid for trash, I've kept up with remembering my cards, and my kids certainly remember to use them.
ReplyDeleteWhile can be totally impersonal, I like getting them as I use later than the gift occasion and feels a bit like I'm celebrating again. Sometimes though, they actually can be a personal gift, but my logic might need explaining. DH is not a coffee drinker. He also knows one of my favorite spurges is to go out for a coffee with a friend, but loathe the $3.00 coffee charge, or twice that for a latte. By buying a coffee card, he is encouraging me to throw budget aside, and go out more often for the darn coffee with a friend. It's not the gift car in and of itself, but the intent.
DeleteVery occasionally I find a store return card with money on it. However, it is usually just a few dollars or cents. I always wonder what else gets past me. That causes me to search my purse and see what othercard has money on it.
ReplyDeleteYes like the cumulative cards with just a few cents on-still, it's money and if people pick up change, why not use every penny on a card.
DeleteThe store gift cards are one of my favorite things. And it can be easy to earn them for free online. Look like you have a great variety of them. That is great.They can come in handy in a pinch. :)
ReplyDeleteI've just stuck to the Target for the Microsoft. Th Amazon was the option for the survey, but heck, it will be used.
DeleteTheHub is our gift card procurer.. He gets several of them every Christmas from people they do business with or folks who are trying to get their business. Most of our are for dining out, which is nice but the places are always very expensive, so the cards generally don't cover the tip. Still we get a nice night out comparatively cheaply. Other than that he gets a very nice visa gift card form one vendor who does business with them all the time. It usually become several weeks worth of groceries.
ReplyDeleteQuestion-what are the etiquette rules on dining out with gift cards when it comes to the tip? I always leave the tip separately in cash, just because then I'm sure the server gets the tip. I honestly don't know if the tip can be taken off the card, because when they bring it back, it just will show the balance. I'd love a grocery card gift card. Either for ourselves or to use as part of a food pantry donation.
DeleteI tend to hoard these kind of things and then lose them. Trying to be better about using coupons and deals when we do go out.
ReplyDelete