What I'm doing about gift cards to help budget kind of

[disneydreamersx4]

I am giving gift cards to DD-9 to build-a-bear) & DD-13 to Sephora and to the salon for eyebrow waxing but NOT putting the actual money on the card yet. This way they get the card and then I get to save money in December until we get to the store in January to use the card at that time I will just pay up for their purchases

We are having a hard December with the dog getting heartworm and some medical bills.

 

[marmalade]

How do you get the gift card without putting money on it?

 

[MSSANDRA]

I know at least at Build- a Bear, you have to buy the card, therefore paying for it when you make the purchase.

Maybe wrap a picture (printed on-line) of the places that you want to take your children and then treat them in January????

 

[NVDisMom]

I do this every year with the girls. You load $5 on each of the cards and then pick up the rest in January when u have more room in the budget. So much better than running uo a credit card bill

 

[ceecee]

Maybe talk your 13 yr old into less expensive make-up than Sephora! And eye brow waxing at 13???
I bought a card at BAB but had to pay for it then.

 

[pixiewings71]

DD13 likes having her eyebrows waxed? I did it once....it hurt so bad and my eyebrows BLED and were red and puffy for 3 days after. Won't do that again...but you gave me a GREAT idea for something for me. I like having my eyebrows threaded, much easier then waxing imo. I'm going to stop by the salon at the mall that does that and get myself a gift card for an eyebrow wax for my stocking! I've got 3 gift cards for everyone else in the family for their stocking but only 2 for me, so this will make it even for us all. Thanks for the great idea!! And the tip about getting the gift card without anything on them is pretty neat too, I'll have to remember that for next year.

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

Maybe talk your 13 yr old into less expensive make-up than Sephora! And eye brow waxing at 13???
I bought a card at BAB but had to pay for it then.

My 11-yo gets her eyebrows and lip waxed and has for over a year - my idea. Flame away if you wish, but she takes after her dad (Hispanic) and has been cursed with a mustache and unibrow... so we wax the lip and just the middle of the eyebrows to get rid of the unibrow. We don't do the whole eyebrow shaping because (1) I don't think it's necessary at her age and (2) the waxing kinda hurts, so she prefers to do as little as necessary.

 

[Diabolicdesire]

Maybe talk your 13 yr old into less expensive make-up than Sephora! And eye brow waxing at 13???
I bought a card at BAB but had to pay for it then.

My DD13 gets her eyebrows waxed.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

OP here - Well, if you have a DD that has bushy eyebrows and like some others that have a moustache, at 13 they are very self concious about it so why not give them this gift?? As far as Sephora, I don't let her buy there AT ALL it is just a small treat ($15) for Christmas. Her aunt took her there for her 13th birthday and bought her this lip gloss that has color and she loves it

 

[disneydreamersx4]

DD13 likes having her eyebrows waxed? I did it once....it hurt so bad and my eyebrows BLED and were red and puffy for 3 days after. Won't do that again...but you gave me a GREAT idea for something for me. I like having my eyebrows threaded, much easier then waxing imo. I'm going to stop by the salon at the mall that does that and get myself a gift card for an eyebrow wax for my stocking! I've got 3 gift cards for everyone else in the family for their stocking but only 2 for me, so this will make it even for us all. Thanks for the great idea!! And the tip about getting the gift card without anything on them is pretty neat too, I'll have to remember that for next year.

The first time she thought it hurt but now she's used to it and didn't get as bad as yours were, sorry that happened to you. And your welcome for the idea

 

[disneydreamersx4]

How do you get the gift card without putting money on it?

Sephora and Build-a-Bear just gave me the cards without putting money one them In fact, Build-a-bear has the gift cards in front of the register for the taking. Claire's was a different story, they made me put money on the card so I didn't mind that. But I should have done what the pp said and printed something from Claire's to give DD, I will do that next time.

Oh and if you don't put money on the gift cards and if your kids lose the cards there won't be a panic to find it

 

[ksloane]

If you were wanting to do this, you can get gift cards to lots of places at stores like grocery stores, walmart, cvs, walgreens, etc and they are just sitting out so you could conceivably just grab the card and not put anything on it to a lot of different stores.

 

[pearlieq]

And eye brow waxing at 13???

You're born with what you're born with. By 13 I definitely needed waxing!

 

[angierae]

My DD has been getting her eyebrows waxed since 2007, so she was 12. Kid has a unibrow like her mother - getting it waxed is a lot better than getting teased about it.

 

[marmalade]

Sephora and Build-a-Bear just gave me the cards without putting money one them In fact, Build-a-bear has the gift cards in front of the register for the taking. Claire's was a different story, they made me put money on the card so I didn't mind that. But I should have done what the pp said and printed something from Claire's to give DD, I will do that next time.

Oh and if you don't put money on the gift cards and if your kids lose the cards there won't be a panic to find it

Wow you learn something new everyday. I never in a million years would have thought of this. My kids are 4 and 5 and don't even know what a gift card is yet, but I will have to remember this for the future.

 

[Metsfan520]

If you were wanting to do this, you can get gift cards to lots of places at stores like grocery stores, walmart, cvs, walgreens, etc and they are just sitting out so you could conceivably just grab the card and not put anything on it to a lot of different stores.

I'd be worried that a store might think I'm stealing something. But that's me.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I had to ask Sephora for the card because it wasn't on display and just said "Can I please have a gift card, I am not sure how much money I want to put on it yet. At Build-a-Bear I could have taken the cards without asking, it's not like you are stealing because they know there is nothing of value with an empty card but I did say Can I take a gift card for my daughter?

 

[pixiewings71]

My 11-yo gets her eyebrows and lip waxed and has for over a year - my idea. Flame away if you wish, but she takes after her dad (Hispanic) and has been cursed with a mustache and unibrow... so we wax the lip and just the middle of the eyebrows to get rid of the unibrow. We don't do the whole eyebrow shaping because (1) I don't think it's necessary at her age and (2) the waxing kinda hurts, so she prefers to do as little as necessary.

No flames here, I totally get it!! I have terrible eyebrows myself, that's why I tried the waxing. But OMG never again.....lol If you guys have threading available check into that, I meant to get mine done yesterday when I was at the mall but totally forgot. It's been since October for me so mine are getting bad....lol

The first time she thought it hurt but now she's used to it and didn't get as bad as yours were, sorry that happened to you. And your welcome for the idea

I'm glad hers weren't that bad, I clearly had a horrible tech that did mine. DD14 just plucks hers so far but if hers get like mine in the future I'll take her for threading.

I'd be worried that a store might think I'm stealing something. But that's me.

I'd be worried too, especially if it's something that has a dollar amount assigned to it. But I imagine no would take those.

 

[Metsfan520]

I had to ask Sephora for the card because it wasn't on display and just said "Can I please have a gift card, I am not sure how much money I want to put on it yet. At Build-a-Bear I could have taken the cards without asking, it's not like you are stealing because they know there is nothing of value with an empty card but I did say Can I take a gift card for my daughter?

The problem is, there are people who are taking gift cards, scanning the numbers, putting them back & then checking the website & when the card is loaded, using the number to buy stuff online. Now I know you're not doing that, but someone in the store might think you are. I'd rather give the kids an IOU for a store. No harm, no foul.

 

[disneymom3]

OP here - Well, if you have a DD that has bushy eyebrows and like some others that have a moustache, at 13 they are very self concious about it so why not give them this gift?? As far as Sephora, I don't let her buy there AT ALL it is just a small treat ($15) for Christmas. Her aunt took her there for her 13th birthday and bought her this lip gloss that has color and she loves it

Well, as the mom of a teen, I applaud you for thinking of her and not thinking that just because her age is X, that she shouldn't do something. This is SUCH a hard age. And I think the Sephora card is a fun splurge too.