Debt Free Christmas: Gift Cards?

Can buying Gift Cards be a good idea? No and Yes.

No:
1. It is estimated that $2 billion in gift cards will go unused this year! I admit that I am an offender. I am an avid couponer and have a very good system of storing coupons, and gift cards so they get used. Yet, I still have one for a resturant, over an hour away that isn't kid friendly. I doubt it will ever get used. (I appreciate the thought and effort, it just isn't practical for us.)
2. The problem is cards for places the reciever doesn't frequent. Just because you love a restaurant and think your friend will too, they might just never make it there to use it. Instead, if you really want them to experience it, make a date and take them there. (That way you both win!) If for some reason you need to give a gift card, give it to a store/restaurant you know they love going too.
3. They are just as impersonal as cash. Go ahead and just give the cash, then they can spend it how they want.
4. You will end up spending more this way. You could make, or find a more perfect gift for lots less than you would probably spend on a gift card.

Yes:
1. The receiver has told you they love that store, or have been eyeing something, and you know your gift card will allow them to finally get it.
2. You are buying the card for yourself. What? If you live on a strict budget, you already know how much you typically will spend at any store. So you can take advantage of Christmas promotions.
3. Using a gift card for stores you already shop can give you rewards. My family loves *Pizza Ranch, they are offering $5 free when you purchase a $50 gift card. Additionally the $$ you spend on the gift card earns you Ranch Rewards resulting in another $5 off your next purchase. In this scenario, we got $60 of buying power for $50. It was also a fundraiser night for a favorite charity, and they earned 10% of the night's proceeds!
3. Using a gift card for stores you already shop can give charities rewards. My church has a gift card buying program called Scrip Cards. The church receives a portion of the proceeds, and they are available every week for commonly shopped stores and restaurants.

Four cons and three pros, if your still not sure, than don't do it. Why throw your money into that $2 billion?

If you receive a gift card, use it ASAP, the longer you hold on to it, the more likely you will forget about it. Better yet, invite the person who gave it to you, time together is my favorite gift of all.

*I am not being compensated to plug Pizza Ranch, we just like eating there and this gift card scenario was really good.

Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time...yeah an extra hour of sleep! Uhm... who forgot to tell the kids?

What to do with all this extra time before church? Laundry...check, Read the paper...check, Pinterest...check, Eggs Benedict with homemade Hollandaise sauce...check.

That's right homemade Hollandaise sauce! I am not Martha, Julia, or Paula, (love that good Irish boy, Bobby though!) so believe me, anyone can do this. I just do it right in the blender.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce in the Blender
3 egg yolks (I place the whites in a freezer bag so when I need whites I have them.)
1/4 tsp mustard (I like a Dijon, but sometimes only have plain yellow on hand)
1Tbsp lime juice (lemon is traditional and can be used, I just like a twist)
1 dash hot sauce
1/2 cup butter (melt in microwave)

*Place egg yolks, mustard, lime juice, and hot sauce in blender. Turn on the blender then slowly drizzle in the hot melted butter with the blender on. Serve immediately

The acid in the lime juice and the heat from the butter 'cook' the egg. If you add the butter to quick or without the blender running it will cook your eggs to fast and you will get a lumpy scrabbled egg mix up. I have had a lot of kitchen mistakes, but that hasn't happened to me yet. This recipe is pretty fool-proof.

What did you do with your extra time today?

Win free Shutterfly Swag!

 

**A winner has been selected using Random.com check your email. Congratulations to Tara H. from MO. Thanks to all who entered**

 

I was selected to host a Shutterfly More Merry House Party!

House Party is this awesome website that connects people like us with some of our favorite products. We promise the companies to invite over some of our friends for a party, and they promise to send us party favors that will knock your socks off!

Look what all they sent me!

Anyhoo... Since you are my friends, I am going to give away a prize pack to one lucky reader. The prize pack includes One 8x8 photo book for you, 10 personalized holiday cards, a 101 free prints offer**, and a way for you to share the spoils with 5* of your besties!

The Giveaway ends Wednesday, and you can earn up to 3 chances to win. Good Luck!



Here is the small print from Shutterfly:
*Offer expires 12/17/2012(11:59 P.M. PST). Offer is food for one (1) free, 20 page, 8x8 hard photo cover photo book at Shutterfly.com. Offer calid for one-time redemption per billing address. Any additional pages will incur a per-page fee. Storytelling TM styles and elements will incure additional fees. Offer not valid on licensed premium photo books, premium photo books, layflat pages, leather, padded, cloth, crocodile, faux lizard and soft cover photo books. Taxes, shipping and handling will apply. This offer is not redeemable for cash and cannont be sold, transferred or combined with other offers, discounts, promotions or credits. this offer is governed by the laws of the State of California. TM and (c) 2012 Shutterfly, Inc.

**Offer valid for 101 4x6 prints, Not valid for in-store pickup at Target, Walgreens or CVS. You will recieve your 101 prints credit after you have entered the valid email addresses of five friends. One offer per household. Offer ends December 10, 2012 (11:59 P.M. PST).

Giveaway rules:

1. No purchase necessary to win. Purchase or payment of any kind will not increase your odds of winning.
2. Sweepstakes/Giveaways are open only to legal residents of the fifty {50} United States {including District of Columbia} who are at least eighteen {18} years old at the time of entry, unless otherwise noted in the footer of each individual promotion.  
3. The duration of the giveaway is specified within the post.
4. The giveaway prize is specified within the post.
5. The number of eligible entries received and total prizes available determines the odds of winning.
6. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter.com {not by facebook, blog post comment or email}. During the promotion period, follow the instructions in the required entry section in each promotion. You automatically will receive one {1} sweepstakes entry by completing each optional or required entry. Use of a private social media accounts {Facebook or Twitter} to promote this giveaway is at the entrant’s sole discretion and not required to enter. Note, promotion of a giveaway via social media accounts such as Facebook and/or Twitter are commonly used as a marketing tool, and also to provide entrant with an extra chance to win.
7. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address and/or household. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and log-ins, or any other methods will void that entrant’s entries and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible or misdirected registrations, which will be disqualified.
8. Winners are selected at random by Rafflecopter.com and will be announced the week of the giveaway end date within the original giveaway post.
9. Winners must comply with all terms and conditions of these official rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements.
10. The giveaway winner will be notified by email.
11. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to reply to the notification email within the required time period {two weeks}, or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.
12. In the event that a prize winner is disqualified for any reason, the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner by random drawing by Rafflecopter.com. There will be one {1} alternate drawing after which the applicable prize will remain unawarded.
13. All prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.
14. By receipt of any prize, winner agrees to release and hold harmless CindyRiddle, sponsor, and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents {collectively, the “Released Parties”} from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.
15. CindyRiddle reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the promotion, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond administrator’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the sweepstakes, as determined by administrator in its sole discretion. In such event, administrator reserves the right to award the prizes at random from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment.  
16. The released parties are not responsible for: {1} any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the promotion; {2} technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; {3} unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the promotion; {4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the promotion or the processing of entries; or {5} any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the sweepstakes, provided that if it is not possible to award another entry due to discontinuance of the promotion, or any part of it, for any reason, administrator, at its discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, administrator reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, unawarded, eligible prize claims.
17. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and aponsor’s and administrator’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the promotion. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
18. Void where prohibited by law.