Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

What do you do with gift cards your kids receive for holidays/birthdays? Do you let them pick out a toy immediately or save it for the future? Do you use it to buy clothes for them? When you could buy gift cards for Toys R Us, I was confident the kids would be benefiting from it by getting a new toy, but now I usually do Target and I wonder if it's being used for household or other things for the family.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I never use anything given to my daughter for myself or the household. Money, gift cards, never.
It's a very strict thing in our household that anything given to her is hers.

She LOVES getting Target gift cards. She basically wants toys, games, crafts etc.
She usually gets them for xmas and her bday so she already has in influx of "stuff" so we save them for the future. Or if there is something she really wanted that she didn't get for xmas or her bday she can go get it with the card.
But usually they last us a while and it's nice to be able to go get something months after the holiday has past.

Clothes purchases are on us. So she never really uses the cards for clothes either

Message edited 12/16/2019 10:57:53 AM.

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

If my kids get Target or Kohl’s I buy it from them and put the money in their savings account.

Edited to add they are young And we don’t take them shopping for themselves. If we do I would just pay for it.

Message edited 12/16/2019 10:59:25 AM.

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I've always let DD use her gift cards herself. She knows what they are (and has since she was probably 3). I keep them in an envelope and periodically remind her of them- she's pretty free to use them as she wants.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I usually save the gift cards for later on and then if I go to target and buy stuff for them I will use the GC

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

My DD puts all her gift cards in her wallet and keeps track of them. She brings her wallet whenever we go shopping and she’ll buy something here and there. The gift cards last her a long time and she’s learning the value of money by being responsible for them. The only ones I hold onto are Adventureland and the movies.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I always let them use it, immediately if its a gift card, but save for the future if it is cash. Cash goes in the bank. Gift cards use for toys or clothes. My daughter got a gift card for target and I told her her budget and she was able to pick anything in the store for that amount. I can't imagine someone would use a target giftcard on household stuff if it was meant for the child. I separate my gift cards from hers. But you can always do a barnes and noble gift card (they have lots of toys now!!) or like an ice cream gift card or a build a bear workshop gift card, disney gift card, etc. That way its more specific.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

the gift cards DS gets are usually stuff for him specifically..like the bookstore, skyzone, five below, movies, etc. Stores he likes. if its target he uses it on stuff he wants anyway. I keep them in an envelope and he uses them thru the year.

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

my kid is almost 25 and i still will buy gift cards from him... if it's a store/restaurant he doesn't like.

when he was little, i would save them for him. when there was something in particular he wanted, i would remind him of his gift card.

i rarely ever used his gift cards for household expenses. i say rarely and not never because i know i might have confused a card or two over the years, but it has never been my intention to use his cards/money for me/household.

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I bought the gift cards off my kids if there was a store they may not use, and I would. But especially with any Visa American Express type card that they may start deducting fees from. I learned the hard way to spend it right away.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Does it matter? What’s the big deal if it’s used by the parents or for household items? The child still benefits.

My kids don’t notice gift cards and sometimes I use them as needed or regift. But we spend a ton of money on my kids and they have way too many toys as it is. They acknowledge the person who gave the gift at the time of opening. Maybe this will change as they get older but they lose track. So, who cares?

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I do not use my kids gift cards. I feel very strongly about keeping their money separately. If they ask me to buy the gift card I do that. I have also saved them for them when there was nothing they wanted at that moment. Last year we ended up with close to $200 in gift cards. I just bought them off of my kids and gave my kids the cash because I did not want to keep the gc for another year.

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

My almost 13 year old niece loves Ulta/Sephora (nail polish, lip gloss stuff like that)
My 10 year old nephew GameStop
And my 9 year old niece loves Michaels
They would be thrilled with gift cards to those stores :)

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Message edited 12/16/2019 10:12:48 PM.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by olive98

Posted by LSP2005

I do not use my kids gift cards. I feel very strongly about keeping their money separately. If they ask me to buy the gift card I do that. I have also saved them for them when there was nothing they wanted at that moment. Last year we ended up with close to $200 in gift cards. I just bought them off of my kids and gave my kids the cash because I did not want to keep the gc for another year.

Lol this made me snicker a bit. You bought them off of them and keep their money separate. I dont really get it. I literally spend thousands of dollars on my child between clothes, toys, not to mention everything else. Lmao they should be giving me gift cards. In all seriousness I'm using their gift cards to buy them stuff and if I throw in something for myself I'm sure I have more then made up for it.

My husband feels very strongly about this. When he was a kid, his parents took and spend all cash that was gifted to him. All his christening, communion, birthday money. He had nothing in savings.
When we bought our house we were able to put a nice down payment on our house thanks to my parents saving every penny I was gifted as a child for me (in some pretty crazy high interest rate CDs from the 70s ).
He always felt badly about that and swore he'd never do that when we had a child.
Household expenses associated with raising her are what comes with the territory of having a child and we were expecting that. The thousands upon thousands we spend on her from diapers and formula as a baby to gymnastics classes and Christmas gifts and clothes are par for the course. Her gifts, money or gift cards that people give to HER, are not meant to be used to cover OUR expenses of raising her in our opinion.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Honestly, I hoard the gift cards, reuse them or buy things I think the kids need (clothes, socks, etc).They have a ton of stuff so they are not wanting for anything. But, if you truly want a gift to go to them, don't buy them (ie: me) a gift card, lol.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Message edited 12/16/2019 10:59:25 PM.

Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

I often give target and amazon gift cards and I couldn’t care less what the parents choose to do with them. None of these kids I’ve gifted are playing with safety pins as toys and eating food scraps. If they want to buy toothpaste, have at it.

If someone wanted to ensure DD was picking out her own gift, they’d have to get her a Trader Joe’s gift card so she can buy the all the crap I tell her is a waste. Aside from the VERY rare target run, that’s the only sore we go to with any regularity.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by olive98

Posted by LSP2005

I do not use my kids gift cards. I feel very strongly about keeping their money separately. If they ask me to buy the gift card I do that. I have also saved them for them when there was nothing they wanted at that moment. Last year we ended up with close to $200 in gift cards. I just bought them off of my kids and gave my kids the cash because I did not want to keep the gc for another year.

Lol this made me snicker a bit. You bought them off of them and keep their money separate. I dont really get it. I literally spend thousands of dollars on my child between clothes, toys, not to mention everything else. Lmao they should be giving me gift cards. In all seriousness I'm using their gift cards to buy them stuff and if I throw in something for myself I'm sure I have more then made up for it.

My husband feels very strongly about this. When he was a kid, his parents took and spent all cash that was gifted to him. All his christening, communion, birthday money. He had nothing in savings.
When we bought our house we were able to put a nice down payment on our house thanks to my parents saving every penny I was gifted as a child for me (in some pretty crazy high interest rate CDs from the 70s ).
He always felt badly about that and swore he'd never do that when we had a child.
Household expenses associated with raising her are what comes with the territory of having a child and we were expecting that. The thousands upon thousands we spend on her from diapers and formula as a baby to gymnastics classes and Christmas gifts and clothes are par for the course. Her gifts, money or gift cards that people give to HER, are not meant to be used to cover OUR expenses of raising her in our opinion.

Re: Spinoff- Gift Cards for kids

Posted by LSP2005

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by olive98

Posted by LSP2005

I do not use my kids gift cards. I feel very strongly about keeping their money separately. If they ask me to buy the gift card I do that. I have also saved them for them when there was nothing they wanted at that moment. Last year we ended up with close to $200 in gift cards. I just bought them off of my kids and gave my kids the cash because I did not want to keep the gc for another year.

Lol this made me snicker a bit. You bought them off of them and keep their money separate. I dont really get it. I literally spend thousands of dollars on my child between clothes, toys, not to mention everything else. Lmao they should be giving me gift cards. In all seriousness I'm using their gift cards to buy them stuff and if I throw in something for myself I'm sure I have more then made up for it.

My husband feels very strongly about this. When he was a kid, his parents took and spent all cash that was gifted to him. All his christening, communion, birthday money. He had nothing in savings.
When we bought our house we were able to put a nice down payment on our house thanks to my parents saving every penny I was gifted as a child for me (in some pretty crazy high interest rate CDs from the 70s ).
He always felt badly about that and swore he'd never do that when we had a child.
Household expenses associated with raising her are what comes with the territory of having a child and we were expecting that. The thousands upon thousands we spend on her from diapers and formula as a baby to gymnastics classes and Christmas gifts and clothes are par for the course. Her gifts, money or gift cards that people give to HER, are not meant to be used to cover OUR expenses of raising her in our opinion.

Yes, my parents took about $10,000 from me so I feel very strongly that what belongs to my kids should go to them. I find thinking the opposite way exceptionally selfish and cruel.