Tip Tuesday – Consume Those Cards!

Perhaps you recently celebrated Mother’s Day or your birthday and your friends and family generously gave you gift cards to your favorite store or restaurant? If so, I strongly encourage you to USE those cards now, either by ordering online or getting delivery or takeout.
WHY? During these unusual economic times, NO establishment is guaranteed to stay in business. Just this week we have seen large retailers like J. Crew and Neiman Marcus file for bankruptcy. Tragically, small locally-owned businesses are even more likely to go under. 
But what if your gift certificate is for a spa or service that is not open now? Perhaps it is worth asking if that business has products for your hair, skin, or nails that you can purchase using your gift money?
I once found hundreds of dollars of Hecht’s gift cards in a client’s dresser. They had been wonderful wedding gifts but she never got around to spending them and had forgotten where they were. At this point Macy’s had bought out Hecht’s, and, even though she tried, Macy’s refused to let her use the cards. Don’t let this happen to you⁠—your family WANTS you to enjoy those gifts, not have them lie dormant in a drawer.
So look through YOUR drawers and wallet and SPEND those gift cards that you’ve been given! How much “free money” can you find and use? Let us know!