Visa Gift Cards

This goes out to the parents of working University students. Mostly girls.  Just because they like to shop a lot more than boys (I believe).  For birthdays and Christmas gifts, it is understandable that you probably don't know what to get your grown children, but lets be honest gift cards or money as a gift is pretty awesome.  You can never have to much.  However.  If your kid loves to shop occasionally and is very specific about her money spending and is working their way through University and doesn't want to have a Student Loan coming out of her ass when she is 40, and pays all her bills as soon as she can, a maxed out credit card even with regular payments and never has any money in the bank account, (you can tell I have experience in this can't you) then listen to what I am about to say.  If you want to give your daughter an "actual" gift through gift card. Do not. I repeat.  Do NOT buy them a VISA gift card.  Because they most likely will NOT spend it at the mall, but rather on groceries.

These are two very different things, these WANTS vs. NEEDS.  However put in hard situations, a rational University student who has just had a birthday will probably take the VISA gift card and go buy some groceries.  I mean if it was a Mall gift card, they probably would go out and buy some new clothing and some CDs or something.  If it was from a specific store (like their favourite store) they would probably buy a lot of whatever it is that store sells.  But a visa is like cash.  They can spend it anywhere.  And sometimes the needs is much more apparent then the wants, even at birthday or christmas.  "Go out and buy something you would like" in a University students mind is "Go out and buy some food".  What's even worse is you could be helping your child buy alcohol, not that that's a bad thing for poor students, it's just that you don't want your baby to waste your "gift" by it throwing it in the drain (haha get it?? it's a joke).  For those students who actually have the leeway to go and take that gift card to the mall and spend it on clothing and all that jazz, good for you.  I can't.  I'm screwed this semester and hope that my manager can give me some more hours so I can pay off my bills.  Here are a few reasons why I'm screwed:

1. I decided to "treat myself" to two winter jackets in October...It didn't snow until January
2. I was SUPPOSE to get a Money Back Cold Weather Guarantee back from SEARS, except they decided to change the rules so it ended up falling through
3. Cable bills + electricity bills + phone bills = More then my paycheck can handle

My advice, don't get a Visa card.  Even as a student.  They give you the student limit on the card, which is like $500, but they can max that out without realizing it and then have trouble paying it back.  I'm still working on getting it back to zero.  I'll be honest, it has been a hard couple of months with school stress, and work stress, and money stress.  I'm surprised that I still sleep at night.  And as I write this I realize that it is around 1:00 in the morning.  Hypocrite right?

Another point that I have to say about gift cards, but this point is about how they actually can save your child some money.  Whenever I go shopping by my self, or with my friends planning on using my money, I don't really check the prices of items until I really want it and will get it whether or not the price is in my range.  This means spending a lot money that I don't have.  But when I get a $100 gift card, I stick to it.  I mean I went to Walmart today and bought groceries and ended up at $104.14.  Four dollars and fourteen cents over.  I mean when I go grocery shopping with my debit card I usually plan for like $50 or something, and end up at $70 which is ri-DONK-ulous.  I kinda enjoy gift cards.  Sometimes you end up with money that you weren't expecting and are totally stoaked.  Just like when you are looking through a pair of jeans you haven't worn in a while or a jacket and you find like $20.  It makes you soo happy.  I love that feeling.  I can't describe it because I'm tired, but I think that it is fantastic.