Ready or Not #23: Gifts

Don’t you just love gift cards? I know I do. It’s the perfect size, the perfect color, and nobody ever wants to re-gift them. So, when I received an e-mail cautioning me about buying gift cards this season, I was a little sad. The email stated that there were several large chain stores that were either closing all, or at least some of their stores after the Christmas season. The author of the email said that depending on the store’s situation, the gift card money might be lost.

When I looked at the list of stores that were on the watch list, the only concern I had was for all of the people that would be losing their jobs because most of the stores were ones that I couldn’t afford to visit anyway. But it got me thinking. It is quite obvious that I think that it is important to build up a good food storage and to be prepared – so why not use a grocery store gift card for Christmas gifts to help a loved one build their food storage this year? If you decide to do that, I want to be on your gift list!

I’ve told you in the past that my in-laws give my husband and me each 10 pounds of hamburger every year (20 lbs. total) and I look forward to it – each and every year. If you don’t want to give a grocery gift card and you want to wrap something, then how about a case of tuna, or tomato soup, or cream of chicken soup, or even a couple of cases of macaroni and cheese. I even heard once about some parents that gave each of their married kids a processed and wrapped pork each year. Wouldn’t that be a great gift? I want to be able to do that for my kids someday.

You don’t have to give food if you don’t want to. There are lots of safe gift cards and certificates that gift receivers would be happy to get. What a thrill to get a gift card to a gas station, or how about a gift certificate to a preparedness store to build a better 72-hr kit? How about a roll of stamps? Use your imagination.

The more that I listen to the news and read the newspaper and listen to my friends and coworkers, the more I see people’s tastes, wants, and needs change. I don’t hear as much talk about extravagant vacations as I do about the really good deal they found at the grocery store last week and how they were able to stock up. A neighbor admitted that whenever she starts to get nervous about the economy, she goes down and buys something for her food storage. If you like to spend money when you’re nervous, that is certainly a better solution than going out and buying another pair of shoes that you really don’t need.

The one thing that I loved about the email that warned me about buying the gift cards – and I’m not making this up — is that the author said that you would be better off buying food storage instead of gift cards! I was so happy! Food storage is the new fad! I was cool before it was cool to be cool!

Now go buy something edible and storable.

*Quick note. Now that my kids are raised and have their own families, I give each family a case of toilet paper in addition to their regular gift. They love it! We also have a Christmas Bingo game with prizes and the grand prize is a case of toilet paper! That last round of Bingo gets pretty intense!

Dawn