This is ridiculous:
But we’ll get to that in a second.
First, it’s food time!
Dinner
I’ve been checking in on a neighbor’s cat all week and as a thank you, she brought over a piping hot lasagna for dinner tonight!
Though I am a big fan of sweet treats, I’m going to keep this idea in mind in the future when I want to thank someone with homemade food.
I usually bake a batch of cookies when I want to say thank you, congratulations or something else, but homemade lasagna? That’s where it’s at!
A big lasagna means lots of leftovers!
Since I am crazy and think cold pasta sauce is the cat’s meow, I can already tell you that little slivers of the lasagna will be enjoyed right out of the fridge tomorrow. Mmm!
Gift Card Hoarder
Last month when I was in New York, I spent a night hanging out with my friend Merri, eating delicious food from a street cart and chatting away in my hotel room.
When I went to pay for my food that night, Merri burst out laughing at my wallet. She couldn’t get over how many cards I had jammed into what should’ve been a slender wallet.
And that’s just the bottom half. The top half of my wallet is filled with my driver’s license, credit and debit cards and health insurance and dental insurance cards.
All of the cards you see in the above pictures are gift cards or reward/discount cards I’ve acquired throughout the years.
Confession: I am a gift card hoarder.
The loot:
As you can see, I have duplicates of many cards. Some of the cards have been in my wallet for an inordinate amount of time.
Merri told me I was crazy for carrying around all of those cards but I argued that I want to have them on hand just in case I pop into a certain store or restaurant and wish I had the gift card! But, if I’m being honest, my wallet looked like it was exploding and was a little ridiculous.
A couple weeks ago, I saw a sale on RueLaLa for a $15 card carrier. BINGO.
I initially thought about putting all of my cards in a little plastic baggie, but I kept thinking about the episode of New Girl when Nick’s wallet is a plastic bag and laughed. (That episode = So, so funny!) I figured a card carrier was a little more secure than a plastic bag, right?
I kept my my four “most likely to be used” cards in my wallet, but placed the rest of the cards in my card carrier.
My wallet can breathe again. It is a glorious night.
Questions of the Night
- How many cards are in your wallet?
- Do you carry the gift cards you have around with you all the time or only when you know you’re going to redeem them at a certain store or restaurant?
Please tell me I’m not alone in my crazy card ways!
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Omg! I’ve finally found another GC hoarder in the world! I have cards jammed in every pocket and then some in my desk drawer so they won’t get lost! Its hard to part with ’em. Lol
I do the exact same thing. I have roughly 40 cards in a ver bradley key-ring wallet then I have my regular wallet 🙂
That is a lot of gift cards! Lately, I’ve been doing the same thing with people giving us gift cards as wedding gifts. They just keep piling up. I have a separate wallet just for store rewards cards and things of that nature. I like that it’s organized. I have one wallet for money and my credit cards and things of that nature and then I use the other one for rewards and loyalty cards.
JULIE! We are alIke in the gift card hoarding. I don’t have as many as you, about half but holy lord… I just can’t spend them, lol. I hope hey don’t expire!
I am a huge gift card hoarder! My friends hate shopping with me because I always shop for he best deal and then use my gift card to pay for it! It’s a win, win! I keep little post-its in my purse to stick the current balance on the card.
I only have about 3 left. Still can’t decide how I want to use my potterybarn gift card…
Don’t let Mer see my wallet…..I have two…one that has the everyday stuff and one that has literally only gift cards and reward cards…so I carry 2 wallets everywhere I go…bc duh, the one time you randomly walk into JCPenny and find the item of a lifetime you’ll have left your gift card wallet at home…I’m not taking any chances 😉
Ha…I’m a gift card hoarder too. I got a cute card case a while back to hold them as I could not even close my wallet. Happy Friday Julie!
Oh my gosh, sooo many gift cards! hahaha, usually when I get a gift card I use it almost immediately because I love shopping, especially with someone else’s money! Love the New Girl reference!
So funny lol love your blog Julie!!
I try to use my cards as I get them, if not I forget about them and then they expire or use their value.
I have that same wallet, but mine’s in orange! I love it! And I’m a card hoarder too. I’ve tried leaving them at home and only bringing a few, but then I kick myself because I don’t have it when I need it, then immediately put them back in. I think I need a card holder. Yours is cute!
Hi Julie!
I stumbled upon your site earlier this week, and I am finding that it’s not easy to tear myself away from reading! I will read a post and there will be a link that takes me to another post and so on and so forth. So I’ll have about 10 tabs open on my computer, and I’m like “okay, I’m just going to read one more and that’s it!” But I keep finding other interesting topics – ha! I’m loving your recipes and they are giving me ideas for how I can switch up all my meals; I’ve already tried overnight oats and YUM! 🙂 I too am obsessed with peanut butter. I had to laugh when I saw your blog’s name, as it reminded me of an episode of Friends where Joey references “peanut butter fingers” – I’m sure others have said this! I never had considered that method for eating peanut butter – but my sister and I would always grab spoons and take a random helping out of the jar, haha.Thank you for your super upbeat writing – I have found a new favorite blog/blogger! 🙂
This post resonated with me because I too am a major gift card hoarder. I asked for gift cards for my birthday (3 months ago) and I have not used ANY of them! Plus, my husband and I received gift cards from Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, etc. from friends/family when we purchased our first home together last June…stilllll haven’t used them yet! But I mean really, the possibilities are endless. Do I want to spend them on picture frames or throw pillows? Candles? Bookends? A toaster? I am the worst at making decisions!
I’m sorry this was so long, but just wanted to say “hi” and I’m really excited I found you!
this is such a wonderfully sweet comment. thank you, thank you! and i love that episode of friends!!! 🙂 oh and i totally know what you mean about falling into the black hole of blog reading. i’ve done that “millions of tabs open” thing MANY times w/ blogs i’m reading! you’re not alone!
I love your blue Kate Spade wallet. I’m actually on their website right now 🙂
I usually spend gift cards as soon as I get them. I get too excited!
thank you! i love their stuff. it was a bday present from my family this year. 🙂
Love Kate Spade! I keep all my gift cards in my wallet, but I also usually spend them right away.
Wow these comments are hilarious! I feel so odd because I have no gift cards (those babies get spent the rare times I get them). But I do have two customer loyalty cards for Safeway and Fred Meyer.
Loved this and love your new gift card holder! So funny you just posted this today because I went through my wallet and threw out a bunch of old gift cards and misc. things that were bulking it up too much. Also loved reading everyone else’s comments! Did you also know there is an iphone and droid app called “key ring” where you can input all your bar codes from all the stores that give rewards? it is pretty neat because instead of carrying a wallet full of Cvs, Stop N Shop, Shop Rite, Sephora, even your gym tabs, they can all be uploaded into one place on your phone. it is cool!
I love gift cards & discount cards – have a separate spot for each in my wallet & it’s always overflowing (if it even comes close to closing with them! Change is also a wallet-size problem as well…
Between credit cards, punch cards, discount cards, drivers license, etc, I have somewhere around 30. Plus I have some gift certificates in my purse. Oh and as a “hoarder” (not really) I have every single drivers license I ever had – in my wallet! What else can I possibly fit in there?!
I’m such a hoarder but it’s also due to the fact that I hate shopping. Don’t get me wrong, I love new clothes and mostly shop online. Five years after we got married, I went to Macy’s and found out my two certificates from our wedding expired. 100+ down the drain…ouch. The cashiers couldn’t wrap their heads around why I still had them.
Maybe we should have a card hoarders meeting. I actually have a key ring dedicated to all the membership / discount cards needed when you go shopping. My husband thinks I am a wacko. I totally keep all the gift cards in my purse at all times because I never know when I am going to go shopping.
I have so many “rewards” cards that I keep them in a little Vera Bradley zipped pouch. I keep it in my purse at all times, but the rare occasions that I just grab my wallet and go, are usually the times that I end up needing to use one of those cards. I’ve started to keep the cards that I use most often in my wallet.
hahahaha, I can’t help but laugh because it was like I had written this post! My friends are always making fun of me when i pull out my wallet with all of my cards. The worst part is I forget which ones I have and never use them!
What’s the brand of that wallet?? It’s adorable and I’ve been looking for a card holder for all 7 trillion of my gift cards/credit cards/expired student IDs/etc. that I don’t need anymore haha