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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Woah girl, what time do you eat dinner?? I’m still at work and just had an afternoon snack!
Ha! Our neighbor brought the lasagna over at 4 and it took everything I had to wait to eat it at 5:30 tonight! We usually eat dinner around 6 or so.
I prefer to eat with senior citizens … I’m almost always hungry by 5! 😉
we should hang out. 🙂
Next time you’re in Atlanta … we need to hit up Two Urban Licks (at 5pm, of course! 😉 ). I’ve been wanting to try it since I saw your review! 🙂
Have a great day!
I carry quite a few, so many rewards type cards now and those take up a lot of space. I am the type of person that spends a gift card the second I get it or soon after so I might have one in my wallet but thats it.
Ha Ha Ha, I swear I just had this conversation with my husband last night! I carry around ALL my cards! My wallet is bursting at the seams, because I also like to have cash and coins to pay for parking etc… I think I have about 25…
I need one of those card carriers!!
Let’s face it, carrying gift cards and store discount cards is necessary all the time because the one time you don’t have them is likely when you’re going to pop into that store 🙂
I think I should get myself one of those card carriers! I can barely shut my wallet with all my gift cards/reward cards! It’s crazy!
Check out my latest recipe @ bakingblissful.blogspot.com
I’m laughing so hard. I got a TON of gift cards from my students at the end of tHe year and they are currently in my purse…. In a plastic sandwich bag. Lol IM NICK!
I actually got a bigger wallet because of all the cards and things I carry. I found it at TJ Maxx and it looks like a mini tablet case, or small portfolio. Needless to say there are a million card slots and everything fits in their harmoniously. 🙂
I totally hoard receipts in my wallet and get made fun of all the time for it! Also, I carry around my Starbucks gold card, but find myself using the Starbucks app on my phone almost every time I’m in the store. You should try it! I think every store has the ability to scan the app now.
Oh my, this is so me too! I even recently tweeted a picture of all my hoarded cards lol. It drives my husband bonkers because I hoard giftcards for years! I wont even use them unless it’s for something “really special” that I have been wanting ;p. It seriously is a problem. And I’m not really sure why I do this…haha.
you realize you probably could have bought a card carrier at tj maxx or marshalls and actually used one of your gift cards to do so! lol
i think my wallet currently looks like your “before” wallet…the bad thing is that i have a card holder similar to your stuffed w/other cards too! i have gift cards, store stamp cards, frequent shopper cards…augh. i think i need to go organize it right now, now that i’m thinking about it!
Um…Are we soul sisters?!?!!! Lol! I use a business card holder ‘wallet’ for all my gift cards and rewards cards(Panera, Dicks, etc…)
You are definately not alone hun!!!
P.S. my dog shoots snot rockets over his nose all.the.time! He’s a golden so it’s not vizsla specific! 😉
I acquire so many gift cards through the year and it’s usually from a return with no receipt. I found this great website plasticjungle.com where you can send in your gift cards and they give you 90% of what the card is worth in cash. It’s pretty awesome for gift cards that have just been sitting around and haven’t been getting used. Put all the money together for something you’ve been saving for!
You’re not alone! Trust me!
I keep them in my wallet because there’s been too many times where I just happened to stop by a store and I left them at home. So you’re the smarter one. Always prepared!
I carry SO many gift cards around and yes, I am a hoarder too! Sometimes I will actually pay for something rather than using a gift card because I want to save the gift card for a ‘special’ purchase or occasion. It’s nuts! I love the cute card holder you bought. 🙂
I was just watching a Rachel Ray show this weekend and she said that giving away homemade lasagna is the best gift ever! I totally agree 🙂
I usually hoard gift cards for a few months (like 6 or so) but after that I totally use them. I think the longest I ever kept was to Ann Taylor Loft…I had it for over 2 years! haha!
That lasagna looks delicious, how nice of your neighbor! I do the same thing, I am a total gift card hoarder! I only carry my debit card, school ID and drivers license so every other little crevice of my wallet is stuffed with gift cards. Usually they aren’t full, one of my biggest pet peeves is finding one and realizing there is only like $0.35 on it haha
I’m going to keep an eye out for one of those. I’m a card horder too. I can’t tell you how many wallets I’ve busted due to over filling them with discount and gift cards!
Haha, I’m like that too, though I don’t have quite as many as you.
The last time I was in Bath and Body Works I ended up using three gift cards to pay – not cause I bought half the store and it was crazy expensive – but because I only had a couple dollars left on each card. The lady who rang me through thought it was pretty funny.
I absolutely loveeeeeee cold noodles with sauce! I Almost think cold the next day is better then warm the first! Sooo nom nom! I also have an obscene number of cards and hate when I pay for something and it take ten. Minutes just to find my debit card! Sorry cashiers 🙂
First off, I USE my gift cards before they have a chance to accumulate! 🙂 I love those things and usually don’t keep them for more than a week before I make my purchase so that when I send the thank you card back, I can also include what cool stuff I got with their gift!
I have two wallets basically…the one for my money and rarely accessed cards and then a little credit card wallet for the ones I use on a regular basis. It’s much smaller so I can grab it out and it has all my important cards (including my license) right there.
Sounds like a great way to organize your cards though! Now get out there and put ’em to good use! LOL
I use a little fabric Sbux gift card holder for all my gift cards—and yes, I carry them around with me all the time!
that lasagna looks SO delicious!
confession: i’m a closet gift card hoarder, too. i still have a gift card from a couple christmases ago (yikes! i better spend it soon), along with a few others stuffed into my wallet that i’ve accumulated over the past year or so.
whoa that lasagna looks crazy good. And its cool to know that I’m not the only one with a needlessly THICK wallet! hahaha! It’s so unevenly thick, too…:P But mine is more like, filled with business cards, ID’s, etc.
1. I am also a gift card hoarder! I need one of those card carriers!
2. I love that you took care of a cat and got a lasagna. Garfield anyone!?
I have about 23 I carry with me at all times but as far as gift cards go, I tend to spend them pretty quickly (unless its for a food place). I love shopping.
That gift card holder is so cute:). A friend of mine told me I had a “George Costanza wallet” due to all the receipts and gift cards. I now keep the gift cards in my coupon file and not in my wallet.
I love ruelala for little finds like that, but then hate paying the $10 shipping because it negates the good deal! It seems like you buy enough though that you can kind of think of that $10 spread across a few orders in a month??…..
I never really get to spend money on myself so if I get a gift card, it is gone super fast! I do carry around my Starbucks card at all times though!
I bought a wallet that I think is for business cards, it has many plastic sleeves. I use that for gift cards.
I always give lasagna’s to friends that have just had babies or have an illness in their family. It is easy to stick in the fridge or freezer so can be used right away or later.
I have a ton of cards too and I do the same thing you have done. You never know when you might need that gift card or reward card!
I definitely carry gift cards around for a long time! A lot of the time I’ll forget I have them until after I spend actual money at the store. That always hurts. Or I’ll end up keeping a card with $2 on it, and then look like an idiot when i try to spend it.
Clearly I need a better system.
My problem is that I’ll go somewhere and forget that I have a gift card or coupon until after I leave! Ahhhh.
I’m only a partial gift card hoarder. Sometimes I use them up right away and sometimes they just sit and wait for what seems like forever. Depends what it’s for. Starbucks gift cards get used up RIGHT away! 😉
I am a card hoarder as well. Its a bad habit really because I will have a card for so long, I’ll forget to ever use it!
I’m a teacher so I get a lot of gift cards! I use one of my wristlets and carry all of my gift cards with me all the time! You just never know when you’re going to need them!!! I even have ones that I have small post-its on so that I know how much is on them. My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy! I still have one from my first year of teaching 5 years ago!
Careful! I recentely read that giftcards can and do expire after a certain amount of time!
I always carry all my gift cards around. You never know when you’ll need one. Both of your wallets are cute!
I’m a card hoarder too. I’m in serious need of a wallet purge right now, I’ve got an expired driver’s license and debit card still in my purse. It’s a pathetic situation.
I’m also really cheap and try to use my gift cards up completely, I won’t let that $0.97 go to waste!
Haha! That’s very funny! I do carry all my giftcards with my at all times in my wallet just in case! I usually use up my coffee shop giftcards right away, but the other ones take a little more time!
I totally spend gift cards as soon as I get them, so I never have those…ha! I do have a bunch of credit & debit cards, insurance/AAA cards, store reward cards, license, library cards (to multiple libraries)….so I have to use a wallet with a lot of card slots!
I have too many to count! I also carry around my printed out Groupons just in case!
I have so many gift cards, it’s ridiculous. Mostly for places I never go to and hope that one day I will go there. So you are not alone.
Why do people that know me well give me cards of places they know I’ll never go? I have no idea. Also, I’ve been drinking and should not be commenting on blogs right now.
^ bahahaha! At least you’re honest!
You are most definitely not the only gift card hoarder! I accumulate them over time and they are in various wallets… too many times they are not where I want them to be at the time they should be.
Um I just counted mine and have 23!! Who has that many?! I even just bought stuff at some of the stores I had certificates for! Hate when that happens. Darn
LOL! you’re in good company, my friend. 🙂
Cold lasagna leftovers are the jam….even better than the original!
I pretty much carry my cards with me wherever I go… and, like you, I’m a card hoarder! I still have a Macy’s card from my birthday… last year’s birthday. :-p Haha, feel free to pass any cards over to me!!
I have at least 16 cards in my wallet, including my old student IDs (why on earth do I still have those??), and I have to sort through them every time I want to find something….
i changed wallets last month when i got a new one for my birthday and i had my student ID and my scuba diving certification ID in my wallet! what the heck!?
Julie- I had to comment on this post. I’m a longtime reader but don’t really comment. My husband and I recently had a date night where we committed to using all gift cards. We didn’t feel great after but it sure was fun. I blogged about it here.
http://responsiblechocolate.com/2011/12/13/nothing-in-life-is-free/
Jessica
oh my gosh, this is SO fun!
I’m totally on board with the cold tomato sauce! I could eat it with a spoon out of the jar. After our wedding we had so many gift cards, I ended up taking them all to Target and having them consolidate them onto one giant card.