I buy gift cards from costco and sams club and keep a supply for the inevitable last minute notice the night before that one of my kids is going to a birthday party. Mine are teens so itunes cards are coveted, as well as movie cards, jamba juice, starbucks, etc. The formula is as follows, $25 for a kid I’ve never met or don’t know the parents, then a sliding scale up to about $50 for one of their best friends and everyone else falls in between. Sams and costco sell the cards at a discount between 5% and 20% off, so the numbers I’m quoting are face value, not what I paid. It’s easy and there is no time or gas costs when you just buy a couple hundred worth of assorted cards in one stop that can get you through the year.
Nieces and nephews are an exception, I only have a couple so it is fun to spoil them rotten and they wont be drifting in and out of my kids or my life. I had that “cool” uncle when I was a kid, every kid should have at least one. Every two years they need a new computer or laptop, other years it’s ipods, it’s a way to give money to my siblings without actually giving it to them and I’m a firm believer that kids should have computers, this is their world and familiarity with technology is a requirement.
