The Lazy Girl's Guide to Christmas Shopping... Gift Vouchers!

Christmas Gift Ideas: Gift Vouchers

Now some people might say that giving people a gift voucher is a cop-out. That you haven't gone to any effort. That anyone can just get a gift voucher. And they might be right. But only half right. It's not as lazy as you might think. Especially if you take the time to get someone a voucher that's not just your run-of-the-mill, generic gift card.

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In my experience, people love getting gift vouchers. A gift voucher allows the recipient to get exactly what they want, when they want it. Sure, it may be a bit of an anti-climax at present-opening-time. You rip off the paper, only to discover a piece of plastic or an envelope, but after the initial excitement of getting random presents that you probably won't look twice at in 2 months time has worn off, people look forward to spending that gift voucher. A gift voucher is it's own special kind of delayed gratification!

One of the best things about giving a gift voucher these days, especially for the Lazy Girl, is you can buy a whole host of them online. Oh yes, not only do you not have to get off your arse and fight the crowds for that piece of paper or plastic, but you can buy them in nothing but your underwear, from the comfort of your home! What could be better.

A couple of the cards we scored last Christmas. Some of the money on them has been spent, some of it is just waiting for a rainy day and the perfect sale item!

You've got your usual gift voucher suspects, Coles/Myer, Wesfield, Woolies/Big W, iTunes/AppStore/GooglePlay. Not to mention pre-paid VISA cards. But if you check out a website like GiftVouchers.com, or GiftCardStore.com.au, you'll find you can purchase gift vouchers for a huge variety of retailers, including specialty retailers and online stores. You can even get buy gift vouchers for theme parks and other 'experiences' via these websites. It's a bit of a one-stop gift-card shop. Something that makes this Lazy Girl very happy.

But aside from your usual gift vouchers for retailers and online shop, you can also get gift vouchers for places some people don't even think about. Like beauty salons, day spas and even restaurants. For instance, the last couple of Christmas gifts Dave's sisters have given us have been a gift voucher for one of our favourite restaurants. It's the kind of present that isn't just about food, but getting to have a night out together, without the kids, and for me, that's worth more than just the price of a meal.

I'm also quite partial to the day spa gift voucher. I've been given quite a few and they are the best. Again, they are worth more than just the value of the treatment. You're essentially giving the gift of relaxation and an hour or two out of the house, by yourself! You're giving the gift of doing something for yourself, without having to feel guilty about the money you might have spent doing it. That's priceless to me.

Another great gift voucher idea is movie money. A gift card for a trip to the cinema. Everyone loves to see a movie but sadly we don't all have the time or money, especially the money, to make that happen. So if someone gets you a gift card for the cinema then you can go a little nuts, see a movie in Gold Class, and spend the money you wouldn't have had after the price of the ticket, on a nice little treat for yourself during the movie. Win, win!

The gift of relaxation and a couple of hours to myself. Priceless!

And finally, while strictly not a gift card, a season pass for an attraction, like the zoo or a wildlife park, would make a great gift for a family, and something they could use multiple times throughout the year. I noticed yesterday when we were at Featherdale Wildlife Park that for the cost of less than 3 visits you can get a yearly pass and go see the animals as many times as you like. I'm seriously thinking of suggesting this as a great present for our family in a few years time, when both girls will really get a kick out of visiting as many times as we, the parents, can handle!

Let's face it, we've all got so much crap in our houses, so why not give the gift of an experience, or let people choose the useless crap they really want for themselves. Saves time, saves landfill and saves the Lazy Girl a bit of effort with nothing but a bit of thoughtful consideration.

Are you a fan of giving or receiving gift vouchers/cards?

This is not a sponsored post in any way. Any of the stores/websites/retailers/businesses that I have mentioned or linked to have in no way endorsed this post or been affiliated with it.