There was a conversation today about the thoughtfulness when it comes to gifts and I was kind of surprised to hear that a guy said he thought that if people gave him a gift card it was less thoughtful then simply giving money. The reason was interesting as apparently he felt people usually grab the gift card at like the checkout line of their favourite store and therefore there is not much thought. When asked how cash is any different he mentioned that it is more flexible and so the person took time to consider that giving a gift card would restrict his ability to make purchases.

I personally don’t see much difference honestly as a gift is a gift. I would think the person has to know at least where you shop at so that you would actually spend it in a place you normally would anyhow. Unless it’s like giving people a gift card from like say your favorite restaurant where you know like the recipient doesn’t like the place.

I was talking to a person who was fairly young and he actually ran his own business. He still lived with his family and all too. Since his business is doing very well and his living expenses aren’t massive he usually has an excess amount of money at the end of the week. Not surprisingly, at times it seems like he doesn’t know what to do with it and so it is either spent on things like dining out or even gambling.

What is funny I thought is that usually for like myself when it comes to spending money I would think “Is it worth it” or “How much return can I get” whereas it seemed like for him in many cases it is more like “If I don’t spend it here I would there anyways” and so he just ends up using his money. I suppose it’s hard to break a habit like that in his scenario as he has an excess amount of money coming in and there is no real need for him to change when you think about it.

I know one person who broke that habit by simply getting a hobby of all things. Strange huh? You would think that you would need to work hard to show them the importance of saving for the the future and all. But really, just doing something that occupied his time more for when it is not business time worked like a charm. No reason why this couldn’t work too for most other people if there are people you are struggling with to try to change their financial habits.