Put Your Own Stamp On The Holidays- A Colorful Giveaway

The other day while driving out to do a little holiday spending, I heard the most fascinating interview on NPR with JOEL WALDFOGEL-author of a new book entitled:“Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents For The Holidays”.  Mr. Waldfogel, the chair of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, was there to discuss with host Jennifer Ludden “Is gift giving bad for the economy?”.

Now don’t let the title fool you.  Mr. Waldfogel doesn’t believe that we should all stop buying each other presents. Instead he was there to talk about the value of a gift going far beyond it’s price tag- and I don’t mean in the ‘it’s the thought that counts kind of way’. He believes that ‘good gifting’ provides the ‘giftee’ with something that they like, appreciate and/or need and in return supplies the ‘gifter’ with a nice level of personal shopping satisfaction.

all tied up over what to buy!

photo source

He states that while we do pretty well with buying gifts for those in our closest circle, as a society we tend to run into trouble with our inability to shop ‘well’ for those that we don’t know ‘well’.  His theory is that bad- or as he calls it “sloppy” spending= the devaluing of giving.  And this is what he believes we should stop doing.

When we are put in the position to spend money on ‘stuff’ that we don’t know if the other person needs or wants our shopping satisfaction drops.  The same rings true when we receive a gift that we don’t need or like-we are left unsatisfied.  Wow, who knew that a box tied up with a ribbon could turn into such a head game!

As someone who tends to be in charge of buying these ‘murky water’ gifts (for teachers, hostesses, classmates, mailman etc…), I usually find myself racking my brain for good ideas this time of year.

Then as if on cue-soon after I returned home, I opened an email from my friend Sylvia asking if I wanted to share a discount code and giveaway with LIFC readers.  When I saw what the product was…all I could think was ‘Eureka!’  This is a gift that I think even Mr. Waldfogel would agree has gifter/givee satisfaction written (or should I say ‘stamped’)  all over it!

Picture It Perfect Postage Stamps by endicia….a bit of Photoshopping and 2 minutes later LIFC has it’s very own stamp!

While I see personalized stamps appealing to shoppers as a gift for themselves (which they do)- I think they are the perfect gift for someone you don’t know super well.  After all we all need stamps, right?

Personalized=thoughtful and luxury, the cost coming in at $18.95 for a sheet of 20= right on price point.

I’m already thinking a great teacher’s gift would be to have your kid draw a picture of their teacher or take their class pix, scan it and turn it into a U.S. postage stamp.  Same goes for grandparents, neighbors, kids…the list goes on.

I toyed around with them a bit and its really simple to do. You can easily preview your stamp before making a commitment.

A pic of my doggie and his furry parents- styling up my holiday postage!

The stamps are bigger than most other personalized stamps, which I think makes them even more interesting.  Also, depending on your image-you can choose from either portrait or landscape format.

You’re even able to choose from a variety of background colors- to personalize it even more.

Best part: Picture It Perfect Postage Stamps is offering LIFC readers a special colorful discount (which I realized will nicely cover the shipping cost):

So here it goes-

Coupon Code: Sale

Discount: $4 off 1 pack (20 stamps), $8 off 2 packs (40 stamps),  $10 off 3 packs (60 stamps)

Expires: Dec 31, 2009

But get moving on it, because normal shipping takes up to 10 days!

www.pictureitperfect.com

Plus-one lucky reader will get a special code for a free pack of 20!  Leave me a quick comment and I’ll randomly pick a winner later today!!!!!

Ahh, I’m feeling a little more satisfied already!