No, I’m not planning to go fishing while wearing fancy unmentionables. Though it would make for one heck of a stock image photo, don’t you think? So, as some of you know by now, my parents are coming down to visit us here in Florida. Their airfare and hotels are covered with miles and points, and I’ll have a breakdown of it in a near future.
I wish I could say that most of the expense ends there, but it would be a lie. Our savings are going poof as I’m typing this post! Of course, it’s my family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They are flying from another part of the world, so it’s only fair I treat them to a nice vacation. Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband who doesn’t mind it one bit. He even let me take out a loan once so I could pay for my parents’ roof.
Gifts, gifts, gifts…
I’ve mentioned before that gifts are a huge part of our culture. So, I had to figure out what to send back to my sister and her family. Fortunately, I didn’t have to guess. She emailed me the other day and asked for some fancy Victoria’s Secret underwear. She even sent me photos of specific items. Don’t worry, nothing risqué. But still, I won’t show them because it’s a family blog. Of course, when I saw the prices, I almost choked on my Cheerios. My sister offered to pay me back, but how could I accept? So, I just told her it would be my official gift to her.
Of course, being the cheapskate that I am, I debated on whether to do current VS promo where you can potentially get each pair for only 99 cents. Make sure to follow all the rules to the letter if you decide to particpate. Unfortunately, I would not be able to utilize the coupons until after my parents left for Europe. So, it seemed super cheap to tell my sister to wait for her gift until I redeem the offer and mail fancy underwear a month later. But I am a cheapskate and that’s what I should have done.
Instead, I went to Giftcardgranny and bought a Victoria’s Secret gift card for 25% off. So far so good. I’ve written about buying gift cards from third-party resellers, and highly recommend you read that post. In spite of potential pitfalls, it’s an excellent way to save money on upcoming purchases where you don’t need credit card protection. VS underwear definitely falls in that category.
One thing to keep in mind: it’s probably best to stick buying them ( gift cards, that is) for your own use because something can go wrong, and you may not have a chance to fix it. Imagine giving it as a gift and the value gets depleted (read my post for more). That person may not tell you because people usually don’t complain about gifts. Most folks are not like miles and points hobbyists. It feels awkward to approach someone and say: Hey, the gift card you gave me is worthless.
But when it comes to non-major purchases and dining, it’s often very hard to beat reseller prices. I just bought Olive Garden gift card for 15% off. We plan to take my parents there anyway, so why not save a few bucks? I can still use coupons and would otherwise pay with a credit card that earns 1% cash back. So, why not use that very same credit card and save 16% instead? You can even go through portals like Topcashback (my referral link), click to resellers like Cardpool (also my link) and save even more.
My dad mentioned that he wanted to go by Bass Pro Shops store to look around. Right. I knew we would end up buying stuff, so I got a $75 gift card at 18% off. He is a fishing fanatic and is totally obsessed. He once spent 1 hour telling me about various fishing equipment. I couldn’t care less, but politely listened anyway. Then it dawned on me: that’s probably how people feel when I talk about miles and points!
Back to this whole Victoria’s Secret (big) business
So, I bought the stuff at the tune of $94, all-in. You may wonder what I got for this exorbitant price? Well, not much. The purchase consisted of 8 pairs of underwear. I was staring at the stuff and kept thinking: I just paid a ton of money for a bunch of cr$p made in Sri Lanka. Guys, if you are looking to buy special stuff for your lady, stick to Amazon and Ebay. Trust me, she won’t care.
I made a huge mistake in telling my mom about it. Her reaction and I quote: “Are these panties made of gold???” Naturally, she said it in Russian. Then she called my sister and got on to her, so the gift is now a bit tainted anyway. Should have stuck to those darn VS $10 mail-in cards.
Oh, almost forgot. They included this “free” fabric lingerie travel case (value of $70). Because when you go on a trip, you need a special bag for your underwear, you can’t just pack it with the rest of your clothes. It’s not classy, and none of Victoria’s Secret Angels would ever consider doing such a thing. Take a look at this $70 contraption. My kitchen table is “shabby chic,” in case you are wondering. Yes, really.
What do you think? Maybe $3 to make, max? Funny thing is, my sister will probably love it. Plus, it has VS label on it. Few days after the purchase, they sent me an email saying that I’m now subscribed to their special newsletter. Of course, there was a photo of twenty-something scantily clad model taunting me right from the screen of my own computer. Unsubscribe. I’m filling out those cards and taking VS corporation to the cleaners. Who is with me?
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I love the Victoria secret mail in, but with this round costing double the postage AND gift cards apps strictly and specifically prohibited, unless you get a card worth over $10, it won’t do you much good. Which is sad because I had an amazing haul from the fall promotion.
@Emily I meant to do the previous promo, but got too busy. Plus, I’m lazy! Should have done it, for sure. I’m actually debating on this one. If the card is valid on shipping, I could probably use it for discounted stuff. Is it worth the effort? I’m not sure, but I might mail in a few cards anyway.
I read your earlier post and you covered what I mentioned already. Very unfortunate situation with your Wendy’s giftcard…looks like there are still other risks even if you changed your giftcard #.
@Katye I totally agree with you! When I buy discounted Walmart gift cards on reseller sites, I usually go ahead and buy one on walmart.com using the same card as payment. Well, unless I plan to go shopping within the next few days. A nice thing is that you can always file a claim within a certain time frame, although, some online stores are a pain to deal with.
But I would never recommend someone buys those with intention of giving them as gift. I actually saw this advice on a money saving site, and had to chime in warning readers to be cautious. Of course, in all likelihood, things will be fine. But it would be quite embarrassing to give someone an empty gift card.
I once bought a giftcard that got depleted as well. I let the online giftcard company know and they refunded me right away, because the record clearly shows that it was depleted before the e-cert was emailed to me. If you bought giftcards from 3rd party website, as soon as you get it use the giftcard code to buy another giftcard from the original seller (may not work for all sellers, but worth it to try). That way you can a.)double-check the value and b.)make sure it doesn’t get depleted down the road.
So I checked out the mail-in promo you linked. I’ll probably give it a try. But something I found in the fine print cracked me up:
If a Canadian resident, a potential Secret Reward Game winner will be required to correctly answer a time-limited, mathematical skill testing question without any assistance in order to be eligible to redeem a Secret Reward Card. If the question is answered incorrectly, the Secret Reward Card will be forfeited.
What the heck? Why would they ask you a math question in order to get your reward! Does the cashier give you a test before you can redeem your prize? Haha.
@Jennifer My husband wouldn’t be caught dead inside VS store! I used to buy from them when they had amazing deals, but it’s been a few years. I find that you can get lingerie on Amazon quite cheaply, so no need to bother with VS sales. This product actually was on special 3/$36. Yes, my sister has expensive taste!
As far as this promo goes, I have no clue what this whole Canadian thing is about. How crazy, right? I doubt it’s enforced, but who knows?
You’re funny. I love VS and am just mad because there’s not one anywhere near me. If you shop their sales, it’s a good value and they have sales often. If you got 8 pair for 94 bucks, I’d say you didn’t hit a sale. When we first got married, my husband opened up a VS card in HIS name. He loved shopping there. He didn’t shop sales (gasp), but I thought it was so sweet that he wasn’t one bit shy about going in there and shopping that I didn’t stop him. Seventeen years later and he still shops for me.
DD went to VS to score the free underwear. Car ride home she takes them out to marvel at her item and found she had gotten the wrong size! She needed XL and got XS!! We’ve had a good laugh! (I’m a cheapskate too – want me to send them to you?? Lol)
Kayhy, that’s funny! Stuff like that happens. Thanks for the offer to send me XS pair of undies. I’m afraid I’m a bit bigger than that. I have been blessed in that area, if you know what I mean! 🙂 And so has been my sister.