National Use Your Gift Card Day reminds Americans to use the $1 billion in gift cards left unused each year. On the third Saturday in January, take stock of the gift cards you received over the holidays. Make the most of each one of them before they’re forgotten for good!
We all do it. Stash away gift cards thinking we will have more time later to use them. They collect dust and disappear into an abyss somewhere. We discover them as we clean and often don’t remember how much was on the card or if we used a portion of it. Those partial balances add up, too! The first step is to collect the cards together and see what you have. You know where to look.
Every pocket of every purse and wallet you have
The infamous junk drawer
Glove compartment of the car
Bottom of the toy box (it may have been used to scrape goo off a toy)
The other junk drawer
A gift bag with the tissue paper still in it
The toolbox (we know what happens when a flathead screwdriver can’t be found)
Once you have your gift cards, get organized. Where do the gift cards work? Restaurants, retail, and services all offer gift cards. Some gift cards are designed to be used just about anywhere.
Check for deals to maximize your gift cards. In most cases, gift cards work just like cash and can be used with coupons. There are exceptions, however, so it’s always good to check first.
Is the card to a place you don’t shop? You have a few options:
See if the card is good at a companion location
Check to see if the gift card can be cashed out
Have a gift card swap party or sell your gift card for cash
Donate your gift card to a charity fundraiser like a silent auction
Plan to overspend the amount of the gift card to avoid having small balances lying around. Even if you add a small useful item (lip balm is always handy) to go a penny over the amount, you’ll be able to hand the card over to the retailer to recycle the card.
NATIONAL USE YOUR GIFT CARD DAY HISTORY
Tilson PR founded National Use Your Gift Card Day in 2020 to make sure everyone gets the most out of their gift cards. Leave no gift card unturned and find tips, ideas, and deals by visiting useyourgiftcard.com, too.
HOW TO OBSERVE #UseYourGiftCardDay
Collect your gift cards. It’s time to use them. Don’t let them sit for a year and risk losing your gift altogether. Maximize your gift cards with deals and get the most out of your gift cards, too. Have a shopping spree or a spa day with your gift cards. Don’t let those gifts and savings pass you by! Use #UseYourGiftCardDay to share on social media.
World Health Esteem Month in January is a month to appreciate ourselves for who we are now and the small choices we can make to enhance our lives without making any resolution.
What is “Health Esteem”? Health Esteem is a new category of fitness and diet that integrates positive self-esteem, embracing who you are now, along with changes you would like to make. Health Esteem is grounded in accepting and embracing the person you are today and championing who you wish to become. World Health Esteem Month challenges the traditional notion that January is a month of depriving ourselves via empty promises and resolutions based on social “ideals.”
Historically the tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions dates back to about 4,000 years. Unfortunately, falling short of those resolutions is a tradition nearly as old, which can be a discouraging way to start the year.
Self-improvement is great, but self-improvement that starts at the expense of our self-esteem is destructive. This is why so many people start, but aren’t set up for real success with their New Year’s resolutions.
A New, Sustainable Tradition for Wellbeing
The alternative to this pattern of endless resolutions, annual self-judgment and comparisons driven by the Imperfection Economy is Health Esteem. This healthier tradition integrates healthy choices with a positive mindset for overall wellbeing. One in which we replace the New Year’s ritual of guilty goal-setting, deprivation, and eventual failure with a month spent appreciating ourselves for who we are. Now is the time to celebrate the tiny choices we can make each day to enhance our lives and even achieve better outcomes than when we thought we had to bully ourselves into New Year’s Resolutions.
Health Esteem Is a Skill You Can Learn
Practicing Health Esteem leads to better choices. Instead of working out because you’re unsatisfied with yourself, you exercise because you value yourself. This mindset allows you to do it in a way which is rewarding as much in the moment as it is over the long term. Similarly, instead of making food choices to punish yourself into weight loss you will start to make choices in support of taking care of yourself, ultimately making you feel better to build on your Health Esteem.
You Can’t Fail at Health Esteem
Every day of January is an opportunity to succeed. It can be as simple as checking in on 10 Tiny Moments that can have a dramatic impact on your Health Esteem.
Spend the first month of 2023 celebrating who you are and, for once, feel great about yourself from day one!
FOUNDER
Headquartered in Southern California, Beachbody is a leading digital fitness and nutrition subscription company with over two decades of creating innovative content and powerful brands.
The Beachbody Company is the parent company of the Beachbody On Demand streaming platform (BOD) including its live digital streaming subscription BODi, and the Beachbody Bike powered by MYX fitness, the Company’s connected indoor bike. For more information, please visit The Beachbody Company website.
10 Tiny Ways to Improve Your Health Esteem
Wake Up On The 1st Alarm.
Do the Hardest Thing First.
Make Time To Eat Breakfast.
Replace Dirty Energy With Clean Energy.
Plan Lunch The Day Before.
Swap Afternoon Treats For Superfood Desserts.
Give Energy.
Do A Post-Work Reflection.
Slow Dinner Down.
No-Screens 30 Minutes Before Bed.
BONUS: Take a Tiny Moment At Any Time of Day to appreciate yourself and be grateful.
JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION
A few other easy ways you can observe World Health Esteem Month are:
Use the hashtag #WorldHealthEsteemMonth on social media to show how you are focusing on improving your Health Esteem as opposed to outdated “resolutions.”
Journal daily about your small changes and successes along the way.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial of BODi, a leading on demand streaming platform from the Beachbody Company, at www.BeachbodyOnDemand.com.
Make a Pledge to Improve Your Health Esteem this January
The first step to starting a long-term Health Esteem Routine is appreciating who you are, what you have now and finding gratitude for what got you here. And that is 100% free. If you don’t think you have anything to be grateful for or optimistic about, keep looking. This is important because you don’t just receive gratitude and optimism – that’s not how it works.
You can’t wait for things to be great and then decide “Okay, I’ll be grateful for that.” You need to bring perspective to it in order to see it. The first step to starting a long-term Health Esteem Routine is appreciating who you are, what you have now and finding gratitude for what got you here. And that pledge is 100% free to make now.
The first step to starting a long-term Health Esteem Routine is appreciating who you are, what you have now and finding gratitude for what got you here. And that is 100% free. If you don’t think you have anything to be grateful for or optimistic about, keep looking. This is important. Because you don’t just receive gratitude and optimism – that’s not how it works. You can’t wait for things to be great and then decide “Okay, I’ll be grateful for that.” You need to bring perspective to it in order to see it. The first step to starting a long-term Health Esteem Routine is appreciating who you are, what you have now and finding gratitude for what got you here. And that pledge is 100% free to make now.
National Thank You Note Day on December 26th recognized the time-honored tradition of thanking people for their gifts, hospitality and generosity. It is a day to get some note cards, paper, pen, envelopes, and stamps to write those special thank yous.
Taking the time to thank family and friends with a personalized message has special meaning. The receiver of the “thank you” will enjoy getting the card in the mail and the message you have written. Personal messages also convey to friends and family a deeper, more intimate sentiment. These handwritten notes, however brief, carry a tactile expression of thanks that verbal communication often lacks.
Have the kids draw a picture for theirs if they are not old enough to write a thank you, note. Family and friends will cherish a “thank you” from a grandchild, nephew, niece… Will mean a great deal to the receiver. My mom puts those treasures front and center on the fridge, where such works of art belong. As they get older encourage the more traditional thank you notes. This will help them learn to respect the gift and the giver. Starting a good habit that will last many years into the future.
Writing a thank you has become a bit of lost art. We have provided a few tips to help along the way.
Begin your thank you by acknowledging the specific gift and how thoughtful it is. If the gift was delivered, then assure the sender it arrived safely and how much you enjoy it.
If the giver presented the gift personally, mention something you remember from your visit. Then thank them for the perfect gift they took the time to bring by describing it and how ideal it is for you.
Close your thank you by gushing about how kind the giver was for remembering you!
Within a few lines, you will have the knack of writing thank you cards. Share your tips using #NationalThankYouNoteDay to post on social media.
Some pie lovers will be eating their favorite pie on February 20 during National Cherry Pie Day. Whether they eat it for breakfast, lunch or supper or a slice at every meal depends on just how much they love cherry pie!
It seems only right that we celebrate the cherry pie so close to Presidents Day as we all know the story (albeit untrue) of President George Washington and the cherry tree. Cherries were, however, one of his favorite foods.
According to the American Pie Council, the pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early colonists cooked their pies in long narrow pans calling them “coffyns” like the crust in England. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts often were not eaten, but just designed to hold the filling during baking. It was during the American Revolution that the term crust was used instead of “coffyn.”
In the United States, cherry pie is often referred to as a “great American dish.” Recipe books have many different versions of recipes for cherry pie.
Try making your own cherry pie. Not much of a baker? Stop by your favorite bakery or take a friend out for a slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee. Use #NationalCherryPieDay to post on social media.
