If you ask me whether or not to buy someone a gift card as a present, I’ll tell you that it’s impersonal and a bit of a yawn 90% of the time. The only time I praise them is when the recipient is anything like my mother, who rarely buys anything indulgent for herself and therefore needs the incentive to go out and splurge on something that’s just for her.
That is why I was thrilled to find out that she’d been gifted with a $200 gift card to Nordstrom aka our department store. (Everyone has one that holds an extra-special place in their hearts.) I’m aware that she knows her way around Nordstrom just as well as I do from years of experience, but given how little time she spends shopping anymore, I took it upon myself to scour the entire contents of the store (no really, I did) to help her get busy spending it. Below, find 34 under-$200 items that I’d pick if I were my gift-card holding 60-year-old mom.
This post was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.