The great thing about buying discount gift cards for personal use is that the decision to buy is ALL about the savings. The typical anxieties over giving a gift card are totally gone.

Although I planned to do some of our back-to-school shopping at Old Navy, I bought this Baby Gap gift card at PlasticJungle.com for a double-digit savings. Since this baby gift card can be used at Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and other stores owned by the same company, it didn’t matter to me which brand was on the card–only that I could save money buying and using it.

Where to Buy Discount Gift Cards?

I’m a fan of PlasticJungle.com because of the selection and prompt delivery. But you can shop various sites to find the gift cards and discounts you need. Below are a few options:

• GiftCards.com – Up to 25% off Merchant Gift Cards
• Cardpool.com – Buy Discounted Gift Cards For Up To 30% Off!
• PlasticJungle.com – Save up to 35% at your favorite department store! PlasticJungle.com – The new way to save money.

Stack Coupon Codes and Extra Savings

Stack discount gift card savings with in-store coupons, online offers, and online coupon codes to save even more! Below are a few to consider:

• Starts 8/12/2011: Get 25% off your purchase of $100 or more with coupon code BRSUMMER25. Expires 8/16/2011.
• Starts 8/11/2011: Kids Back to School Event: 30% Off Regularly priced items with coupon code GCKIDS. Expires 8/17/2011
• Save up to 90% on Used Textbooks – Order today at BarnesandNoble.com!
• Free Shipping to Home on School Uniforms at Walmart.com!

Your college student probably won’t know WHAT she needs until she cracks open the dorm room for the first time.

Only then will she discover that the space is half the size of her room at home, with a fraction of the closet space, and cinder block walls that won’t hold the pictures she brought.

I remember it well–each “my half of the room” creating it’s own set of challenges year after year. Invariably the organizers I bought the year before didn’t quite work in the new space. And off I’d go to shop for replacements. I didn’t mind setting up the new pad, but I did mind spending my precious few dollars on stuff I might not need the next year.

Gift Idea for College-bound Kids

If you have a college-bound kid in your life, send him packing with a gift card to Target, Walmart, or The Container Store and deliver it with a roll of quarters and a jug of laundry soap (if he’s driving off to school) or a box of dryer sheets (if he’s flying). Funny how gifts change when you’re on your own for the first time.

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• Walmart Gift Card
  Buy Now at
  Walmart.com
• Laundry Hamper
  Buy Now at
  Walmart.com
• Laundry Detergent
  Buy Now at
  Walmart.com

More College Savings

Save 30-80% on College Storage Gear at Target.com
Smart Savings on College Essentials at Walmart.com!
College Must Haves at The Container Store

Do you shop JC Penney or Kohl’s? If so, click over to GiftCardRescue.com and buy gift cards for personal shopping.

3 Reasons to Buy Gift Cards for Youself?

If you shop these stores anyway, might as well get 16% savings before you even head into the store. Here are 3 reasons to buy gift cards now for future purchases:

• Back to School Shopping – Ease the budget crunch that happens at the start of each school year. Both stores have great Back to School sales. So buy the gift card now and combine the 16% savings with in-store offers and you can save a bundle.
• Cheap summer clothes – We just went through the kids drawers and all are in need of shorts and t-shirts for the summer. With a 16% savings at either store, I can get what we need for less.
• Graduation or Wedding gift – Give the gift card as the gift or use the 16% savings to buy a traditional gift at either of these stores. They have everything from clothes to furnishings.

Break it up!

Wanna know a trick? You can buy a gift card with a gift card–which allows you to get a gift card that looks like new or break up the dollar amount into smaller gift card denominations. For example, get a $100 gift card at GiftCardRescue.com for $84. When the used gift card arrives in the mail, go to JC Penney and buy two $50 gift cards that look new and are ready to gift. (Plus, that’s an easy way to ensure the gift card is valid.

Combine gift cards and coupons to save money.

With three kids going back to school (and soccer and football and scouts, etc.), my budget is tapped. We’re reusing last year’s backpacks and lunch boxes to save money, but the kids still needed a few things. So I combined gift cards and coupons to stretch the dollars a bit further. Here’s what I did:

Work It:

1. Scoured the newspaper and mailers for high discount coupons.
2. Bought discount gift cards to go along with the best coupons.

Big Savings:

For example, I received coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase at JC Penney. Then I bought a $25 gift card to JC Penney for $21.50 at Plastic Jungle.

At JC Penney, Ally found two pairs of skinny jeans for a total of $25.99 plus a must-have, embellished top on the clearance rack for $10. The bill came to $35.99 plus tax. With our coupon and gift card, however, we paid almost nothing at the register. By combining discounts, I paid $21.5o to Plastic Jungle for essentially $35.99 in merchandise at JC Penney. That’s 40% in savings.

Going Forward:

Yes, it takes a little work and forethought. Yes, a good coupon can make all the difference. But there are stores like JC Penney, Kohls, Macy’s, and Old Navy that routinely send out special promotions. If you buy discount gift cards in advance and match ‘em up with the coupons as they arrive, you can save a lot of money.

Plan Ahead for the Holidays:

With the holidays coming up, combining gift cards with store sales and coupons could be the relief your budget is waiting for.

Parents required to buy $5000 in gift cards?

In this article about a school’s gift card fundraising program, Sarah Lorge Butler writes that she is not only required to participate, but is obligated to buy $5,000 worth of gift cards to net the school $250. While Butler has the option to write a check to the school for $250, the program gives parents a way to buy things they’d normally buy without spending additional money. In other words, buy $5000 in gift cards to the grocery store, hardware store, office supply store, and so forth. Then use the cards every time you shop. Proponents of the plan say it’s better than pressuring parents into buying wrapping paper, cookie dough, or other fundraising products they don’t need. I get it. But the limit is way too steep for my budget.

In addition to personal shopping, here are a few ways Butler can meet her obligation:

1. Offer to buy the group gift. Think about upcoming baby showers, bridal showers, coach gift, teacher gifts, and other occassions where people pitch in to buy one big gift. Collect money from participants and buy the gift card through the fundraiser program.
2. Give gift cards to her kids. I use gift cards to teach my kids about money because it helps them learn that plastic money (credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards) isn’t limitless. It may seem that way to little eyes when mom pulls a card out at every cash register, but not so. Gift cards help kids learn to shop within a budget. So Butler might consider getting gift cards for times when she might otherwise give her kids cash–allowance, vacation spending money, birthdays, etc.
3. Plan ahead. Think holidays, birthdays, graduation for the year and buy gift cards in advance so you don’t end up buying other things at the last minute. Don’t worry that gift cards will feel impersonal, most people love to receive them and you can add a personal touch using one of my many ideas. And don’t worry about these gift cards expiring because gift card laws have changed. No fees for a year and no expiration for at least five.
4. Build a stash. Buy extra gift cards to pull out for birthdays and special occasions you hadn’t planned for. I usually have a few extra iTunes gift cards on hand because it is a gift card nearly everybody enjoys and can be used anywhere. Amazon.com, Fandango, and online bookstores would also be good.

For any gift card purchased, I’d be sure to enter and track them in an app like Tango Card. This will not only help Butler use the cards purchased, but could speed check out processes that sometimes work faster if you know the balance on the card before starting the transaction.

This is What Summer is All About

Summer vacation is winding down and I can honestly say that we’ve lived it to the fullest. Rarely more than an hour away from home, we stay-cationed all over the Bay Area. We went to the beach, played summer league baseball, watched professional baseball, swam every water park in the area, ate ice cream, made ice cream, rode our bikes, connected with old friends, and made several new friends. It’s been a good summer.

I’ve Let Myself Go

But in the 10 weeks we’ve enjoyed as a family, I have completely let myself go. I haven’t done my hair in weeks. Ran out of a few essentials in the make-up bag and didn’t bother to replace them. My toenails are bare and my eyebrows a bit bushy. My lack of self care comes down to two things: time and money. (Doesn’t it always?)

Time and Money

I spent the early part of the summer training my boys to quietly go downstairs in the morning, bypassing the usual tap on my forehead to see if I’m awake. Their quiet departure allowed me an extra half hour or so of sleep. The indulgence, however, meant the kids were either starving or clawing at each other by the time I got up. So I had to shave time off the beauty routine to make up for it. I also let them stay up later which meant less time to myself at night. Heck, what am I saying? Less time to myself all DAY too. Love those kids, but forget about scheduling hair, salon, doctor, or dentist appointments while they’re home. And besides, money I might have spent on myself is going to admissions for various activities anyway.

Back to School

But it’s back to school time and that means every mom I know with school age kids is about to get a makeover. And I will be setting the pace. I need a new do, a splash of color on the toes, gonna look into that Yoga class I’ve talked about for months, and probably need to get my teeth cleaned as well.

So while I see retailers advertising “back to school” specials that revolve around kids, I think they’d do well to remember us moms are in need of a little pampering ourselves. And we could use some gift cards to offset the expense because we just spent all our money on summer activities and school registration. I suggest the following:

• Hair salon gift card for a cut and color
• Nail salon gift card for a manicure and pedicure
• Massage or Spa gift card to work out the summer kinks
• Gym or Yoga gift card to find her center again
• Organization store gift card to help her figure out the new fall schedule
• Lunch gift card to reconnect with girlfriends

It doesn’t have to be her birthday. If you know a mom with school age kids who is about to send the kiddies back to the teachers, get her a “Summer Survival” gift card to celebrate her return to freedom!