CardCash Extra Discount on Gift Cards

CardCash.com is one of my favorite sites for buying discount gift cards (pay less than their face value). Use code SAVE5A for an additional 5% off TJ Maxx, The Limited, Outback Steakhouse and more!

Reselling at Community Consignment Sales

There are all kinds of creative ways to resell your kids clothes and 'stuff'. Large-scale community consigment sales are becoming more and more popular (and a great way to find good deals too). Google 'kids consignment sale' to find one near you.

I go to a sale in my area that is a Just Between Friends franchises. Usually in the fall and spring, there is a scheduled sale in a community center or public venue and you can sign up to be a consignor. Once you sign up, you use their system to create tags that identify your items and you set the price (remember you want them to sell!). The websites have excellent guidelines and video tutorials that are quick to review so you'll have an idea of what sells and how to prepare your items. You will need some minimal supplies and I recommend this tagging gun because the fine needle is less likely to cause damage.

You can volunteer at the sale and earn a better commission. I volunteer for 4 hours and earn a 70% commission on my items. Volunteers also have the priveledge of shopping early before the main sale and discount sale and I have a lot of fun doing it.

You'll see a schedule of when to drop off your items and they do the rest. You'll be able to login to your account and see what has sold (through your bar-coded tag) and wait for a check to arrive in the mail in a week or two. You can pick up the items that didn't sell (and save them for the next sale) or just let them be donated and receive a receipt for a tax-deductible donation.

Don't have time for tagging? You'll earn less commission, but many sales will do the tagging for you too. Easy breezy!

Reselling - Part of the Savings Cycle

What's reselling? In particular, I talking about kids clothes and toys because they outgrow things so quickly. What do you then? If you automatically think of lots of clutter and work, think again!

Reselling is one of the final possible steps in the cycle. For my toddler/preschool-aged girl, she has a better quality/bigger wardrobe than ever before and I likely break even or make money on it after I resell it. I've shared tips for buying quality at deep discounts either at retail stores, consignment sales, or thrift shopping. Reselling is an essential part of the savings cycle. There are endless options that are quite a bit of work or nearly effortless. You have plenty of options depending on the time and payback you want:

• eBay/Amazon/other online selling
• consignment: online or brick & mortar stores, or big seasonal sales
• garage sales
• tax deductible donations
• Facebook trading pages
• Craigslist and similar sites
• the list is endless...

The next few blogs are going to focus on the Just Between Friends consignment sale that I participate in seasonally. It's huge, fun and a perfect place to resell and find new bargains!

Cash Rewards

Plenty of stores are offering a 'cash' reward system now... Gymboree, The Children's Place, Gap, Old Navy, Kohl's and more...

Essentially, if you spend a certain amount during the 'earning' period, you get a voucher to redeem during the 'redemption' period. This is great for the store because they entice you to come back and spend more, but many people forget when to redeem the reward or lose it. I recommend picking 1-3 favorite stores and getting very familiar with their program so you make the most of it.

I set a reminder on my phone and tried out the Gap, TCP and Old Navy systems recently and felt I did well, but I'm still learning with them. First rule is not to buy anything you don't need or is within your budget to buy to because you like it. This is to either earn or redeem the rewards. If you earn the rewards and can't use them, then give them to someone or sell them. What goes around comes around.

I also plan ahead and consider what kind of discount the reward is offering and restrictions. If it's $10 off a $40 purchase, that's only 25%. If it's $25 off a $50 purchase, that's 50%. Can you use a coupon with it? Can you purchase via a cash-back site like Ebates or Upromise? Can you get a discount gift card? If you think the final discount will be worthwhile, then look for a discount gift card once you've earned the reward so you'll be ready once the redemption time comes. Favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com.

So here is an actual example for Gymboree's Gymbuck redemption. I needed to spend $50 to earn it and will need to buy $50 to redeem it. Be sure to keep both purchases as close to that $50 requirement as you can. If you spend $70 and redeem $25 then that's not 50% off anymore.

Gymboree currently doesn't partner with a cash back site so I can shop in store or online. Remember any shipping charges if you shop online. I already had a discount gift card from Cardpool.com that I paid 16% less than it's value. Here's the breakdown of my savings.

Actual retail value of the items I chose was $301.65, but it was already on sale for $156.88. Before even using my Gymbucks, I was averaging a 48% discount. You can't combine a coupon with a Gymbuck so next I used my 3 Gymbucks that totaled $75 to bring my purchase down to $76.88. Now, I'm at 75% off the full retail price. I also qualify for free shipping by having a minimum $75 purchase. Remember that if you pay sales tax, this has also reduced your taxable purchase by 75%. Now I pay with my discount gift card (note: if you want to try this, be sure you understand the difference between a merchandise credit and true gift card). I still pay Gymboree $76.88, but I only paid out of pocket $64.60 which is a total of 79% discount.

Consider other benefits too. I paid the tax with my gift card so I saved 16% on the tax. I bought the gift card with a visa where I earn miles so I earned that reward. Gymboree also has points for every dollar spent to go towards a different reward and I earned those too. It takes some planning and self-control, but 79% off is worth it! It's a savvy way to save money by stacking different methods to save.

Swimsuits for All has 30% off Entire Site & Free Shipping Code

Free Ground Shipping! Use Coupon Code FREEGROUNDSHIP1234. Shop Now! (For U.S. Customers Only)

Patience is a Virtue

In my previous posts, I mentioned some rewards cash I had earned and how I set reminders for myself to give these programs a try. I had rewards with The Children's Place and could not find a discount gift card for to stack with the rewards.

But, patience is a virtue! I noted that my reward is valid until January 31st and I've kept checking periodically for a discount gift card and today there were some posted at CardCash.com!!

Now, my reward is $10 off of a $40 purchase. That is 25% off...not good enough. The gift card I bought was 15% off of it's face value. Now, I'm up to 40% off. Still not good enough. Once my card arrives, I will access the online store via Upromise, a site for 5% cash back, on my purchase and I will only buy items that are on sale.

Once my gift card arrives, I'll make this happen and break it down for you with the real numbers.

You Don't Have to Buy

In my last post I mentioned having some rewards money from a couple of stores and how I strategized getting even more of a discount. Well, here's another thought. Just because you have a coupon or rewards dollars doesn't mean you have to use it. This is about being smart, savvy and saving money wherever you can. Buying things 'just 'cuz' you have a discount is not smart or savvy.

So I was ready to use my rewards from The Children's Place which was $10 off a $40 purchase. Now that's only 25% off. I also accessed their website via Upromise for an additional 5% cash back. I wasn't able to find a discount gift card so to get my preferred 70% off, I was going to need to find some hot sales too.

I did find some things I liked and we could use. In the end I only had $30 worth of items in my shopping cart. I was going to need to spend another $10 on something I didn't really need in order to use my $10 rewards. That doesn't make any sense. It's not savvy or smart. So I just let it go.

That reward expires on 1/31 so I can check back in a couple of weeks. But what if I can't use it then? Just leave $10??? Nope...coupon karma. There are countless couponing forums where you can sell or share codes that you're not going to use. If you're not familiar with those, use www.retailmenot.com. Give it to someone who can use it and one day when you're looking for a code you'll find someone else who is sharing one they don't need.

Make the Most of Rewards - Plan Ahead

A popular feature of many rewards programs is to offer some sort of cash or bucks. I shop online a lot so the emails I get with promos are really overwhelming, but I do watch for the special rewards. Even when you've weeded out the sales ads, it can still be overwhelming.

Here is how it typically goes... you spent a certain amount of money so you've earned a certain amount that you can redeem only during a particular time period if you spend a certain amount in that transaction. Once you have a few of these, your eyes start to cross.

I have Gymbucks at Gymboree mastered. I know how it works to earn and redeem and the rules associated with them. Easy for me and I recommend getting very comfortable with one or two rewards programs from your favorite stores.

Right now on my phone I have $30 in Super Cash from Old Navy and $10 in a birthday promo from The Children's Place. I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of these programs, but I'm going to take 5 minutes to plan and give it a shot.

First, I check the redemption dates. The Children's Place code I can use now, but it expires on 1/31. Old Navy can only be used 1/21-1/29. Ok, with Siri's help, I have a reminder on my phone for 1/21.

Now, is there anything else I can do for a deeper discount? Yes! My favorite discount gift cards where I pay less than face value for a gift card. Favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com. With Old Navy, I'm required to spend $75 for my $30 discount. I bought a $75 gift card for 8% off which was $69, but I was foiled on The Children's Place. They are sold at 15% off face value, but the only one in stock was for $140 and I only need to spend $40 to redeem my $10. If I shopped at TCP regularly, I would go for it, but this time I'll pass.

For Old Navy, I just need to wait for my gift card and reminder from Siri (and think about what I might need). Never buy anything, just because you have a coupon. For The Children's Place, I might as well go for it and see if there is anything I want now.

Of course, the next step is to access the website via a cash back site. My favorites are Upromise and Ebates. Simply by accessing Old Navy or The Children's Place via a cash back site, I can earn another discount.

Here's the initial breakdown:

Old Navy:
$30 off a & $75 purchase is 40% off
Cash back at 5% of $45 is $2.25 a total of 43% off
Purchase of a discount gift card is another 8% off the original purchase for a total savings of 51% off!

Now consider that I will also see if I can combine another promo code with this, but regardless, I will be only buying items that are on sale to start with. What started as 40% is now at least 51%. I'll let you know how it actually plays out.

I will browse The Children's Place site and keep you posted on how I work this. Right now the $10 off a $40 purchase is 25% off and I can get an additional cash back of 5%. Typically I consider a great deal to be at least 70% off. We'll see what I can manage :)

What if you can't use your rewards? Take a few minutes to earn some coupon karma. I'll tell you about it in my next blog.

CardCash.com Sale!!!

Get gift cards for less at CardCash.com - use code HAPPYNEWYEARS for an additional 3% off until midnight!!

Happy Holidays!

Whatever your faith or tradition celebrations brings, I hope they are filled with joy. I also hope that if your traditions involve gifts, you found some tricks on my blog to keep a little more money in your wallet and still enjoy the giving and celebrations!

From my family to yours, peace and blessings to you!!

Gift Card Deals at your Grocery Store

Keep an eye on your favorite grocery store for deals on gift cards during any 'giving' season. The current deal at my Safeway is 15% off a multi-pack of participating gift cards. In this case it was iTunes, Regal Cinemas, and a few other entertainment-type cards that come in multipacks. Through my Safeway app, I was also able to add an additional 5% discount.

I had intended to get my son one $25 gift card for iTunes, but ended up three $10 cards totaling $30 and I only paid $24. I also earn gas rewards.

Get familiar with the deals, sales cycles, and rewards at your favorites store and then keep watch.

Deals on Apple iPads, iPods and More

Deals on Apple products are few and far between. You have to be very savvy and spend time daily monitoring sites that seek out deals.

I have a trick to save a little extra on those high end electronics that rarely get discounted. First, I find a retailer that sells online. In this case, I've chosen Best Buy.

Then I find the best cash back website. My favorites are Upromise and Ebates. Upromise is connected with Sallie Mae and the cash back earned can be directed towards student loans or college savings. Upromise often has the higher percentage cash back, but I always check both. Today the cash back is 5%.

Next, I order discount gift cards. My favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com. Discounts and supply vary so I always check both. Best Buy discounts average 4-6% off face value.

Let's break it down:

• 1 iPad Air is $499 full retail
• By accessing the Best Buy website via Upromise, I will get 5% cash back on $499. A savings of $24.95.
• I still need to pay the full $499 so I buy enough discount gift cards to cover the purchase.
• If I buy $500 in gift cards at 5% off the face value, I pay $475 for the cards. A savings of $25.
• That's a total savings of $49.95 or 10%. Not bad for a little extra effort.

A couple of other considerations:

• You don't need to pay or wait for shipping. I can order online and select store pickup. I get the 5% from the cash back site and can stop by my local Best Buy to pick up my item that day.
• If you pay sales tax and buy enough gift cards to cover the tax, you will get a discount on the tax as well.
• If you earn miles or other rewards with a favorite credit card, you can use it to buy your gift cards.
• I would still earn rewards at Best Buy for a $499 purchase.

Win, win, win, win, win!!!

Save on Holiday Decorating

Regardless of the holiday or season you're decorating, if you're patient and intentional in your approach, you can get some fabulous decorations for a fraction of the retail price.

Over the years, we collect more and more pieces, until we have a lovely stash to choose from. Instead of an impulse buy where you see something you like prior to the holiday and pick it up at maybe 20% or, heaven forbid, full retail, wait until after the holiday and pick up something new for the following year.

Ya, ya...you've heard this before and probably have done it, but take it a step further now. Today I browsed through the beautiful Christmas decorations at Pier 1 Imports. The store is irrelevant and so is the holiday, this could be applicable any time. I scoped out some terrific items that I would love to add to my collection and I purchased nothing at the store today.

I will, however, visit them again on the 26th. In preparation, I did go online and bought a discount gift card at CardCash.com for 21.5% off the face value of the card. Another favorite discount gift card website is MonsterGiftCard.com. Discounts vary, but today CardCash had the better deal.

I'll use 75% off as my after-holiday discount estimate. Here's how the savings would stack up:

• Retail price $100 @ 75% off brings the price to $25
• Paid with my gift card that was discount 21.5% saves another $7.13
• Amount paid = $17.87 or a total of 82% off

Now you know I'll be checking for coupons too. Fingers crossed that I'll find one!!

Holiday Savings - Free Turkey

I haven't paid for a turkey in years! This is one of my favorite tips and tricks for holiday savings.

Watch the flyers for your usual grocery store carefully. There are often promotions for all kinds of things over the holidays. My usual store typically offers a free turkey if you spend a certain amount. Read the fine print, buy only what you need to get to the required purchase amount, make sure you're still buying things on sale, and be sure to find the correct promotion turkey (ask if they're hard to find).

Make Your Own Sale

Here is a classic example of how I stack savings everyday. This example is with Dress Barn, but the store is irrelevant. It's the steps that are important.

I often buy business attire essentials at Dress Barn. Knowing this, I bought a discounted gift card for Dress Barn for 22% off the face value so I could have it handy when I needed to shop. For a $100 gift card, I paid $78. There are many reputable websites where you can do this. Cardcash is a personal favorite.

Yesterday, I was ready to shop!

1. I looked for a coupon code. I use a coupon blog called www.ThriftyNWMom.com. www.Retailmenot.com and www.CouponCabin.com are also favorite places to look. I found a 30% off + free shipping code!!

2. I went to a cashback site. A couple of sites I use are Upromise and Ebates.

3. I used my discount gift card.

Assuming I selected $100 worth of merchandise, here is how my savings stacked:

• $100 less 30% = $70 - this is what my receipt would look like
• Amount saved with the discount gift card 22% - $15.40
• Amount saved with 7% cash back - $4.90

Total savings - $50.30 - over 50%!!!

Now, if what I bought was on sale to start with, my total savings would have been higher. Regardless, I created my very own 50% off sale!!

The keys to this were some preplanning because I had a gift card ready (this is feasible with merchants you use regularly) and I looked for a discount code. Another key to savings is control. If I had been unable to find a coupon code, it would be better to wait and watch for one. Replace that instant gratification with the excitement of scoring huge deals! YOU are in control.

Cash Back Sites - Upromise

Using cash back sites is one of my favorite bricks in building my tower of savings. Upromise often offers higher cash back percentages or they may have retailers that other cash back sites don't. This is because they are linked with Sallie Mae and can direct your cash back towards paying down your student loans or building a 529 savings plan.

Here is my example from a purchase yesterday. 6pm.com is a favorite online shop of mine and I found some terrific UGG boots there for a great price. Here's how I stacked the savings:

• The boots I liked retailed for $240 and were available at 6pm.com for $117
• Found a 10% off promo code which brought the price down to $105.30
• Accessed 6pm.com through Upromise for 5% cash back (6pm.com does not offer cash back through other sites) - Total price $100.03 - a total of 58% off

The majority of that savings was with 6pm already, but Upromise gave me an additional $5.27 savings. It's easy to do and it adds up!

Moxie Jean - Upscale Resale for Kids Online

Another favorite online consignment store of mine is Moxie Jean. The concept is like thredUP, but this is only for children's clothing and they buy and sell smaller sizes. Give them a try and get $10 off your first order of $20 or more. Refer friend and/or send in your own gently used clothing for more credit. Easy!!

My Big Savings at Michael's

I knew I had a craft project I wanted to do with my daughter soon so I ordered a discount gift card for Michael's. Big score! They're 27% off of face value. Within a week it arrived and I clipped a coupon for 40% off a full priced item. These are in newspaper, mailers, or you can print right from Michael's website.

Armed with my savings strategies, off I went. Well, happy surprise for me! All Halloween 'stuff' was on clearance for 80% off!!! And some of their Christmas craft kits for pre-school aged kids were on sale for 40% off.

Ever get side tracked from what you originally intended to buy? I certainly did! But, I'm usually prepared with extra savings tricks and have my eyes open to opportunities. I bought a couple of items for Christmas (because they were only 40% off) and several things for Halloween next year. My total came to $19.52. Full retail would have been $61.39. That's a savings of 68%!!!

It's not over yet. I paid with my discounted gift card. I paid 27% less than what it's worth so I paid Michael's $19.52 with that gift card, but I had only paid $14.25 for that amount. This added up to a total of 77% off.

Get gift cards for less at CardCash.com

Discount Gift Cards

Get gift cards for less at CardCash.com

Discount gift cards are one of my favorite bricks when stacking my tower of savings. It's simple - pay less than what it's worth. If I buy a $100 card for $80, that is a 20% savings off any purchase I make with that card. I know where I spend money regularly so I can plan ahead and get a discount. CardCash guarantees the value on the card.

Major retailers, restaurants, and entertainment such as movie theaters are featured on these sites. I have gotten discounts from 2%-22%, but the typical range for me is right in the middle of that. Here is an example of what I've bought:

Safeway - 2%
Costco - 2%
Best Buy - 5%
Old Navy/Gap - 10-15%
LL Bean - 11%
Dress Barn - 22%
Gymboree - 16%
Red Lobster - 10%
Applebees - 10%

The savings can really add up!

I have also seen cards for airlines, hotels chain, fast food. Many of these are also offered as e-Cards for online purchases. The possibilities are endless. Periodically, I browse through what is available and snap up what I might need. You can also have them email you a notice if they get a card from your preferred retailer. Compare discount percentages because they can vary.

Be aware that some of the cards you receive may be merchandise or store credit. Most retailers use these the same way they would an actual gift card, but some have restrictions. Know your favorite retailers' restrictions on those types of credit. A fairly safe way to spot a true gift card is those that are even numbers (i.e. $25, $50, $100, etc.).

Don't forget to use them!!

Pennies

If you see a penny on the ground, do you stop and pick it up? If you don't, what would it take for you to pick up money...a nickel, dime, quarter, dollar? Pennies are money, pure and simple. Don't be too good or too busy to pick up money you see laying in front of you. When you're trying to 'save your pennies', this is a literal contradiction. Remember, what goes around comes around.

When my son was little, my husband kept him occupied at the check-out of grocery stores by having him look for change on the floor. Those check-outs are a treasure trove of loose change! Now, my son knows to keep an eye out for money that has been dropped. His biggest score was a wad of bills totalling $24!