Rain and snow are behind us (we hope) and it’s time to open up the house, get up to the cabin, and get going on home improvement projects.

What’s on sale at the home improvement stores? If you want to be the first to know about any home improvement promotion, get on the store’s email sale alerts list to receive notifications regularly. Lowe’s has an everyday low price guarantee. Go ahead and “Like” Home Depot on Facebook, and get privy to Friday sales from 50-70% off. Follow @SearsDeals on Twitter, and big-discount flash sales at Sears (think Kenmore appliances and paint and Craftsman tools) are at your fingertips.

On Plastic Jungle, you can set a discounted gift card email notification alert to be emailed as soon as any discount gift card becomes available at the discount you’re looking for.

Click through now to see the percentage off you’ll save on:

Discount Lowe’s Gift Cards |  Discount Home Depot Gift Cards |  Discount Ace Hardware Gift Cards |  Discount Bed, Bath & Beyond Gift Cards |  Discount Restoration Hardware Gift Cards |  Discount Pottery Barn Gift Cards |  Discount Target Gift Cards |  Discount Sears Gift Cards

Angling for Home Improvement Sales

Have you ever thought of Amazon.com for Appliances or Equipment? If not, the Amazon.com Home Improvement and Tools page, flush with thousands of searchable listings, will be an eye-opener. Dishwashers to pressure washers, kitchen fixtures to light fixtures, hardware, storage, even lawn mowers are called up at a great price in a flash. You could actually turn a gift card you’re not using — could even be a chain restaurant gift card — into an Amazon.com Gift Card by exchanging it on Plastic Jungle.

Think about “double-dipping” – that is, buying a gift card at a discount at Plastic Jungle, then purchasing at a sale price or using a rebate. (And maybe even add free shipping for a deal-lover’s trifecta!) You get the deal with the sale price, AND you’ve got an additional deal in your hand with the discounted gift card. For the deal-lover’s trifecta, add a free shipping coupon or promo code to keep costs down.

Do-It-Yourself, Whatever It Is!

Homeowners regularly attempt their own landscaping, painting, and decorating. But installing a toilet? Making your home more secure? Patching drywall? These and hundreds of other projects are detailed, some with video, on Lowe’s Video & Project Center, and at the Home Depot Home Improvement Clubs.

Another source for how-to do it is TV, of course. You can search the archives of HGTV, or the DIY network for ideas, tips, and video to get the job done.

What’s on your home improvement slate? A new entertainment center? Painting the house, inside and out? Creating an outdoor living space to enjoy your new landscape? Let us know in your comments!

Happy Earth Day. What are you doing to save the Earth today?

You may not even have the snow melted out of your driveway yet, but I’m sure you’ve got summer on your mind. For many families, summer camps are being booked this month. Summer road trips and family reunions are starting to pop into the calendar. And surely, one day in the very near future, the Earth will turn and the weather will warm up.

Perhaps because of finances this summer it’s not the whole-Earth-worship trip to Bali you’d hoped for, but a good-ole American road trip. If you’ve got driving on your mind, you’ll need gas and fuel saving tips. See our post on Gas Saving Tips, which includes very pertinent links to the discounted gas cards offered on Plastic Jungle.

And in case you’re looking to ditch your automobile altogether, sell your gas card (or any other gift card with a minimum balance) on Plastic Jungle today.

Get to the Giveaways!

Ms. Veronica’s Mothers Day Giveaway – Mothers Day is coming up soon, and you could win a sweet, handmade collection of Mothers Day gifts to save you from a frantic Sunday morning trip Trader Joe’s ravaged flower department. Ms. Veronica’s has up for grabs a lovely handmade bracelet, hair clip and stationery. Enter by following Ms. Veronica’s blog, plus try out the bonus entries listed on the giveaway post. NOTE: new subscribers also get 20% off their first order! Contest ends April 27, 2011; see entry page for contest details.

Win a Viking 30” Gas or Electric Range – In another nod to Mothers Day (or maybe just improving your cooking skills for home entertaining!) it will take you only a second to follow up on this giveaway. Visit Facebook, “Like” Viking, and enter to win a 30” Viking gas or electric range in your choice of 24 fabulous colors or finishes. Contest ends April 30, 2011; see the Facebook’s official Viking page for official rules and giveaway details.

Thompson’s Deck of Your Dreams Sweepstakes — Maybe your summer will include home entertaining and it’s time for an outdoor upgrade: win a $10,000 prize for a home fix-it. The Thompson’s Company, makers of Thompson’s WaterSeal, has teamed with HGTV/diy Network star Jeff Wilson to help take your visions of a backyard paradise from dream to reality. The winner will receive $10,000 and a personal visit from Jeff Wilson to kick off the planning and design process. Contest ends Oct 1, 2011; see entry page for official rules and details.

Can’t wait to get started on your home do-it-yourself project? Get instant savings when you purchase discounted gift cards to Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Ace Hardware today.

Deadliest Catch Giveaway – If you’re a Deadliest Catch fan, you’re going to be excited to enter the Deadliest Catch Giveaway where the grand prize is an iPad, and there are 40 more Deadliest Catch prizes to win. See the Discovery Channel Store’s Deadliest Catch sweepstakes rules for details. Hurry to enter, giveaway ends April 29, 2011.

Travel Channel’s Win a Trip to Montana Giveaway — Travel Channel and the Montana Office of Tourism are giving away a trip for two to Montana. The winner will choose between a winter adventure and a summer getaway to either Glacier National Park or Yellowstone National Park. Enter to win daily; the more you know about Travel Channel, the better you’ll do. Contest ends April 30, 2011; see the contest’s official rules for details.

Enjoy a great spring day today, and even if you’re a stalwart Earth fan, take the time to put litter in its place today, or walk or bike instead of driving, or put a little more effort into using re-usable coffee cups or mugs, re-usable shopping bags, or think twice about what you need to print.

Happy Weekend!

Image Courtesy of The Go Green Blog