Time to win something, don’t you think? The weather isn’t cooperating with the usual Spring warm-up across much of the US, so it stands to reason that we all could use a win of some sort if we’re going to be forced to keep our sweaters and Uggs on. Today’s giveaways get us out of the everyday: Vegas getaways, free housecleaning for you and a friend (!),  win an Amazon.com Gift Card and more.

Good luck, and here’s to brighter skies in June!

Keen & Dick’s Sporting Goods Trip Giveaway — KEEN has partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods to offer an exciting trip for two to Canyonlands, Utah, to a lucky winner who can’t wait to get outside and play! Fill out the entry form, and you could win a multi-sport trip through one of the most amazing areas of the United States. (Learn More About the Trip!) Contest ends at 11:59 PM ET on July 2, 2011; See giveaway’s official rules on the entry page for details.

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Mama Cheap’s $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway – This is a great little blog and now Facebook page with deals listings and freebies updated all the time. Just follow Mama Cheap’s on Facebook and you’ve got an entry. Don’t forget to invite friends! Check Mama Cheap’s Sweepstakes official rules for details; sweepstakes ends June 14, 2011 at 8:00 pm (EDT).

PopChips’ Win a Trip to See Bruno Mars Live in Las Vegas – One Grand Prize winner gets to bring a guest to Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend a Bruno Mars Concert on June 16, 2011. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, and two tickets to the Bruno Mars Concert at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. As well, that winner and guest get a Meet-and-Greet with Bruno Mars; a Bruno Mars autographed CD Boxed Set; and a year’s supply of POPCHIPS! In the event popchips reaches to 120,000 fans on Facebook.com during the Sweepstakes Period, Grand Prize Winner will be able to travel with one (1) additional guest – if PopChips’ Fans keep growing, so does the number of guests who can come! Two Runner-Up prizes include a Bruno Mars-autographed Fender Guitar and a special package of POPCHIPS. Sweepstakes ends at 11:59:59 PM EST on June 1, 2011; see PopChips Sweepstakes Official Rules for details.

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Redbook MVP Beauty Award Winners Giveaway – Wow! Well, there may be a lot of entrants for these prizes given Redbook’s popularity, but what a great way to get to know some of the best health and beauty products, chosen by editors, on the shelves today. A new set of prizes becomes available to win every day, so you can now enter to win up to 20 prizes! There will be 31 prizes by May 31, 2011. If you’re not interested in subscribing or already are a Redbook subscriber, make sure to click through to the non-subscription entry form (no purchase necessary to enter). Contest ends May 31, 2011. See Redbook MVP Beauty Award Giveaway official rules for details.

Need top Health & Beauty products now? Purchase discounted Target Gift Cards and eCODEs now >>>

Cost Plus World Market Gift Card a Day Giveaway – Cost Plus is giving away a $100 Gift Card every day. To enter the $100 Gift Card Giveaway, just “Like” Cost Plus on Facebook. There’s one winner per day until May 27, 2011. See the Cost Plus Gift Card Giveaway official rules on the entry page for details. NOTE: once you “Like” Cost Plus, you’ll have access to Cost Plus’s other giveaways!

Bon Ami Good Friends Spring Clean Sweepstakes – That’s right my friends, win FREE professional green housecleaning for you and a friend. To enter Bon Ami’s Good Friends Spring Clean Sweepstakes via Facebook, just “Like” Bon Ami and fill out the entry page. You’ll not only be entered in the sweepstakes, you’ll also receive a coupon for Bon Ami’s non-toxic cleansers that have been around for 125 years. Sweepstakes ends on June 12, 2011; see official rules for details.

Need to clean house, AND NOW?! Purchase discounted Walmart Gift Cards and eCODEs now >>>

If you have a giveaway you’d like us to post, we’d love to share it with our fans! Just post a comment and after a review (we’re very keen on sharing only legitimate giveaways) we’ll post it for you. Have a great nearly, almost, kind-of Spring weekend!

A Collection of Travel Blog Highlights, Airfare Sale Sites, and Insider Travel Tips that Will Get You Traveling Faster and Smarter.

Spring break travel, honeymoon travel, summer travel. There’s always time to get a good tip, score a fresh deal, or take down an insider restaurant recommendation.

Hip Travel

For the hyper-conscious urban millennial, travel tends to wax experiential, and the magazine ReadyMade is on the trend. You probably have no idea what I’m referring to. Regardless, any demographic can appreciate ReadyMade’s travel-related blog posts, from destination listings (hotels in Berlin, details on art traveling to you, Chattanooga, Pittsburgh, Kansas City), to an actual worthwhile travel project. Check out the instructions for how to create a Multipurpose Picnic Blanket for about $26. Srsly! Right?!

For the ReadyMade crowd, I see a discounted Michael’s Gift Card getting you a deal on fabrics for your picnic blankets.

Travel Savings To-Go (without the Kayak windows)

Families love and share the website TravelZoo.com, but it’s a hot bargain-price aggregation site for just about anybody. Check out their Top 20 Deals, which at time of writing advertises a $60 nationwide airfare sale and a 4-star Scottsdale resort for $99 per night. Yowza.

Find a bargain link on TravelZoo for American Airlines, and use a discounted American Airlines Gift Card for purchase to sweeten the deal.

High-End Travel Guides

Perhaps you’re done with dusty road trips and bourgeois mid-scale hotels and it’s time to indulge in the niceties that a lot of cash can afford you. Whether it’s a one-time honeymoon or a once-in-a-lifetime getaway or even better, the way you’ve always meant to travel, find camaraderie and like-minded recommendations in Luxe City Guides, which cover the high-end luxury dining and accommodations. Book your room via Luxe Hotels & Villas online, which is an exclusive collection of elite hotels, villas, boutiques, and B&B’s around the world. Afraid it’s out of your budget? Check out the “More Dash Than Cash” page.

Pay $1,000 a night, but save on the Prada sunglasses you’ve got your eye on with a discounted Sunglass Hut Gift Card  >>>

Ready to Go, See, and Do

Have you heard about a destination, read about it, researched it, and still have questions that can only be answered by someone who’s just been there? Off-the-beaten path Lonely Planet travel guides maintain an online, ready-to-assemble army of travelers on their Thorn Tree who can answer travelers questions ranging from “Can I drink the water, really?” to “Must travel despite government warning. Any tips?”

Lonely Planeteers might not admit they love a chain restaurant, but between you and me, Cracker Barrel is a secret favorite. What you save on a discounted Cracker Barrel Gift Card you can use for gas on your LP Deep South road trip.

But Where Should We Go?

Need to do some quick research to plan a family vacation, or a weekend getaway, or a romantic night? Time to visit Uptake.com, where you can plan travel by genre, not destination.

Get a discounted Borders Gift Card, discounted Barnes & Noble Gift Card, or trade in a gift card on Plastic Jungle to get an Amazon.com Gift Card and purchase a travel guide to complete your destination research.

It Can and Will Be Done: Travel with Children

When they’re only eating chicken nuggets made in the shape of dinosaurs and no other variety will do, any regular mom resorts to thinking a vacation only offers more hassles than downtime. Check out the award-winning site WeJustGotBack.com, where advice abounds on avoiding having to choose your battles on the road. Start with their handy, printable Packing Lists, and read on from there and your anxiety will be soothed.

Moms and Dads: before you go, get discounted Loews Cineplex Gift Cards for rainy days at the beach, Cold Stone Creamery Gift Cards, Jamba Juice Gift Cards, and Starbucks Gift Cards and maybe you can send the older ones off with the younger ones and get some rest!

Let us know how these work for you. And, if you’ve got a travel tip you’re willing to share, let us know in your comment!

Bye February! Goodbye blizzards. Goodbye hearts. Hello good green luck!

March is coming in like a lion alright, with the daily news blurting something unsettling just about every day, unfavorably affecting our consumer confidence. Still, products and services are more customer-oriented than ever, and I know many people, myself included, who are taking it in stride, looking forward to shopping trips, planning vacations, and enjoying life day by day, maybe with a bigger appreciation for each expenditure than before.

So in getting creative about saving up and making the most of what we’ve got, you have to take a look at selling or trading in those unused gift cards. Turning in your gift cards to Plastic Jungle is hassle-free, postage is paid, and you’ll have something to show for it in no time. You can sell more than one card at a time; you can even donate the proceeds to charity if you’d like. Check out the Seller Learning Center to get all your questions about trading in, or selling, your gift card with Plastic Jungle.

Plus, to get your attention, just about every brand, merchant, or product is sponsoring giveaways – and we like to list our favorites here. By and large, these are easy-to-enter sweepstakes and giveaways with killer prizes.

$10,000 Dream Wardrobe Giveaway — Luxe online fashion peddler Net-a-Porter, fashion gossip blog FabSugar, and retail aggregator ShopStyle are teaming up to give one lucky winner a $10,000 budget to spend on Net-a-Porter.com. Just register your information and decide what email updates you’d like to receive, if any. Sweepstakes ends April 5, 2011; get other details from the Dream Wardrobe giveaway contest rules.

$100,000 Ultimate Wedding Contest – Housewares and décor shop Crate and Barrel wants one lucky couple to walk away with the wedding of their dreams, maybe even beyond their dreams. If you’re getting married, just create a wedding registry at a Crate and Barrel store or CrateandBarrel.com. If you’ve already got a registry at Crate & Barrel, go ahead and enter the contest by logging into your registry, then, on your Crate & Barrel registry homepage, look for the Ultimate Wedding Display. Follow the links to enter the contest. Contest ends March 31, 2011; see the Ultimate Wedding Contest page for rules and additional instructions, which include telling your love story, uploading three photos, share details of your Ultimate Wedding, and describe your ultimate dream home.

Get a discounted Crate and Barrel Gift Card now >>

$2,000 Catherine Malandrino Shopping Spree – Chic department store Bloomingdale’s is sponsoring this hot giveaway of $2,000 worth of clothing from designer Catherine Malandrino. All entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on March 9, 2011; see contest rules for details.

Get a discounted Bloomingdale’s Gift Card now (supplies very limited)>>

Get a discounted Nordstrom Gift Card now >>>

Trip for Two to Vienna Giveaway – TV’s Travel Channel says “Start your next journey by winning it.” The winner and a guest will fly round-trip to Vienna, where they’ll stay for six nights with $750 in spending money, and much more. The more you know about Travel Channel, the better you’ll do. Take their daily multiple-choice quiz, and enter for your chance to win. Giveaway ends March 31, 2011. Check Official Rules for further terms and conditions.

Get discounted American Airlines Gift Cards now >>>

Get discounted US Airways Gift Cards now >>>

Get discounted Hyatt Gift Cards now >>>

Get discounted Best Western Gift Cards now >>>

Hey, let us know: Where will the new spring season take you?