Plastic Jungle can help small businesses to instantly increase their profit margins!

Owning your own business can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling. You get to be your own boss, make your own hours and make money doing something you’re passionate about.

There are also risks and challenges involved as well. You might be the CEO and the VP of Marketing, and Human Resources, and Finance and Customer Service. You must manage ample cash flow, manage employees and manage the temptation to work 24 hours a day.

And in this economy, managing the bottom line is especially crucial. Here are some tips on how to tighten your budget:

Drop the Land Line and use your business’ existing broadband internet connection to route calls over the internet.

Pay Bills Online and save money on business checks and stamps.

Utilize Free Software like Google Docs or OpenOffice.

Buy Refurbished Office Equipment for printers, faxes and computers.

Save Electricity with fluorescent lighting and turn off all your electrical appliances at the end of each day.

Maximize Free Publicity with press releases, social networking and customer referrals.

Go Paperless and send newsletters, forms and invoices through email.

Renegotiate Your Lease to a lower rent while vacancies are high or consider working out of a home office.

Contract Out Services, such as Virtual Office Support for administrative tasks and save on payroll and health benefits.

Find Wiggle Room on Your Insurance Plan and see how your agent can lower your fees.

Brown Bag It and bring your lunch every day.

AND GUESS WHAT?

Plastic Jungle can help small business save money, too!

You can buy discounted gift cards for up to 35% off and instantly increase your profit margins.

If you are a Builder, Sub-contractor or Handyman:

Buy discounted Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ace Hardware gift cards and you can save at least 6% off! Add any rebates or in-store promotions and watch your profitability multiply.

If you are an Interior Designer:

Buy discounted gift cards to CB2, Crate & Barrel, Ikea, Pier 1 Imports or Pottery Barn. You can save up to 20% on kitchen purchases at Ikea now and Restoration Hardware is currently offering a “Bed and Bath Event” where you can save an additional 25% off.

If you are a Restaurant Owner:

Buy discounted gift cards to Albertsons, BevMo, Costco, HEB Grocery Store, Safeway and Trader Joe’s. Join BevMo’s ClubBev! and get a 5% Savings Reward – every time your total spending reaches $250, they’ll send you a 5% savings Reward! And check out HealthyLifeDeals.com for current coupons at Trader Joe’s – this week’s deals include $1.00 off Rudis Organic Hot Dog Buns (6ct, normally $2.99) or $1.00 off Morningstar Patties, links or bacon (regular price $3.39).

If you are a Seamstress or Artist:

Get your fabric and art supplies using discounted gift cards to Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabrics or Michael’s. Sign up for Michael’s Weekly Ad to get additional savings on over 100 products each week!

And For Every Small Business Owner:

Whether it’s paper, pencils, filing or storage, small business owners can stock up on all their office supplies using discounted gift cards from Office Depot, Office Max, Staples or The Container Store. At Office Depot, if you join their Worklife Rewards® program and present your Member number every time you shop, you’ll receive 10% back in Rewards on ink, toner, paper and copy and print services. Membership is FREE and can be processed online, in any Office Depot store, or by phone at 1.866.322.3225.

Owning a small business is not just another job.  It’s a completely different lifestyle. Let Plastic Jungle make your life a little easier with our discounted gift cards.

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?

One of my favorite product catalogs is the Crate & Barrel “Best Buys” catalog and I was lucky enough to have one delivered just last week. Tons of great deals on simple, stylish housewares abound… hey, check it for yourself: here’s a link to the online Crate & Barrel Best Buys flipbook.

Housewares oh-so-chic: The Hills' Lauren Conrad and Lo Bosworth Shop at Crate & Barrel at The Grove, Hollywood.

While Crate & Barrel is in the same brand family as CB2 and The Land of Nod, none of the gift cards or egift cards are interchangeable or transferable to the other stores. Check the Crate and Barrel Gift Card FAQ page for the latest on gift card interchangeability or any questions regarding gift card terms & conditions.

Crate & Barrel Deals

Saving money at Crate and Barrel is easy: On the website, you can click through to the Crate and Barrel Outlet which offers deals daily. (SAVINGS IDEA: in the Outlet menu, see the first choice, which is 50% off or more. Yowza!) The Crate and Barrel Special Offers page features sales and offers direct from choice manufacturers (right now including All-Clad and KitchenAid), and don’t forget to check the Crate and Barrel Sale tab, too. Sign up for the Crate and Barrel email newsblasts on the Crate and Barrel homepage and you’ll get first crack at fab sales, special offers, and promotions. Purchase a discounted Crate & Barrel Gift Card or eGift Card right here on Plastic Jungle and compound your savings.

Check the Balance on Your Crate and Barrel Gift Card

Not sure how much is left on your Crate & Barrel Gift Card?

Here’s how to get that done:

Online: go to the Crate & Barrel Gift Card Balance Lookup page

Phone: call 800-606-6458

In Store: bring your card to the register of any Crate & Barrel retail or outlet location

Once you know your balance, you can safely sell or trade your Crate and Barrel Gift Card or Crate and Barrel eGift Card on Plastic Jungle. At Plastic Jungle, you can also trade your Crate and Barrel Gift Card for an Amazon.com Gift Card and even fund your PayPal account.

To know how much your Crate & Barrel Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up “Crate & Barrel”, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.