iTunes has a broader definition than just music. 

With discount iTunes gift cards you can unlock new music, movies, tv shows, and apps.

Just in time to bundle up indoors, Plastic Jungle brings you discounts on your favorite online store for iPhone apps, songs, videos, and more with discounted iTunes gift cards.

Buying and renting movies from iTunes will cost you less with discounted iTunes gift cards.  Pick up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Cars 2, and Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides within moments through your iTunes account.

Need some new beats to spur your post-holiday gym commitment? Or some great background music for your holiday gathering?  iTunes has holiday music, too.  Charlie Brown and the Peanuts crew, tunes from the movie Elf, and Mariah Carey.  No matter your ears’ desire, you can mix and match song by song for less with discounted iTunes gift cards.

Get access to past episodes of Modern Family, Bones, Gossip Girl, Top Chef and many more of your favorite shows through iTunes.

What will you get with your discounted $25 iTunes gift card from Plastic Jungle?

Plastic Jungle is all about saving you money at your favorite stores on your favorite products, every day: no gimmicks, safe, secure transactions, and on Fridays, we even give you a lively set of money-saving tips and gift card giveaways.

Based on this week’s collection of Internet sweepstakes and giveaways, retail is gearing up for romance and Valentine’s Day already. Already?! Just in case, it might make sense (while you’re thinking about it) to take a look at Plastic Jungle’s stock of discounted 1-800-FLOWERS Gift Cards and buy yourself a secret Valentine’s Day bargain in advance.

NFL Weekend Giveaway

But wait! What about football? This weekend’s NFL matchups, featuring the fearsome, ages-old rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, and the haughty New York Jets vs. the hearty Pittsburgh Steelers, are a reason for a party on Sunday. For broadcast times and channels in your area, go to nfl.com/schedules, where you’ll also have the option of watching or listening to the games online. It all leads up to Super Bowl XLV, which takes place

on the Fox network, on Sunday, February 6.

Mission Foods has an Ultimate Win Football Sweepstakes that ends Saturday, 1/22/11, so hurry to enter! Grand Prize is a trip to football’s “Big Game” in Texas in Feb, three First Prizes are Sony HD LCD TVs, 10 Second Prizes are $100 ESPNShop.com Gift Cards (each). Check the rules and find the entry form on the link above. (So far, Super Bowl sweepstakes seem hard to come by, but I hope to have more for you next week. Meantime, stock up on Super Bowl party supplies with discounted gift cards from Costco, Target, Walmart, or your local grocery store that you can buy here on Plastic Jungle.)

iTunes Giveaways & Savings

How about a BIG win? Apple’s iTunes Apps Store is looking forward to their 10 billionth (10B!!) download soon. To celebrate, they are giving away a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card to whoever downloads the 10 billionth App, or to the person who submits the non-purchase entry after the download of the 9,999,999,999th App, whichever comes first. That’s right, you don’t have to buy an App to enter. Check the iTunes App Store’s Countdown to 10 billion Apps giveaway rules for more details.

If you’re looking for a little freebie to load up your digital media, with the Power Your Playlist Giveaway, get a free $10 iTunes Gift Card when you redeem three codes from the packs of specially marked Energizer batteries (here’s a list and rules). The Power Your Playlist Giveaway codes are only found on the promotional Energizer packs available now. Just register on the Energizer site by 1/31/11 and enter your codes to get your free $10 iTunes Gift Card.

The fastest way to get a discount on iTunes is to purchase a discounted iTunes Gift Card at Plastic Jungle. If none are in stock, set an alert to be the first to be notified when the come up for grabs.

Prom Dress Giveaway

Valentine’s Day is for exchanging class rings or pins, and its follow-up parties, including Spring Semi-Formal or Prom, can be torturous for girls who want to go, but perhaps can’t afford a dress. The Windsor Store is sponsoring the Cinderella Project: Prom Dress Gift Card Giveaway, a gift card giveaway for teens (anyone under 18 must have their parent or guardian’s permission to enter). The Cinderella Project: Prom Dress Gift Card Giveaway hands a $100 Windsor Store Gift Card to 10 winners (each) so they can buy a prom dress on the site. Details are described by Windsor’s party-dress guru, Missglamorazzi on YouTube’s Windsor channel. To enter, you choose you subscribe to their YouTube channel, and go to the Windsor Store site to pick out your fave prom dress and leave a comment about it. Fun, right? Frugal junior fashionistas should also know that Windsor is a hot destination for affordable dresses under $100, sale dresses, as well as dresses at all price points for all occasions. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and the contest ends on 1/31/2011; winners are announced on Valentine’s Day via text video.

Barbie’s Sweet Talkin’ Ken Giveaway

Barbie’s best date Ken is now kissing and telling. Well… he’s wearing a T-shirt that says “the perfect boyfriend” in 10 different languages, and he is able to record up to five seconds of sound so that he can play back a personal message just for you. Leave it to ElleGirl magazine to give away five of the mini-guys to lucky winners. Just enter ElleGirl’s Sweet Talkin’ Ken Giveaway by 2/11/11; use the same link to enter and read giveaway rules. For more on the Sweet Talkin’ Ken doll and to vote on whether or not Barbie should take Ken back (it’s all in good fun) go to BarbieandKen.com. Be the first to share that site amongst your friends for a good laugh.

Just FYI, uber-date Sweet Talkin’ Ken doll gets a 5-star review on Amazon.com, where he is currently in stock and ships for free. You can get Ken by exchanging an unused gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card here on Plastic Jungle. Just go to “Sell Gift Cards” on our main page, and follow the instructions.

Enjoy the weekend!

Was your latest gift an iPod, iPod touch or iPad or iPhone? Lucky!

iTunes sells music, books, apps and TV shows for your iPad, iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone.

Hopefully you got an iTunes Gift Card to load it with media. The iTunes Gift Card is a hot property here on Plastic Jungle, scoring in the Top Ten of your favorite discounted gift cards to buy. In order to use the iTunes cards, you’ll need to set up an iTunes account online, and Apple is happy to show you how.

With your account, the iTunes Store (which is online only) makes it easy to purchase or give music in the MP3/AAC format to anyone: songs, albums, playlists, audiobooks, music videos, movies, and TV shows. And there are so many ways to pay: iTunes gift certificates, gift cards, the iTunes allowance. You can even send music, videos, audiobooks, and apps as gifts.

The iTunes Music Store Gift Card or Gift Certificate may be applied only toward the purchase of music on the iTunes Music Store online. Buy iTunes gift cards through the Apple Store, or get a deal on iTunes gift cards (or purchases!) by buying discounted iTunes gift cards / eCODEs right here on the web’s largest secured gift card exchange: Plastic Jungle.

Hot Tips:

Þ     The Apple gift card is not interchangeable with iTunes gift cards and vice versa. You can’t use an Apple gift card toward iTunes purchases. To get information on checking Apple Store gift card balances, check our blog post regarding Apple Store gift cards. Get good information on iTunes at the Apple Store Gifting Page (very detailed) or iTunes gift page (much simpler).

Þ     The iTunes Store is available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries.

Þ     Once an iTunes gift card is redeemed, the ENTIRE BALANCE is transferred to your account. You can use it to purchase other iTunes gift cards, but otherwise you can’t refund this credit.

To check the balance on your unused or partially used iTunes gift cards, gift certificates, promo codes (or eCODES), we’ve got the information and links you’ll need.

Check your iTunes Gift Card Balance

iTunes Gift Cards add credit to your balance in the iTunes Store.

WEB and EMAIL: In order to find out the balance on your iTunes Gift Card, you will need to have the latest version of iTunes downloaded to your computer. When you set up your account, or within your existing account, you will have an opportunity to enter the code from the back of your gift card, or the eCODE from your email. Purchases are deducted from this amount, so the amount shown is the amount remaining.

You can also contact iTunes Support for the information. Click on the iTunes Cards and Codes section. They promise to get back to you within 48 hours.

IN-STORE: Bring your iTunes card into an Apple Store and one of the Apple Geniuses can help you find that balance and teach you how to do it at home. Check the Apple Store locator for a store near you.

PHONE: There is no call-in option for checking iTunes balances; you can call customer support to ask questions: 1-800-My-Apple (1-800-6927753).

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.

If life is crazy for you on a regular day, then I’ll bet it’s doubly crazy with holiday madness, when schedules are pushed to the limit. Make no mistake: when you’re in a rush, online holiday shopping is efficient, safe and secure shopping, and with an eCODE from Plastic Jungle, you’ll also save money.

Did you know that gift cards are available in an electronic format? An eCODE is an electronic gift card, aka e-gift cards, e-gift codes, or e-certificate: this is the code you enter at a merchant’s online checkout page as a method of payment. It’s not a “promo” or promotion code that gives you a percentage off, or free shipping: an eCODE is actual tender.

So, when you combine the discounted eCODE with a store’s coupon code or promo code, or even a free shipping offer, you can really stack up the holiday savings.

You can buy a discounted electronic gift card, or eCODE, on Plastic Jungle and have the eCODE ready for payment at the specified merchant in a matter of minutes. When you purchase an eCODE, with the Plastic Jungle discount, the eCODE is sent to the email address you registered with. To gift the eCODE, just forward the Plastic Jungle eCODE to your recipient.

Right now on Plastic Jungle, you’ll find iTunes gift cards available as an eCODE*, so you can buy the gift card for less than face value, and use the full face value for online iTunes purchases right away. Barnes & Noble gift cards are available as an eCODE right now too – for online purchases only.

Inside Scoop:  There will be quite a few Zappos gift cards on PlasticJungle.com starting this weekend!

So instead of running from store to store, checking stock and searching for the best deal, smart holiday shoppers are easily finding their holiday deals online. Plastic Jungle definitely wants you to know that with eCODEs, we’re happy to help you with that.

*Remember, gift card and eCODE offerings on Plastic Jungle change all the time. Check back frequently, or sign up for email notifications, for offers from the store of your choice.

As we enter the year’s most romantic month, the butterflies of a new crush can lead to the stress of an empty wallet.  Whether you are getting to know someone on a first date, or rekindling an old flame, connecting with your Valentine is more important than the price tag on a gift.

Dating is nerve-wracking enough without breaking the bank.  Fortunately, a few members on our team have done some “field testing” of a few inexpensive activities that might require a little more creativity but will definitely help you save.  And remember – it’s the thought that counts!

Enjoy the Great Outdoors!

Get outside – it’s free! Go for a stroll on the beach, visit a park, or go on a hike.  Impress that special someone and pack a lunch. Spice things up a bit with dark chocolate (nature’s aphrodisiac).

Cook up a Storm!

“The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach” – it’s true!  Take the time out of your busy lives to cook together.  You’ll be amazed at how intimately you can come to know another’s likes and dislikes by sharing a kitchen with them.  Celebrate special occasions and special people with a bottle of fine champagne that you have had stashed away.  There is no time like the present to enjoy it.

Rent a Classic!

And by that, I mean a chick flick!  Shortly after the invention of time, humans created ways to get together for no other reason than to cuddle.  The chick flick is renowned for helping break the ice.  Plastic Jungle makes renting a movie even more affordable with Blockbuster gift cards, so now you don’t have to feel guilty for shelling out to see Hugh Grant for two hours while you snuggle up to the one you love.

Reminisce!

And finally, what’s old is new again!  It is easy to get caught up with life’s challenges causing us to forget how we got there.  This Valentine’s Day take some time (while cooking perhaps…) to recall the inside jokes and fun memories that you have created together.  Reminiscing brings new life into long established relationships and helps young couples bond.  Whatever stage of love you find yourself in this year, the stories you create together will sustain your relationship through good times and bad.   Help each other remember your journey with old diaries, years of photos, and your favorite music.  Plastic Jungle makes it easy to collect all your favorite artists with a discounted iTunes Gift Card.

Whether this is your first Valentine’s Day together or your 50^th, it is possible to save money and still send the same amount of Love (maybe even more)!

Now it’s your turn!  Please share your “Love on a Budget” stories below.  What was your favorite Valentine’s Day, and why?  What’s the best gift you’ve ever received, or given?