Gift Card Deals from Their Favorite Stores Save You Hassle, Make Teachers Happy

Most schools let out this Friday: scrambling for a gift to get to your child’s teacher in time might be a stress-point. Browsing through Plastic Jungle will get you on your way, and at less than retail price.

Any parent will tell you that finding the right balance between meaningful teacher gifts (something written or created by your child specifically for the teacher) and thoughtful teacher gifts (straight-on cash for poorly paid teachers) is an annual quandary.

Teachers love gift cards – they don’t require watering, or display, or even add empty calories to their diet. Here are some ideas from GiftCardGirlfriend.com.

Plastic Jungle saves parents the hassle of even perusing the gift card mall at the grocery store. Right here is an aggregate of top-brand gift cards that run the gamut from Starbucks to Bath & Body Works to Walmart to Sony Style, and iTunes retail and online stores*. With an eCode, or an online gift card, you can shop as late as Thursday night, and get your teacher’s gift in by Friday. Plus, these are discounted gift cards, sent to you with free shipping, offering a price break without any hassle. (Sometimes, when you get a gift card directly from a retail outlet online, you have to pay for shipping… actually adding cost!)

One idea for presentation is to have your child make a card, and include a slot for the gift card, or a print-out of the code. You could even do a collage with items you have in mind for the teacher, or a list of songs you think the teacher might like to download.

You’ve got to save time. You’ve got to save money. And, you have to say “Thanks so much!” Plastic Jungle offers parents, and anyone gift giving this holiday season, just that.

*Remember, gift card 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.

The following article was originally posted on GiftCardGirlFriend.com – Your Guide to Guilt-Free Gift Carding.  We’re big fans of this site and loved this article so much we asked the author if we could share it with all of our readers as well. Thanks Shelley!

With three kids going back to school (and soccer and football and scouts, etc.), my budget is tapped. We’re reusing last year’s backpacks and lunch boxes to save money, but the kids still needed a few things. So I combined gift cards and coupons to stretch the dollars a bit further. Here’s what I did:

Work It:

1. Scoured the newspaper and mailers for high discount coupons.
2. Bought discount gift cards to go along with the best coupons.

Big Savings:

For example, I received coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase at JC Penney. Then I bought a $25 JC Penney Gift Card for $21.50 at Plastic Jungle.

At JC Penney, Ally found two pairs of skinny jeans for a total of $25.99 plus a must-have, embellished top on the clearance rack for $10. The bill came to $35.99 plus tax. With our coupon and gift card, however, we paid almost nothing at the register. By combining discounts, I paid $21.5o to Plastic Jungle for essentially $35.99 in merchandise at JC Penney. That’s 40% in savings.

Going Forward:

Yes, it takes a little work and forethought. Yes, a good coupon can make all the difference. But there are stores like JC Penney, Kohls, Macy’s, and Old Navy that routinely send out special promotions. If you buy discount gift cards in advance and match ‘em up with the coupons as they arrive, you can save a lot of money.

Plan Ahead for the Holidays:

With the holidays coming up, combining gift cards with store sales and coupons could be the relief your budget is waiting for.

Shelley loves to receive gift cards. As a mom on a fairly tight budget, she rarely has money for self-indulgences like pedicures, spa treatments, and clothes not picked from the clearance rack. But if somebody gives her a gift card for such pampering, she get to shop and enjoy these experiences guilt-free. Even buying more practical items without spending my own money is a welcome treat.