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.

Fox Business News’s Liz Claman wondered: What do you do when you get a gift card you don’t necessarily want?

On her segment “Off the Rack/Off the Hook” Liz took a look at the “Gift Card Fix” offered by Plastic Jungle in light of the endless getting and gifting this holiday season.

Liz quoted the statistic that about 13% of gift cards go unused, leaving people wondering what to do with the card in their wallet.

“If you’re holding on to a gift card you don’t want anymore, Bruce Bower has the ultimate solution.” That would be Bruce Bower, CEO of Plastic Jungle, who had plenty to say about gift card exchange, and finding the right owner for each gift card.

“You’ve created this place, the land for misfit gift cards, haven’t you.” Bruce agreed it was a fitting analogy, in that what Plastic Jungle does is get the right card into the hands of the person who wants it most, in an easy transaction, in a secure environment, with plenty of options.

Bruce went on to explain that Plastic Jungle also offers an Amazon.com Gift Card or Facebook credits in exchange for gift card redemption, or that Plastic Jungle could even make payment into a PayPal account.

“About $30 million in gift cards goes unused each year. Plastic Jungle aims to make gift card exchange services that are quicker, more convenient, more consumer-friendly and provide more choice for a consumer who wants to exchange their card,” said Bruce.

The holidays are now upon us. It is kind of like, once Halloween has passed, some unofficial official announces that we have begun the holiday season. If you have started to worry about how you are going to afford to shop for the holidays and buy Christmas gifts, put your worries aside! Below is a great lists of sites that make it their business to bring you super savings. You won’t believe some of the discounts and deals you will find.

Enjoy saving tons of money using these sites for your holiday shopping, and keep in mind, you can sell gift cards for cash and credit to handle your holiday shopping!

TIP***Follow money-saving and free stuff pages on Facebook, and you will start seeing ads on the right-hand side of your FB page for sites that offer free stuff, contests and savings just for becoming a fan. Be sure to stay on the lookout for these.

For the Mommas — Don’t let the name of this blog mislead you. For the Mommas is not only for the mommas, it’s for everybody.  And they find the best deals online, free stuff, hot deals, store deals, and whatever else they can find that will save you money.

Addicted to Savings — This is another great blog whose name truly fits its mission. You will find coupons, free stuff, and great deals from across the web for  your holiday shopping needs.

Modnique.com — This site offers private sales to members for up to 85% savings on name brand items, like jewelry, clothing, shoes, and more. The beauty of it is that you get a $5 credit when you sign up, get $10 by using the code STAR when you check out, get $15 when a friend signs up under you, $10 when a friend of their signs up under them, $5 when a friend of a friend signs up. You could buy a lot of goodies for a little bit of nothing if you have friends to sign up under you, and their friends, and friends of their friends, etc!

Bizrate–This site will bring you awesome savings! Bizrate searches the web for the very best price on the item you are searching for. You should always check out this site first before you purchase something online. It is easy to use and honestly does find you the best deal.

RueLala — If you are all about finding name brand stuff when you are gift shopping then this is the site for you. Ruelala brings you great savings from major name brands before they are announced to others. Also, you get a $10 credit for signing up and $10 every time a friend signs up under you. The sales will be delivered straight to your email inbox before they begin.

Graveyard Mall — If you want to find rock-bottom savings on all kinds of gift items Graveyard Mall is the place for you. They have liquidation sales, closeout sales, daily deals and lightning deals with savings you won’t believe.

If you know of other sites that offer amazing deals and discounts to help save money on holiday shopping, be sure to leave a comment and let our readers know about it!