The holidays are nearly here! You’ve probably still got some shopping to do before the big days. Before you run out and get caught up in the panic of last minute shopping, take some time to relax, and make sure that you are still getting all the best deals. Check out these five tips to help you stay a savvy shopper during the holidays.

Pick out good sales over shopper scams. Nearly every single store you visit will have some sort of sale. Many of these aren’t actually good deals at all. Plenty of stores are just trying to get you to come in or buy something that still costs too much. Don’t go into a store just because you see something for “free.” Be sure to read up on all the fine print of big sales or free items.

Stick to your shopping list. With all these crazy sales, it can be hard to resist buying something when it has a giant 40% off sticker on it. However, it’s best to only buy items on sale that you were looking for in the first place. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a bunch of stuff that you don’t really need, and you will end up spending much more money than you anticipated.

Keep your cool while shopping. It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement of the holidays while shopping. Make sure that you enjoy your shopping trips without going crazy with your credit card. Consider taking a friend with you while you shop to make sure that you don’t start impulse buying gifts that you don’t really need to buy.

Check for free shipping when you shop online. You don’t have to go to the mall to find a good deal. There are plenty of great deals online. However, shipping can be very expensive. Before you place an order, look around and see if you can find a store that has free shipping. Sometimes shipping can be well over $20, so taking the extra time to look around for a store with free shipping can save you a lot of money.

Shop after the holidays. There are many great sales right after the holidays. If you’re looking for some specific items that are a little more expensive, try to wait until after the holidays are over. If you want to give one of these items as a gift, make your recipient a cute little IOU card or a gift certificate and buy the item for them the next day. That way, they still get what they want and you can save some money.

About the Author: Kiley Theiring is a film student at Chapman University who also loves to write. She writes about saving money and living frugally for Coupon Mountain and also maintains her own personal blog.

The Cheesecake Factory’s full restaurant menu aims to please, so with a gift card you or your recipient can enjoy dining at over 149 Cheesecake Factory restaurants around the country (including Honolulu, Hawaii! See The Cheescake Factory’s Restaurant Locator), or order cheesecakes and more via phone (1-800-330-CAKE (2253)), or use the gift card to order cheesecakes online at CheesecakeFactory.com.

If yours is a “Complimentary Gift Card”, it has certain restrictions: check The Cheesecake Factory FAQ page for details and terms on their gift cards.

Check the Balance on a Cheesecake Factory Gift Card or Cheesecake Factory eGift Card

Not sure how much is left on your Cheesecake Factory Gift Card or Cheesecake Factory eGift Card? You can go to any Cheesecake Factory restaurant, check The Cheesecake Factory’s online Gift Card balance checker, or call 1-800-330-CAKE (2253). When you call, be sure to have your Cheesecake Factory Gift Card number and PIN in front of you. Once you know your balance, you can sell or trade your Cheesecake Factory Gift Card or eGift Card securely on Plastic Jungle.

The Cheesecake Factory Gift Cards and eGift Cards (eCODEs) may be redeemed at Cheesecake Factory restaurants, via phone orders and online as well.

The Cheesecake Factory Gift Cards and The Cheesecake Factory eGift Cards have no expiration date and no transaction fees. Plastic Jungle does not charge shipping fees.

Check The Cheesecake Factory FAQ page for details and possible restrictions on gift cards.

Trade or Sell Your Gift Card

Once you know your balance, you can safely sell or trade your gift card securely on Plastic Jungle. At Plastic Jungle, you can exchange any unused gift card for cash, or trade it for an Amazon.com Gift Card, or use it to donate the funds to charity (Gift Cards for Good—look for the green ribbon at checkout), or even fund a PayPal account.

To know how much your 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 the store and enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired. 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 Williams Sonoma, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.

Mothers Day is this Sunday, May 8^th. Do you have plans?  Here are some quick reminders to help you coordinate the celebration of Mom.

Mothers Day Cards
Mail them today to get them there in time for Mothers Day. Writing an extra note, even just “Thank You Mom”, when you sign it goes a long way to let mom know you’re thinking about her.

Mothers Day Brunch
Start Googling restaurants or calling to make your reservations now.

Mothers Day Flower Delivery

When do you want those flowers delivered? Friday at her work? Saturday at home (trump your fellow siblings by being the first to wish mom a happy Mothers Day)? Sunday? If you’re bringing flowers, one good idea is to bring an arrangement, so that mom doesn’t have to spend time putting them into a vase. 1-800-Flowers.com has an online tool that will help you get your Mothers Day flowers delivered where and when you want them AND has free shipping right now when you select certain dates for delivery, an approximately $15 savings!

Mothers Day Gifts
Do you have to ship them? Don’t forget the wrap and the card. And don’t forget that if mom is dieting, skip the chocolate, or go for something small and exquisite.

Check the Balance on Your 1-800-Flowers Gift Card

You can get discount 1-800-Flowers Gift Cards right here on Plastic Jungle. 1-800-Flowers doesn’t issue eGift Cards at this time.

The 1-800-Flowers Gift Card is five Gift Cards in one because they can be redeemed at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (www.1800flowers.com), 1-800-BASKETS.COM (www.1800baskets.com), Cheryl’s (www.cheryls.com), Fannie May (www.fanniemay.com) and The Popcorn Factory (www.thepopcornfactory.com).

Online: There is no way to check your 1-800-Flowers Gift Card balance online.

Phone: Call 1-800-242-5353.

Want to Find a 1-800-Flowers Florist? Find a 1-800-Flowers store or florist near you using the 1-800-Flowers Store Locator.

Sell Your Gift Card

Once you know your balance, you can sell or trade your gift card securely on Plastic Jungle. At Plastic Jungle, you can trade any unused gift card for cash, or an Amazon.com Gift Card, or use it to donate the funds to charity (Gift Cards for Good—look for the green ribbon at checkout), or even fund a PayPal account.

To know how much your 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 the store and enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired. 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.

Perhaps you’ve read the articles: more and more people aren’t bothering to re-gift or even tuck their unwanted gift cards into their wallet this year. They are selling or exchanging them for cash or credits as soon as possible. Why? It’s a good cure for a holiday shopping hangover.

With all the focus on consumer spending this last holiday season, everyone from local TV news (KTRK-TV an ABC affiliate in Houston, TX) to savvy Internet news sites (CNNMoney.com) is reporting on the gift card trend. With so many cards flying around, it could mean that even when people are given a gift card to a store they love, it may very well be that they can’t use it. Let me tell you why:

1)      Fund allocation. Times are tight, and while a $50 gift card for iTunes is much appreciated, the exchange value (especially here on Plastic Jungle) is worth so much more in calm nerves and a paid PG&E bill.

2)      Time allocation. Macaroni Grill might be your family’s favorite restaurant, but getting everyone together to enjoy it is like herding cats. By turning in the card and purchasing a discounted card to the local grocery store, everyone gets the dinner they want at 5 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm, or as they run in and out of the kitchen.

3)      Suffering from Holiday Shopping Hangover. They just purchased the items they were dying to get or couldn’t possibly think of heading to the mall for another four months. Um, yes, it’s true: we tend to shop for ourselves during the holidays. Maybe the necklace they wanted at Macy’s was on fire sale and they couldn’t resist; maybe it was very convenient to get the Kenmore appliance at Sears last month; the Sony laptop and all accessories were begging for purchase at Best Buy while they were at the store picking up Best Buy Gift Cards for all their neighbors. Suddenly, the $100 Macy’s Gift Card looks like it might not see the light of day until another dress situation comes up, and it would be better just to cash it in, load their PayPal account, and pay a bill.

So if you’re on the Plastic Jungle site and wondering, “Who would give up that credit at Victoria’s Secret – especially NOW when they’re having a huge SALE?” (and yes, the sale goes through 11:59 pm EST on January 23, 2011).

Here on Plastic Jungle you can rest assured that your gift card purchase is always safe, and there will be no gift card maintenance fees or expirations dates to worry about.  Further, when you sell or exchange gift cards on Plastic Jungle, it’s a guaranteed transaction with no fees or even shipping to pay.

So pick up that Victoria’s Secret gift card: go ahead and calculate the added savings on top of the up-to-50% off you’ll get at Victoria’s Secret. [At time of writing, Plastic Jungle has a fat selection Victoria’s Secret Gift Cards and eCODES (electronic gift cards) on sale at a 10% discount off face value. When you combine a discounted gift card + Victoria’s Secret sale savings, you could save up to 60% on merchandise today.]

What’s your reason for selling or exchanging your gift cards? We’d love to hear your story.

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.

For those in the know, Plastic Jungle is a prime deal machine for holiday savings.

On this morning’s Today Show, Yahoo!’s Web Life Editor, Heather Cabot, spoke with Today Show personality Natalie Morales for Today’s Tech on Digital Deal Hunting, and of course, Plastic Jungle made news.

“Gift cards: don’t pay full price!” said Heather. When Natalie was in disbelief, Heather Cabot went on: “It’s a new trend. Sites buy gift cards, validate their authenticity, then re-sell the cards at a discount. Plastic Jungle is one.”

She went on to make the point that desirable gift cards sell out on sites like Plastic Jungle fairly quickly, and that there’s a huge advantage to signing up for email alerts for your favorite retailer’s gift card offers. “You can buy a $50 gift card from Macy’s for $44. The one thing about this is that the gift cards run out really quickly. So what you want to do is go to one of these sites and actually sign up for email alerts and put in your wish list. They’ll send you an e-mail when they get those new gift cards in.”

Additional Dealmaking

Heather spoke about making lists, comparison shopping and using coupon aggregators, such as Shopping.Yahoo.com, FatWallet.com, PriceGrabber.com, and RetailMeNot.com.

Another hot savings tip: If you’re looking for a free shipping coupon, go to FreeShippingDay.com to see if your preferred retailer has a free shipping offer on the web. Free Shipping Day 2010 is Friday, December 17, when more than 1,000 participating merchants will offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve in the continental United States, including those with current gift cards on offer from Plastic Jungle, such as Macy’s, Brookstone, Lands’ End, Bath & Body Works, and more.

“Really, the last day you’ll be able to take advantage of free shipping is midnight on December 18^th,” Heather said.

Good to know, and even better to save! Thanks Heather Cabot!

Although we are in the business of buying and selling gift cards, Plastic Jungle is not immune to the bad press gift cards as gifts are sometimes given in the media. The gist of this negative press is that gift cards are too impersonal, and that they have taken away the ‘specialness’ of giving. Obviously, consumers disagree. Below is information from Internet Retailer from a study by Javelin Strategy and Research:

“Online gift card sales will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 29% over the next several years, hitting $5.86 billion in 2014.”

The fact is, gift cards can be a win-win for both giver and receiver. We are all leading more hectic lives than we ever have and buying gift cards as gifts allows us to easily check off our Holiday shopping list in no time. The person who receives the gift card as a gift is happy, for they can buy whatever they want, instead of receiving the typical ugly tie or blouse that doesn’t fit that they have received in the past.

If you are giving gift cards as gifts this Holiday season, there are ways to spruce them up and make them special. With each passing year, retailers get more creative with their gift card designs and packaging, plus there are ways you can personally create a gift of a gift card that will be remembered long after the balance on the gift card has been spent.

Here is a list of suggestions for making the gift of a gift card something special:

• Place the gift card inside another gift. Gift wrapping can be almost as beautiful as the actual gift, if you are creative or pay to have a gift professionally wrapped. Let your imagination run wild and dress up the gift cards you give as gifts with ribbons, special papers, trinkets, whatever your mind can conceive.
• Buy gift cards for special trips or entertainment. Treating someone to an experience he or she might not buy for himself / herself can truly be a holiday highlight.  Consider purchasing a gift card for a vacation, special event, or other great forms of entertainment.
• For teenagers, gift cards can be a great way to teach them how to budget. Buy a wallet or pocketbook and fill it with gift cards to their favorite stores, but also to gas stations, convenience stores, and other practical places they shop to teach them the value of money.
• Give inexpensive gift cards to service people. Your mailman, teachers, and others who have served you well throughout the year will be thrilled at the gesture and unexpected surprise of a gift card.
• Buy gift cards specialized for the receiver’s interest. If you have a fitness fanatic in the family, buy them a gift card for a free membership to a gym. For the chef in your life, buy a gift card to a kitchen supply store or cookbook retailer. You get the idea!

See how easy it is the make a gift card something special?

What are you doing this holiday season to make the gift cards you give as gifts memorable?

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!

Written by Amanda Grossman author of Frugal Confessions

Arguably, the best way to stick to your normal budget during the holidays is to have diligently planned ahead, and to have bought most of your gifts, food items, and decorations throughout the year instead of waiting until the holiday season is here.

Don’t worry; there is no judgment here. We are not all Martha Stewarts, and sometimes planning way in advance actually takes the fun out of what is supposed to be the most emotionally satisfying time of the year. So how can you stick to your budget now that you’ve waited until the holiday season is knocking down your door?

Here are some tips to get you started.

Purchase Loss Leaders

Loss leaders, or products that stores will actually lose money on in order to attract customers into their stores, are not just found at the grocery market. During the holiday season you can cherry pick extra special promotions in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Make sure to only purchase these products (and read the fine print of ads, as a few stores say you can only purchase the product if you spend a certain amount of money with the purchase). By cherry picking from several different stores, you are bound to save a decent amount of money.

Grab a Cup of Hot Joe or Tea and Partake in Black Friday

There is a reason why millions of people come out of their turkey-comas in the wee hours after Thanksgiving, disheveled and dressed in layers: the sales just cannot be beat. If you are looking to do a large amount of holiday shopping with a very small budget, then Black Friday is for you. Purchase a newspaper on Thanksgiving Day, and check out online websites that list Black Friday Deals ahead of time. Sit down that Thursday night to print out coupons, gather up your gift cards (see below), make a list, and set your plan of attack for the next day. You might find yourself extremely tired by mid-day Friday, but you will have saved a load of money.

Layer Your Deals to Increase Discounts

An easy way to get a discount on everything you purchase this holiday season from groceries, to gifts is to purchase fee-free gift cards at a discount. Let’s say you have children and know that you will spend $75 at Sears this year. Purchase a $50 and $25 gift card to Sears from Plastic Jungle at a discount of 10%, and you’ve just saved 10% on your holiday shopping. Add in store sales, promotions, and manufacturer’s coupons on top of this, and you could be looking at over 30% savings! If you used this strategy for Black Friday, your savings could be even higher.

Between now and Christmas, I will be updating Frugal Confessions with a new great Amazon.com deal each week, so check out my blog for some great deals!

And remember, it truly is the thought that counts. If your thoughts are going to be filled with buyer’s remorse three months into the New Year, then you need to reevaluate your priorities and enjoy the season for what it is, whether that is celebrating your religion, or showing the ones you cherish the most how important they are to you.

With the holiday season approaching, there is no escaping the thoughts of holiday decorations and the long list of gifts that need to be purchased. I always seem to feel a mini-panic attack start to come on this time of year when I think about everything that needs to be done. This season, I’ve decided to do a little more planning and hopefully avoid the panic attack and all of that last minute shopping altogether. I’ve started with the list of gifts for my kids. Well, in my case, it is ONE gift per child since they want gifts that are entirely too expensive…typical teenagers! My daughter has been begging for an iPod Touch, and since she is an outstanding student, an iPod Touch she shall receive. After finding it for a discount online and using my discounted gift cards from PJ, I got $32 off the Touch. Woohoo! An extra $32 in my pocket and one gift down. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and my daughter has been officially checked off of my list of gifts….DONE and DONE!! I have to start thinking about holiday cards too…oh, and decorations…oh, and gift wrap. Stay tuned for some holiday card and decoration ideas. Happy Holidays!!