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.

What has the first week of 2011 brought to you? More work, I’ll bet! Let’s get you back on track with a win.

Get to Office Depot for Office Cleanup Tips

So, say your desk is piled with papers. How bad is it? If it’s really bad, you could win a $10,000 Office Makeover courtesy of Office Depot! Just “Like” the Office Depot fan page on Facebook, upload a photo of how messy your office is, and you’re entered to win. (You’ll need to be logged in to Facebook to get to the page.) Ten instant winners per day get a $100 Office Depot gift card. Check the page for storage and filing tips on how to manage all that stuff, and see funny pictures of offices that might be even more cluttered than yours. Thanks to SweetiesSweeps for pointing us to that one. Contest ends 1/31/11; check the official rules on the same Office Depot Sweepstakes Facebook page for details.

If you can’t wait to win, check out what Plastic Jungle has on offer for discounted Office Depot gift cards.

Win $1000 for clothes, shoes & accessories? Yes please!

Amazon Fashion is giving away a $1000 Amazon.com Gift Card just for “Liking” them on Facebook. When you’re logged into Facebook, go to the Amazon Fashion page, and click on the Sweepstakes tag. Sweepstakes ends 2/17/11; check the page for official rules for details.

Think you’re ready for an Amazon.com Gift Card right this very minute? If you’re ready to exchange a gift card you’re not planning to use, you can trade that and get up to 96% of its value on an Amazon.com Gift Card on Plastic Jungle right now.

Win a $50 Best Buy Gift Card!

Super coupon and deal site MyBargainBuddy.com is giving away a $50 Best Buy Gift Card. Enter by 2/1/11, and check MyBargainBuddy for rules for entry and details. Plastic Jungle has Best Buy Gift Cards at a 4% discount at the time of publishing.

Appliances, Electronics, Music, Computers -- Best Buy!

Win a NookColor!

Are you a reader? Like, really a big reader? Then you’ll love the Bookalicio.us blog. In celebration of the two-year anniversary of blogging, Pam is giving away book collections for eight second-place winners, but the Grand Prize is a NookColor. The Nook is the e-reader offered by media retailer Barnes & Noble. It’s a device that’s a lot of fun — read books, listen to music, play games, show photos – for everyone from kids to seniors. The contest is open through February 10, 2011. Use your Twitter and Facebook accounts and more to enter. Check Bookalicio.us for rules and details. Check Plastic Jungle for discounted Barnes & Noble Gift Cards or eGift Cards to get a discount off your own NookColor.

Get $150 Gift Card to Steven Dann!

Life&Style Weekly wants you to walk away with $150 gift card to haute East Coast boutique Steven Dann. The contest is open until 1/20/11. Enter and see rules at Life&Syle Weekly’s WinIt page.

Good luck! Let us know if you win anything. And get back to work!  : )