Mothers Day is this weekend! Happy Mothers Day to those of you who know the real meaning of sleep, can identify the origin of over 10 stains by sight, know that permanent marker is somewhat easily removed from walls using Lysol, and live with the realization that one day, in the very near future, absolutely nothing will happen to pick up the living room unless you bend over and pick it up yourself. Here’s to a day of proposed relaxation!

Plastic Jungle’s Mother’s Day Sweepstakes — STILL TWO DAYS LEFT TO ENTER! Make sure you get over to Plastic Jungle’s Facebook Page to choose which kind of mom you are and enter to win one of the few cards left in the few days the giveaway is open.

BNC.com $50 Amazon.com Gift Card – Brand Name Coupons (dot com) is excited to give away a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card. Just “Like” the BNC Facebook page and post a comment, or sign up the Amazon Daily Deal Newsletter (a thrilling thing in itself for any deal hunter) and leave a comment on the entry page. Details, terms and conditions outlined on the entry page. The giveaway will close on May 31st, 2011. The BNC staff will randomly pick a winner.

Frugal Novice $10 Burger King Gift Card Giveaway – Four lucky readers will each win a $10 Crown Card (gift card) to Burger King! This contest is open to all US & Canadian residents. Mandatory Entry: “Like” Burger King on Facebook, then comment on the Frugal Novice blog’s entry page. Don’t forget, while you’re there you can select your “Tender 8? and get a coupon for free tenders! The contest is open through May 16, 2011.

NYC Single Mom $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card Giveaway – One NYC Single Mom Reader will win a $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card. Required Entry: Subscribe to NYC Single Mom.com via email and confirm subscription and you must leave a comment. There are tons of ways to get extra entries. For details and giveaway rules, see the entry page. Winner will be selected by random.org when contest ends, May 13 2011.

People StyleWatch Gift Card Giveaways – Here are a set of style and fashion-related giveaways. No purchase is necessary, and when you consider the amount of cool prizes there will be a lot of entries, but it’s fun to wonder what you might get: $350 Gift Cards to David Meister, $150 SwimSpot Gift Cards (perfect timing!), plus other drawings for jewelry, accessories and more. Giveaways close May 9, 2011 (HURRY!); see People StyleWatch Giveaway Rules for additional details.

Houston Garden Center’s $100,000 Gift Card Giveaway – If you live in or around Houston, it’s time to do the yard! 1,000 lucky winners will get a $100 Houston Garden Center Gift Card. Complete the official entry form and you could win a $100 gift card. Then, in the $25,000 Landscape Challenge, one winner will be chosen from the 1,000 gift card winners and will be determined by which winner has used their $100 gift card to create the most beautiful or unique design using Houston Garden Center plants. Entrants must be a legal resident of Harris County, Texas or any adjacent county. Contest ends Sunday, May 8, 2011. See entry page for full rules.

Little Chief Honeybee $50 Urban Outfitters Gift Card Giveaway – Style conscious and sweet with a Nashville edge, Little Chief Honeybee is giving away a $50 Urban Outfitters Gift Card. Just follow her blog, “Like” her on Facebook and more to enter. See entry page for details. Giveaway closes “the end of the month” (May).

It’s our genuine wish at Plastic Jungle that Moms of every style in every corner of the world have a great Mother’s Day on May 8, 2011. Make sure to comment, and let us know what you win, and how you spend your day and your Plastic Jungle savings!

The Valentine’s Day date is a bit of a test. What will the night say about your romantic relationship? What kind of Valentine’s date would be the most fun and romantic for you? What kind of Valentine’s gift is appropriate – a sweet little candy necklace or a getaway trip for two to Bermuda?

Even without the pressure of a romantic holiday, today’s economy puts pressure on almost any night out. Will the restaurant be worth the money?

Valentine Dining Tip: You’ve got to know where you’re going. Finding a good restaurant doesn’t necessarily mean finding the best restaurant in town. The right restaurant should reflect your tastes, tickle your stomach, and in the end, make you and your date happy.

Do a little research. There are tons of sites that compile write-ups on local restaurants. Start with Yelp.com.  Even in the smallest cities you’ll find mostly honest reviews on Yelp from real people on popular places.

Zagat, online as Zagat.com, has little maroon-colored print guides, and is known for quick, easy reviews. The quality of Zagat’s reviews is solid – basically crowd-sourcing restaurant reviews, condensing them, and publishing a perfect outline of what to expect from the restaurant in about three sentences. Zagat is only available in select cities. (No Eagle River Zagat Guide, I’m afraid.) Zagat’s Valentine’s Day planner might be useful.

Restaurant Row offers quick overviews of restaurants, and the great thing is that you can search a chain, say Tony Roma’s, or Morton’s Steakhouse, and up pops all the locations around the country, with location and contact information. Restaurant Row also offers a “Restaurant Row Top 10” from five cities in every state – and these aren’t restaurants chosen by some snob, these are the restaurants with the most requests on their site.

Open Table hosts reviews of restaurants, and also takes reservations for some 15,000 restaurants nationally and internationally, boasting that their reservations are “free, instant, confirmed”.  Open Table’s Valentine’s Day reservations page, and invites you to make restaurant reservations at your destination if you are traveling.

Wondering what the “experts” think? Well, travel and food writers (see Guyot.com, TravelandLeisure.com, BonAppetit.com) tend to be a particularly critical bunch, offering their opinions on “the best of the best” all the time. Beware of sites that list the “Top 10 Most Romantic Restaurants in the US”, because as soon as something like that is published, the #1 restaurant closes or is topped by something more exotic. Just go with your gut, and keep it simple. Remember, it’s YOU your date wants to be with, not the expensive ambiance, the food, or the “spectacular service” at the restaurant you pick!

Remember that if you’ve got an unused gift card in your pocket, you can always sell your gift card on Plastic Jungle for cash (or trade it for an Amazon.com Gift Card, or fund a PayPal account, and more) which might defray the cost of a night out.

What about outright dining savings? You get that at Plastic Jungle, too. There are tons of restaurant gift cards available on Plastic Jungle; some, like the Darden Restaurants, are good at all the restaurants in the chain. Discount Darden Restaurant Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle are currently offered at 10% off face value, and are good at Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grill restaurants across the US. Or try Restaurant.com Gift Cards, which are good at thousands of restaurants nationwide.

Other Discounted Restaurant Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle Include*:

Applebee’s

Black Angus Steakhouse

(The) Cheesecake Factory

Chili’s (Gift Cards are also good at Macaroni Grill, On The Border, Maggiano’s)

Morton’s Steakhouse (currently at 17% off!)

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

TGI Friday’s

Tony Roma’s

Hurry, supplies are limited. You can always set an alert to be notified when your favorite gift cards come into stock at a discount on Plastic Jungle.

Let us know where you’re going for Valentine’s Day and let us know if you had fun!

*Gift card prices and availability may vary.

Our savvy customers are gearing up for fun summer activities, so it is no surprise to see clothing, electronics, and department store gift cards top the charts with graduation and wedding season around the corner.

Most purchased gift cards in April 2010 include:

1. Walmart Gift Cards

2. Target Gift Cards

3. Best Buy Gift Cards

4. The Home Depot Gift Cards

5. Safeway Gift Cards

6. Restaurant.com Gift Cards

7. Lowe’s Gift Cards

8. Macy’s Gift Cards

9. Bed Bath & Beyond Gift Cards

10. Barnes & Noble Gift Cards

View gift cards you loved this so far in January, February, and March.

How did you save money in April? What are you planning to do differently in May? Share your best savings tips below in the comments field and help other people get more with less…

If you haven’t found Mom the perfect gift, we have plenty of suggestions that will help you avoid spending a fortune.  Shop with discounted gift cards to save money along the way and show Mom how much you care.

Save 25% on 1-800-flowers.com Gift Cards

Thank Mom for all she does with an arrangement from 1-800-flowers.com or buy her sweets, treats, and more from sister brands, such as 1-800-baskets and The Popcorn Factory.

Save 12% on SpaFinder Gift Cards

Reconnect with Mom by booking a Spa Day for the two of you. Get away and enjoy spending quality time together in a relaxing environment.

Save 60% on Restaurant.com Gift Cards*

Celebrate with family and friends at your Mom’s favorite restaurant and let her enjoy the night off from cooking. Find restaurants in your area to save on food and drinks.

*This is an electronic code and only valid at participating Restaurant .com restaurants. Discount is based on discount dining purchase, and is not in addition to any discounts that may be offered by Restaurant .com.

Save 13% on Bath & Body Works Gift Cards

Brighten up your Mom’s day with a collection of her favorite scents. Maybe she would enjoy a home spa package?

Share with us below how you plan to treat your Mom this Mother’s Day… or tell us what makes her so special to you!

With the promise of spring, the release of the iPad, and home improvement projects in the works… it is no surprise to see clothing, electronics, and department store gift cards topping the charts.

Most purchased gift cards in March 2010 include:

1. Walmart Gift Cards

2. Best Buy Gift Cards

3. Home Depot Gift Cards

4. Target Gift Cards

5. Lands’ End, Sears, Kmart Gift Cards

6. Lowe’s Gift Cards

7. Macy’s Gift Cards

8. Restaurant.com Gift Cards

9. Barnes & Noble Gift Cards

10. Pottery Barn Gift Cards

How did you save money in March?  Tell us where you shopped and how you saved, and I will share where it fell on our list…