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.

You’re cruising along just fine when the sneeze comes over you, oddly forceful, and repeats itself a few times. Yikes. Is this It?

Theories on beating common viruses and strengthening your immune system run the gamut from overloading on vitamin C to drinking lots of fluids to dropping hydrogen peroxide into your ears (no, I’m not sure that’s OK), to taking obnoxious cold medicines, such as DayQuil, at the first suggestion of illness. And don’t forget your yearly flu shot.

One has to think it comes down to what’s worked for you the best. And washing your hands.

This New York Times “Really?” post says that there is really no scientific evidence in existence that proves lots of liquids works. The same author claims that you shouldn’t blow your nose at all when you have a cold in a different NY Times Really? post, because it causes stuff to go back up into your sinuses, actually citing well-regarded research.

Holistically, vitamins might be your answer: Vitamins A, C & E, the B vitamins and Zinc could be catalysts in prevention and immune-system support according to this Yahoo! article. But if you’re already taking a daily vitamin, how could overloading on those be better for you? Well, we’ll let WebMD talk to you about that in detail.

My cure? Run it out or sweat it out. When that doesn’t work, eat everything in sight and suck it up as much as possible. What’s your best means of beating or getting over colds & flu?

Many favorite cures involve getting stuff to soothe the symptoms. NyQuil, DayQuil, EmergenC tablets, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, vitamin cocktails, Puffs Plus with Lotion, Vick’s VapoRub, humidifiers, baby aspirin, Airborne supplements, digital thermometers (is yours working?), Kleenex, and don’t forget the saline spray and a Neti pot.

You might as well have it all in the house and packed into your medicine cabinet before it strikes, to save you from that virus-filled checkout line at the drugstore.

To help you save, you can check out different drugstore’s weekly coupons and sales: Rite Aid, CVS, Safeway, Target, and even Walmart, all publish their weekly circular sales on their websites so you can surf for the best deals.

Many places will deliver, though your order might take a day to get to you. Check in with the grocery chains that have pharmacies first, then even call your local pharmacy, be it Walgreens or an independent. If you’re truly housebound, they’ll help you out.

No matter what, avenge the virus hordes by proactively buying a discounted gift card to any one of the following chains on the Plastic Jungle site who sell medicine-cabinet goodies, including:

Brookshires Food & Pharmacy

Costco

CVS

Cub Foods

Food Lion

Food Max

Fred Meyer

GNC

HEB Grocery Store

Jewel/Osco

Kirkland’s

Kroger

Meijer

Publix

Rite Aid

Safeway

Seven-Eleven

Target (a top-10 Plastic Jungle seller)

Tops Grocery Store

Trader Joe’s

Von’s

Walgreens

Walmart (a top-10 Plastic Jungle seller)

Wawa

Whole Foods

When May comes, and the viruses go away, you can always sell your medicine cabinet gift card back to Plastic Jungle and use the cash to buy a new bike. Hope you make it!