Today's 365 frugality tips, as part of my Year of Renewed Frugality (or YRF), focuses on the idea of using gift cards that you got for the holidays to help offset your spending in the New Year.
Today's 365 frugality tips, as part of my Year of Renewed Frugality (or YRF), focuses on the idea of using gift cards that you got for the holidays to help offset your spending in the New Year.
Note from Leah: I wrote this post before the awful school shooting in Newtown, CT, happened. My heart goes out to the families there for whom which teacher gift to buy this year is the last of their worries. Every year in December I start getting emails from people wondering how they should handle gifts for their children’s teachers. (Remember: before I was a frugal-living expert, I’d spent more than a decade as a gift and etiquette expert.) In the past most questions focused on what to give. With the economy the way it’s been for quite some time,...
Saveology has great deals on discount gift cards, and this latest deal just landed in my inbox. Choice of iTunes, Boston Market, ExxonMobil, or The Children’s Place Gift Card Saveology gifts cards contain a full value that you can purchase at a fraction of the cost. You’ll find gifts cards for your favorite national restaurants chains, brands, and popular retailers which can be used towards any in-store or online purchase (merchant restrictions may apply). These gift cards carry a full value that will never expires or decrease in value for as long as you have it. Check back often...
I just became aware of Saveology through one of my affiliate networks, and have brought you a few deals recently. I know how popular Old Navy is among Suddenly Frugal readers, so I wanted to make sure you knew about this 50% off gift card offer–especially if you’ve never purchased gift cards through Saveology before. Here’s the deal with this Old Navy Gift Card offer–you can choose from two amounts: Option 1: $7.50 for $15 Old Navy Gift Card Option 2: $15 for $25 Old Navy Gift Card Here is the fine print: Offer Only Available For Saveology First...
Saveology, one of my affiliate networks, still has a bunch of gift cards to great stores and restaurants, available for 50% or more off face value. If you’ve never purchased through Saveology, you’re in luck: these deals are for new Saveology customers only. Here are the details of what is still available–though there are limited quantities for some of these gift cards, so keep that in mind: $5 For A $10 Papa John’s Gift Card $12.50 For A $25 Gift Card To Uno Chicago Grill $7.50 For A $15 Staples® Gift Card $7.50 for $15 GAP Gift Card $3...
The National Retail Federation says you will. In fact, it recently came up with a Top 10 spending infographic that highlights some pretty interesting stats on why back to school 2012 may be like no other. Check it out below. P.S. If I can help it, I will spend way less than that on back to school, and I will try to document my spending in a near-future blog post!
One of the most popular Valentine’s Day purchases is a bouquet of flowers. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will buy nearly 100 million roses for Valentine’s Day, spending about $1.8 billion in the process. That’s a painful number, whether you’re frugal or not. Given how popular flowers are and that you may be considering buying some for that someone special on Valentine’s Day, I’ve put together these 5 tips on how you can save on Valentine’s Day flowers in 2012.
Each year I write a blog post on how you’re supposed to handle teacher gifts at the holidays. I’ve even covered this topic for some of my clients, including the National Education Association‘s website. This morning I heard a story on NPR that Alabama has a law that pretty much makes it illegal for teachers to accept gifts from their students. It was a law designed to prevent “pay for play” situations in state government, but because the law is so vague, it has trickled down to the classroom, where teachers are afraid to accept a $10 Starbucks gift...
Last year, holiday spending increased as more than 212 million U.S. consumers spent an estimated $45 billion in stores and online from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation. However, amidst the hustle and bustle, consumers may become vulnerable to one of the nation’s fastest growing crimes—identity theft. “Shoppers are often overwhelmed by the season’s tasks, so it’s easy for them to let their guard down, and thieves take advantage of this,” said Mark Springsteel, treasurer and director of financial services for AAA Arizona. Here are 6 tips to safeguard your personal information this season,...
Many retailers are giving you free gift cards when you buy gift cards this holiday season. Other companies and stores are offering promotions that allow you to earn free gift cards. The folks at DealNews did a round-up of a handful of these holiday opportunities, which I’m reprinting here. Some of them I’d written about before in an earlier Freebie Friday post. If I come across additional opportunities, I’ll do a follow-up post. FYI, this post is in lieu of my normal Freebie Friday post. Happy shopping! MasterCard: Register your credit card, spend $200 or more online, and receive...
The National Retail Federation released results of its gift-buying survey today, and no surprise, gift cards came out on top as a holiday gift of choice. According to the survey, eight in 10 Americans plan to give a gift card as a holiday gift this year–up from nearly seven in 10 people last year. I know that gift cards make great teacher gifts, and, in my opinion, are always the right option for picky teenagers. (When in doubt go with an iTunes gift card.) However, if your budget is tight this year, you may be wondering how you can...
Check out this hot, limited time deal from Restaurant.com. You can get many $25 Restaurant.com gift certificates for just $2! How? Use the code HAM when you check out. This deal is good through November 15th only. Even though some $25 gift certificates can be had for $2, most are priced around $10. Still, that’s more than 50% off! Please note: Not all restaurants participate in this promotion. eGift Cards and Gift Cards have separate pricing. Also, I received a small commission for sharing this information with you.
How does spending $15 for a $25 gift card sound? Sounds pretty good to me. Right now you can purchase a $25 gift card to Boston Market for only $15. Once you purchase this deal, you will have to “redeem” the voucher for the gift card and then it will be mailed to you. Sounds complicated, I know, but once you go through the steps, it’s not a big deal. FYI, you have 60 days to redeem the voucher after purchasing it through Saveology, so make sure you do it before 2011 is out! (Note: I receive a very...
A few weeks ago I taped a segment at 6ABC in Philadelphia on how you can eat out on a budget. That segment finally aired on “Mary Talks Money” on the Live Well Network just before Halloween. You can watch the segment here:
Even though it feels like summer just started (or at least it does to me), soon enough school bells will be ringing. So will the cash registers, as parents stock up on back-to-school necessities. According to Huntington National Bank the average cost to send a child into the classroom armed with school-recommended supplies this fall is approximately $474 for elementary school, $545 for middle school and $1,000 for high school students. Despite these figures you don’t have to go broke getting the kids ready for the first day of school. Here are five ways that you can keep your...
Hoping to track down some awesome Thanksgiving freebies I can share with you in the next few weeks. Stay tuned. In the meantime check out these latest free offerings! Free Food Double your pleasure, double your fun? How about double your freebies? Now Boston Market lets two kids eat for free on Saturday and Sunday. Good for kids 14 and younger (yeah, mine qualify) and until January 31, 2010. You know I’ll be repeating this freebie in Freebie Friday postings for the next few months–you know, just in case you forget and all. Don’t forget that kids eat for...
Hoping the freebies will pick up once we get closer to the holidays. Here are just a few for you to enjoy in the next week. Gratis Gift Cards Lots of online retailers and brick-and-mortar businesses want you to start shopping early for the holidays. That’s why many are offering free gift cards with a purchase. Check out this MSN Money Smart Shopping article for all the details. Free Food On Wednesday, November 11, 2009, participating Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar locations throughout the U.S. will invite all past and present military personnel to enjoy a complimentary entree from...
Frugal fatigue seems to be setting in across America, or at least that’s what an expert in a recent Associated Press story “Shoppers Stay Cautious” said. This article, which focused on a slight bounce back of retail sales, seemed to indicate that people were beginning to shop again, much to the relief of retailers. “The 31 retailers that Thomson Reuters tracks reported same-store sales were better in March than analysts expected,” the article read. “And Gallup estimates that the average daily consumer spending it tracks rose from $53 in mid-March to $71 by the last week of the month.”...
I’d written in the past about what you need to know when purchasing gift cards as gifts. Well, I just found out what’s going on with KB Toys’ gift cards, now that the company has filed for bankruptcy. Unlike other companies that started down the path of going out of business after the holidays last year–and suddenly announced that their gift cards were worthless immediately–KB Toys has announced that it will honor gift cards up through January 11, 2009. The only hitch? Gift cards will be accepted in brick-and-mortar stores only, not via the online store. So if you...
