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Discounted gift cards – Save money on everyday purchases

How would you like to get $80 worth of stuff for $60, without looking for a sale? Or get some money for those gift cards that are just lying around with a few dollars left on them?

It wasn’t until recently that I finally took the leap and tried using a gift card reseller to save some extra dollars. We had 3 gift cards that had a balance on them and hadn’t been used in a while. We’d have to go out of our way to go to these stores and we’d likely pay more for whatever we would buy than if we bought it someplace else.

So I decided to sell them and get some cash through ABC Gift Cards. I was a little hesitant when I read the reviews online, but I gave it a shot anyhow since I didn’t have much to lose. I entered the cards on their site, reviewed their offer, chose my payment method and mailed the cards in. About a week later I got an email with an Amazon gift card code for the amount they offered. So far, so good.

The next step was to try buying one. I decided to buy one for a store my wife likes through CardCash.com (sister site of ABC Gift Cards). About a week later, it showed up in the mail. The total savings was 21% off the face value. Not bad at all.

I recently submitted another order for some cards for stores that our daughters like to get clothes from (Gymboree and Justice). Total order cost me $82.28 and I’m getting $105 worth of gift cards. That’s also an average savings of over 21%.

Why wouldn’t we do this all the time for clothing purchases at least? I’m not sure. If you’re looking for a way to boost your budget, this might be a great way to do it.

What do you think? Do you have any other unique money savings tips? Leave them in the comments below.

Photo by 401(K) 2013

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When is it time to slow down or take a break?

If you’ve been paying off debt or on a savings spree, at some point you’ll probably get tired and just wish you were done. You will just want to take a break or slow down a bit.

But when is it okay to slow down and spend some of the money you’ve set aside?

There are a couple things to consider.

  1. If paying off debt is more important than whatever you want to spend money on, then you probably shouldn’t break your stride.
  2. If whatever you want to spend money on is important to you, then check whether it will delay your other financial goals. Are you willing to accept that delay in accomplishing your goal?

Ultimately, the choice is yours. Just remember that every time you decide to take a break or slow down you lose some momentum.

If it were me, I wouldn’t take many breaks until my consumer debt is paid off, unless it’s going to be several years before the debt is gone. In that case, I might schedule in some breaks along the way (a weekend away for the year or a night out every couple of months).

After the consumer debt is paid, then I’d slow down a bit more and schedule breaks more often. It’s easier to weigh whether a savings goal is more important than taking a break at this point.

Build in your breaks. Plan them if you can. And be honest about how taking a break or slowing down will affect your financial goals.

What are some things you want to take a break or slow down for? Let me know in the comments below.