Buying A Gift Card Is Like Giving The Issuing Company A Free Loan

By MoneyBlueBook

I don't mind giving gift cards as presents on occasion as I don't see them as inherently evil. While the perception that they are somehow classier or more convenient is silly and misguided, they do serve a useful purpose for particular situations and for certain limited occasions. Of course, my biggest problem with gift cards is the fact they are rarely used right away by recipients including myself. I've received gift cards in the past but they've always sat in my wallet for months before I finally got around to using them. Perhaps it's because I am accustomed to doing most of my shopping online, but I can never seem to find the right time to use up the cards. The longer the cards remain unused, the more money is wasted, and the higher the likelihood that expiration and maintenance fee problems may arise.

A Gift Card Is Nothing More Than A Zero Percent Interest Loan

Unlike giving cash as presents, when you buy a gift card today and redeem it in the future, you're essentially offering the gift card company an interest free loan, whether it be with Best Buy, Starbucks, or Macy's. When one of these companies issues you a prepaid gift card, they've already taken your money and given you a gift card claim ticket towards future purchases in that amount. Until you request for redemption, they have no obligation to pay the amount back as merchandise. Meanwhile they get to benefit from the earned interest on the amount you

By MoneyBlueBook

Now why would anyone want to spend money at a drug store chain like CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens to begin with? Looking at their store prices, it's clear everything is ridiculously overpriced compared to that offered at supermarkets. The reason why you would shop there - for the amazing drug store rebate deals that they offer (no, it's not a scam). If you can learn to take advantage of drug store rebates, you will find yourself getting a lot of free stuff for your money and winding up with merchandise whose total retail value greatly surpasses what you spent out of pocket.

Ever since I discovered and started actively using drug store rebates, my frugal living life has been transformed for the better. No longer am I paying shocking $3-4 dollars prices for ordinary household items like a roll of toothpaste. I'm not even resorting to generic store brands either. I'm simply taking advantage of the many store rebate deals offered by well known drug store franchises like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. Most of these major chains offer great rebates and deals, usually published weekly or monthly.

Supermarkets Offer Coupons and Discounts, But Drug Stores Offer Them Plus Rebate Store Credit

It's the bonus store credit offers that truly make drug store rebates so special. By taking advantage of these rebate deals and promotions, I've been able to consistently and regularly buy items at pennies on the dollar and continuously roll free rebate money from one month to the next. This drug store rebate flipping game

By MoneyBlueBook

When you're standing in front of the cash register about to make a large purchase for hundreds of dollars, it's easy to immediately recognize the high cost and the financial gravity of the situation. The price is high and it's easy to see how the large one time expenditure is going to hit your pocket book. But what about those pesky little daily expenses that we often take for granted? They are just as effective at draining money, but the only difference is that they usually occur over a wider span of time. Those type of silent and hidden expenses do add up quickly over a month or even a one year period. It's important to be aware of what some of them are so that we can learn to avoid these money traps and do a better job of pocketing the savings.

1) Bottled Water - Although I list this as my first money drain due to the consensus of many, it's actually one daily expenditure that I personally find to be worth the daily cost. While not necessarily healthier in terms of purity, due to the convenience and the healthy consumption habit the act promotes, I actually think drinking bottled water is worth the regular cost. However, there is a right way to do it and a wrong way. The right way is to buy bottled water in bulk supermarket 24 packs or in Costco's mega 32 packs. The absolute wrong way is to buy them in single units from a place like

By MoneyBlueBook

Well a year has passed since I started earning and accumulating Citi ThankYou Reward Points using my squadron of Citibank credit cards, and now it's time to redeem them for some well deserved purchase rewards. I own three of them myself, and here are the top Citibank cards when it comes to earning ThankYou reward points:

By MoneyBlueBook

Well Valentine's Day is here again and it's time to carry out the age old tradition of sending flowers to that special girl in your life. While women today frequently send flowers as well, I think the great majority of gift flowers purchased for Valentine's Day are made by men for their love crush, their girlfriends, or for their wives. Anyway you look at it - women love flowers - the commercially universal symbol of love (that and diamonds). They love to receive them, look at them, show them off to friends and co-workers, and display them on their desks for all to see (I see it all the time). Today, flowers make great presents for any occasion, and they're no longer just for the major holidays and birthdays anymore either.

Since giving flowers during those special holidays is almost a given, for the guys, if you really want to score bonus points, try sending your special lady flowers for no special reason at all - it's even better when she's not expecting them. That will really brighten her day. Not that I am an expert in the flower-sending department or even have that extensive of an experience in wooing girls with flowers, but I've done it before - through both traditional local florists and through online flower delivery services. Both techniques have always yielded great results.

Flowers Are Expensive, But Buying and Sending Them Doesn't Have To Break The Bank

Now one of the biggest gripes with sending flower arrangements as gifts is that they're usually quite

By MoneyBlueBook

If there's one group of zealots you never want to upset, it's the eBay sellers. Ever since eBay announced several key changes to its pricing and feedback policies over a week ago, eBay sellers have been flipping out and storming the discussion forums to express their outrage over the impending doom and gloom. A great number of them have become so upset that they've banded together to plot a futile boycott of eBay's auction services around the February 20, 2008 launch date to protest the new fee hikes and feedback policy changes.

Here is an overview of the key controversial eBay pricing and system changes that have sparked such emotional reactions as well as my own thoughts on the matter. You can view the actual eBay price structure changes (here).

1) Listing Prices Will Be Reduced But Final Value Fees Will Be Increased
The new eBay pricing changes will cause up front listing costs such as Insertion Fees and Fixed Price Listings to be reduced. This upfront listing fee reduction is to encourage more listings since eBay auctions have been stagnant for years now as auction interest has waned. Although it used to come at a small cost, eBay now plans to make Gallery picture listing free - a nice free addition that will save a few cents and dollars for some, but it's basically a trivial bonus. It's nothing that will greatly benefit eBay sellers, but with the way eBay has been cleverly marketing the changes by