We are closing down the Mercardi marketplace

For the last year it has been a privilege to serve you and your gift card needs. It's been an exciting journey for us and we hope we've served you well!

What does this mean for you?

For our marketplace consumers, after considering all options for the future of the Mercardi community, we want to recommend and endorse Plastic Jungle as the best way for you to buy, sell, exchange, and donate gift cards online going forward.

We'd be happy to address any questions or concerns that you might have regarding your orders. You can contact us at customerservice@mercardi.com.

For our nonprofit friends, Plastic Jungle's fundraising program is quite similar to our "Gift cards for Good" offering, and we are excited to facilitate your continued success. Please expect an email from us with more details.

Why Plastic Jungle?

Plastic Jungle shares our purpose of helping consumers unlock their gift card value and getting discounted gift cards into the hands of savvy shoppers. The PJ team is composed of experts in gift cards, payments, and marketplaces. And they have solid financial backing.

Most importantly, with Plastic Jungle, you will still receive excellent service and free shipping. All transactions on PlasticJungle.com are guaranteed, and you will get the best value for your gift cards (they pay up to 92% of your gift card's unused balance!).

It's been a pleasure...

We feel incredibly lucky to have served each of you, and your future gift card needs are a high priority for us. Please do check out Plastic Jungle when you have a moment. In the meantime, take care and thank you so much for your business!

The Mercardi Team

Gift Card Giveaways for Friday, August 13, 2010

Got your rabbit's foot in your pocket? I hope so because we all know what day it is! LOL. But your luck is about to change, for below are links to some awesome gift card giveaways. You could easily be the lucky winner of some great gift cards.

Have a happy Friday, no matter what the date is!

I liked this one so much I entered it before I even shared it here with you! For the Mommas is giving away a $100 gift card to Carter's, where you will find some great kid's clothes. Carter's is also giving away a bunch of gift cards themselves. The link to their sweepstakes you will find at For the Mommas. This giveaways is also listed at Hoosier Homemaker.

Wow, Mommies really love gift cards, and they also love sharing them. Empowering Mommy is giving away a $50 Novica gift card, and this is one you won't want to miss. Novica sells only handmade products created by the artists listed on their site. There are some beautiful things, including jewelry. There are a bunch of ways to create multiple entries to this give away. Don't miss it!

Lo and behold, I have discovered the mother load! Here is a site strictly dedicated to blog giveaways! I am almost speechless!

The Mommy Files has listed a $40 gift card giveaway from 1-800-Flowers. Nice. Very nice.

I love Eighty MPH Mom. She has listed today a great gift card giveaway. Just take the Eucerin skin care pledge and you will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Sunglass Hut.

Free Grechen is a very cool blog. She has a list of gift card giveaways and other contest for women. This one is for a $100 gift card from Shop Bob. Just tell her what your favorite pair of celebrity jeans are and you are entered!

Gift Card Giveaways for Friday, August 6, 2010

Hello Mercardi.com fans! Boy, what a week it's been. I have been busier than a one-armed paper hanger, how about you? Sock it to me baby, tell me all about your week and your plans for the weekend.

In the meantime, here's a wonderful list of gift card giveaways. Have fun signing up and good luck!

Life360 is giving away a $100 Amazon gift card every week. All you need to do is comment on any post on the blog and you are entered. The drawing is random, so get busy commenting.

Mommy PR is giving away a $20 iTunes gift card to one lucky person who visits Math Girl and writes a comment about it on the blog. Very interesting site for parents, both sites, that is!

Who knew Safeway had a delivery service? Thrifty NW Mom did, tried it, and reviewed the service on her blog. Now all you have to do to win a $50 Safeway gift card. Just comment on the blog, letting NW Mom know which number one product you would buy from Safeway and you have a chance to win. THIS ONE ENDS SUNDAY, AUGUST 8th, so get over there now and do your thing.

I don't know one woman who doesn't love perfume. This one is for you gals. The Find is giving away a $50 gift card to FragranceNet, a great place to get deals on your favorite summer smells. I am all over this one, so some smell good might be all over me!

Never let it be said that Mercardi.com doesn't give equal time to the guys. Coupon Dad is giving away a $100 gift card to Threadless.com, an online design community where users can score designs, offer comments and critiques, and post about whatever is on their minds. Threadless is also an ongoing open call for tee shirt design submissions.

Gift Card Giveaways for Friday, July 30, 2010

Hey guys and dolls! It's Friday again and the weatherman in Texas is predicting 104 degrees for the weekend, ugh. That means you know who will be hiding away in the cool of the AC, cleaning house.

What about you? What are our plans for the weekend? I hope at least one of them is to take advantage of these great gift card giveaways, and also to buy and sell your unwanted gift cards at Mercardi.com.

Either way, have a great one, and stay cool!

One of the best things about posting these gift card giveaways every Friday is that I find sites I never knew of before. Here is a perfect example; Creative Fan. For web developers, webmasters, or just those who like keeping up with the newest trends in blogging and website design, these guys got it going on. This contest they are holding is proof! $150 gift card from CodemyConcept is up for grabs. If you are a geek, you will be having a cow right now, hurrying to get there. But for those of you like me who aren't so geeky, if you win this gift card you could get CodemyConcept to implement your next Wordpress blog.

Anonymous 8 is a very interesting blog and they prove it by being #3 at Top Mommy Blogs. They are giving away a $30 Target gift card, and there are 7 ways to win. Enter now!

Sweet and Savory Food is giving away a $40 CSN gift card. I would really like to have this one, there are so many things I need for my apartment. Enter now, there are 5 ways to win.

My SLC Mommy is giving away a $50 Staples gift card to help out with your back-to-school expenses. Hurry up and enter, can you imagine all the pens and paper you can buy for $50?

Our Friday gift card giveaway would not be complete without a Walmart gift card, so here we go! Go Green Street is giving away a $15 Walmart gift card just to tell what Febreze product you like best. Wow, that's an easy one, I love Febreze!

Mama Cheaps is giving away a $30 Amazon gift card. I love Amazon and there are several books on my to-buy list, so I am all over this one! All you need to do is become a friend on Facebook and you are entered.

This is extremely interesting! If you have a land line phone you could win gift cards and other prizes from Nielsen, a survey site that only ask your opinion on things that interest you to be entered. It's a great way to win gift cards and prizes for very little effort.

If you are Canadian or you are planning a trip to Canada in the near future, this gift card giveaway is a must to enter! It's for a $100 gift card to The Teahouse. The place looks scrumptious!

If you know of a great gift card giveaway or are holding one yourself please leave me a comment and I will cover it~!

Friday Gift Card Giveaways for July 23, 2010

It's Friday! Yay! And that means the weekend, boating, swimming, beside the pool, cooking out, or just relaxing in the cool AC. And it also means another list of great gift card giveaways.

Here you go, and have a wonderful weekend!

This one's a biggie from Woman's Day. 10 lucky winners will receive a $125 gift card from TruGreen Lawn Care Service, the nation's biggest provider of lawn care. Fill out the entry form here.

Mommy Blips is giving away a $25 Target gift card. All you need to do is follow her on Twitter.

Thanks, Mail Carrier is in the business of giveaways exclusively, so be prepared to salivate when you click on the link to enter the contest for a $50 Amazon gift card giveaway.

Talk about salivating! A $25 Joe's Crab Shack gift card is up for grabs at Shop with me Mama. All you need to do is select your favorite item from the menu and comment, extra entries for Tweeting and liking on Facebook.

Mireyah Wolfe is a writer of urban fantasy, but this gift card giveaway is total reality! Ms. Wolfe is giving away a $50 gift card to CSN stores. Just fill out the entry form here.

Sweeties Sweeps has a link here to the big O's, (that's Oprah for those of you who don't live on planet earth!) Summer Sweepstakes Extravaganza where 100 folks will win $100 Land's End gift cards. I like those odds!

I really like this one. Vivala Blogette is giving away a $40 gift card to her shop, where you will find some very tasty stationary and greeting cards, high dollar and quite unusual.

I hope one of our readers wins, but whether or not you do you always win when you purchase discount gift cards or sell your unwanted gift cards to Mercardi.com!

Even the Gift Card Industry has Scammers

And this handsome devil is one of them!



Here's what he did:

"A man reported to police that he purchased store gift cards for $1,000 from a man on Craigslist, but the cards had zero balances on them.
Officer Joseph Cox followed up with a local store and learned Beck bought the gift cards legally and then sold them to the victim, according to the police bureau.
After Beck sold them, he went back to the store and reported them stolen, police said, and the store immediately gave him new cards with original balances on them.
Because the cards sold to the man on Craigslist were reported as stolen, the victim couldn't use them, police said, and Beck was free to resell the new cards to others."

Read the rest of the article at Fox 12.

Just a fair warning, beware of who you do business with. In fact, rather than deal with what could be a shady character like the one above, if you want to buy discounted gift cards buy them from Mercardi.com.

Oh, and by the way, for those living in hot climates and are burning up from the heat, notice in the link above that the temperature in Portland, Oregon this morning is 54 degrees. That sounds heavenly, huh?

Congress Extends Transition Deadline for Gift Card Rules

With a resounding "Yay!" I post today about one of the smartest things Congress has done in a very long time. They passed the ECO-Gift CARD Act, which will avoid the destruction of over 100 million plastic cards, ensuring that consumers can access these cards during the busy holiday shopping season.

"The act extends the August 22nd gift card implementation deadline, as mandated by Federal Reserve regulations pursuant to the 2009 Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, to Jan. 31, 2011. This would allow the industry to sell existing gift cards, gift certificates, store gift cards and general-use prepaid cards produced prior to April 1, 2010."

This is a reason for celebration not just for retailers but for consumers as well. So let's raise a hearty cheer of "Great!!, knowing that we can shop this coming holiday season without interruption. At a time when we are having so many second doubts about the actions of government, it is really refreshing to run across news like this.

Here is the full article from PRNewswire.com.

Gift Card Giveaways for Friday, July 16, 2010

Here we are again at Friday, and as promised here are a great list of gift card giveaways for your weekend enjoyment. Remember, many of these are time sensitive, so be sure to go ahead and enter now. Most of the contests listed only require that you comment, tweet, or like on Facebook to qualify.

Have fun, and have a wonderful, hopefully in the AC weekend!

Fried Pink Tomato has a gift card giveaway listed for a $25 Anthropologie gift card. I would love to win this one, how about you?

Raffle Dog has a contest listed for a gift card for Lamp in a Box, it's a $59 value. (love this!) Here is the link to the entry form.

This one makes my brain water, if there is such a thing. Bookroom Reviews has posted about a $300 Amazon gift card giveaway sponsored by TV Guide Network. Imagine how many luscious books, DVDs and tapes you could buy for $300? Here is the link, I am all over this one.

Freebie Spot is giving away a $50 gift card to CSN. I really would like to win this one, I need some new stuff for my apartment. Here is the link.

Scholarships4moms is awarding a $10,000 scholarship! Hurry! Next 10k Scholarship Drawing Just Days Away! Click Here

The Jet Set Girls are living it up and passing the luxury along with a listing for a $500 gift card given to a spa member of Spa Week and ten $50 gift cards to us regular gals. I have never had a citrus scrub but I wouldn't be mad if I got one, that's for sure!

Simply Stacie is giving away a $25 Target gift card to a lucky reader. Stacie does product and book reviews and she has a gorgeous blog! Here is the link.

Visiting the links above is not only a great way to possibly win gift cards, but it's a lot of fun to find out about websites and blogs you didn't previously know of. Take a minute to look at least, you will be greatly rewarded, even if you don't win a gift card.

Savings.com has a great gift card giveaway for a $50 gift card from Famous Footwear. Shoe freaks, better run over there and enter now!

Mercardi on ABC News!

We at Mercardi.com were past thrilled when we discovered that we were the first company of our type shown on this ABC News video! The story covers Consumer Reports ShopSmart as they checked out seven websites where you can SELL your cards for CASH!

Lisa Freeman from Consumer Reports ShopSmart explains, "It turns out you can sell unwanted gift cards for up to 90-percent of the card's value."



Thank you to all of our great customers for helping us hit the airwaves!

Here is the full story.

Gift Cards are the Best Choice

Over the last few months, as I have researched subject matter for the post here at the Mercardi.com blog, I have run across different articles complaining about the use of gift cards. These pundits' only real gripe was that giving a gift card takes away from the personal touch an in-the-hand gift offers. Today I would like to point out the obvious; that consumers AND the receivers of gift actually PREFER getting a gift card rather than a gift.

It's like the old folks who don't want to advance into the 21st Century complaining about how cell phones have made our lives more impersonal, the same hogwash. Wake up and smell the coffee, people! We live in a very fast paced, hectic world and rather than complain about it we should embrace it. Change is inevitable, and 85% of the people can't be wrong. That's how many consumers are now buying gift cards.

No more do we have to pretend to be happy about the polka dotted tie that Aunt Millie gives us for Christmas, even Aunt Millie is savvy these days, because she's giving gift cards for cash! That way we can buy what WE like. Ask any college student whether they'd rather have a gift or a gift card at graduation. The gift card will win with a resounding percentage.

Embrace gift cards. They are here to stay, and they truly are the easiest and most sought after gift available today. Start with the Mercardi.com search engine, which lets you quickly choose the perfect gift card. And for those of you who get a gift card you don't want, you can sell that gift card for up to 90% of its value. Now THAT'S good business!

Gift Card Giveaways for Friday, July 9, 2010

It has been a short work week for most of you, but that doesn't take away the joy of it being Friday! And here's some other things to be joyful about, our regular Friday list of gift card giveaways. Enjoy and enjoy a restful weekend.

Yummy, yummy! Here is a contest that you can sink your teeth into! You can enter daily. This contest is courtesy of the LifeStrong Network of blogs, and each entry you make qualifies you for the grand prize of a Nintendo Wii or an Apple iPad. Today's gift card giveaway from LifeStrong is to the Cheesecake Factory. Nuff said!

Here is a great deal where you just enter your email address and get free samples from Quality Health. I have been signed up here for several years and I love it!

Love my Two Girls is giving away a $25 gift card to either Amazon or cash from Paypal. All you have to do is follow the blog between now and July 31st and you are entered.

I am all over this! Eighty MPH Mom is giving away a $75 gift card to 1-800 Flowers. I don't think I need to say much more. We all love getting and sending flowers and gift from 1-800 Flowers, but be sure to at least check out the post even if you don't enter. I started salivating just looking at the pictures of stuff you can order.

The Thrifty Couple are quite clever as you will see, they are giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to either you or me, the contest only last this weekend, but you can enter up to 4 times per day, so don't dilly dally here, get over to the site and create your entry today!

I was totally stoked when I found this blog, Etsy Giveaways. Their business is all about giving away gift cards and merchandise from different Etsy stores. The contest running until 7/11 is for a $35 gift card to Ex-Boyfriends clothing store. Love the stuff there! All you need to do is leave a comment to this post.

It's All Free Online has a great gift card giveaway for those of you with kids. It's a $50 Agoo gift card. Agoo sells active wear, but you moms probably already know that. To enter all you need to do is check out the Agoo website and come back, comment on what you'd like to have, and presto!, you're entered.

Mommy Gaga is giving away a $50 Target gift card. Just subscribe to the blog and comment, that's it, you are entered. Good luck!

Last but certainly not least, Couture Nerd, (love that name) is giving away a $100 Starbucks gift card. (I hear all you coffee addicts choking on your morning latte) All you have to do is become a friend on Google Friend Connect between now and August 20th and you have a chance to buy a lot of cappuccino!

I could sit here all day and list gift card giveaways but I don't want your head to explode. Come back next Friday and check out the next great list I have for you.

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

Gift Cards as Incentive to Take Medication

As I was researching new gift card articles and news this morning, I was flabbergasted when I read this article from the Boston Globe. Unbelievably, researchers and healthcare providers are trying out a new idea to get patients to take their medication; offering gift card incentives.

The bounties are small — $20 gift cards to restaurants, a chance to win between $10 and $100 in a lottery — but they seem to work. Clinics and researchers report that patients who were paid to take their drugs had better compliance and stayed on top of their appointments.

I thought I'd seen it all, but this takes the cake. There are problems on many levels with this concept, and the main one I see is that we must question why there are so many people who are not taking the medications they are prescribed in the first place. Could it be that the side effects of the medication are almost as bad as the suffering from the original ailment? We've all seen the commercials for drugs that end with a laundry list of side effects. It's no wonder the patient is hesitant to take the medication that could cause him to; have a seizure, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and the list of side effects goes on and on, almost becoming comic. In fact, show like Saturday Night Live have actually performed skits involving this very problem.

Besides, most old people don't refuse to take their medication, they forget! So how is offering them a gift card going to help?

What do you think? Do you believe it's a wise decision to offer gift cards to patients as an incentive to take their medication? Or do you think, as suggested in the Boston Globe article, that a better idea might be a call to the pharmacy to make sure the patient filled their medication, or follow up calls to the patient themselves? Sounds like a lot better solution to me, but I'd like to hear from you.

Freedom to Buy and Sell Gift Cards and a History of the 4th of July

On this distinctly American holiday, those of us at Mercardi.com, where you can buy and sell unwanted gift cards at deep discounts, we thought it appropriate to post a link to this great article at the Daily Beast. The article notes how even though our country can be extremely divided on issues, for this one day, the 4th of July, we put our issues aside and celebrate America's freedom.

Enjoy, and be sure to pass this article along. It offers an in-depth history of the 4th of July, complete with reactions from citizens to their impending freedom in 1776. A wonderful, educational and enjoyable read.

Happy 4th of July Americans!

Friday Gift Card Giveaways for July 2, 2010

Hurray! It's Friday again and time for another great list of current gift card giveaways. I have always loved Friday but now I have two more reasons to love it even more. One is getting to post and enter these contest for free gift cards by simply commenting or tweeting. So easy and quick! Another reason today is that it's the Friday before the 4th of July!

This Independence Day have a great time but be sure to practice safety on the water and with fireworks.

Now, without further ado, here is a great list of current gift card giveaways. Many are time sensitive, so don't hesitate, follow through with these links today!

Engineer a Debt Free Life has a $50 Amazon gift card giveaway running right now that is ending soon, so jump on this one. They also have several other great contest running.

The Mommy Files has a $25 iTunes gift card up for grabs. All you need to do is comment.

Starting yesterday, Free Grechen, a blog that's purpose is to find contest and giveaways for women who love fashion, has a link to 31 days of Giveaways from McCauley's. This is a biggy!

A Few Shortcuts has a contest for a $60 CSN gift card. CSN sells everything from dining ware to furniture, and the prices are unbelievable!

Yoga Gal has a contest running for a $25 Pottery Barn gift card. Just follow her on Twitter or befriend her on Facebook. She also has a link to a giveaway directory where bloggers list their current offerings. That's a treasure trove, guys and gals!

It's Serious This Time is giving away a $25 Walmart gift card for simply commenting on this post and telling her which Febreze Home Collection fragrance you like best.

Fundraising Ideas for Summer

Although many people consider fundraising as something reserved for school groups during the educational season, there are many ways that your group or organization can raise funds for your cause during the summer. Even your school group. There are no set rules that require you to only raise funds during the school season.

Church groups, private clubs, and other organizations can raise a great amount of money toward your cause and make it a summertime fun event. Like the girls with the lemonade stand in the image above, all it takes it a little ingenuity. Mercardi.com can supply that in spades with our gift card fundraising program.

There is absolutely no cost to you, and we even have free marketing material to help you make your fundraising venture a big success. You can download the sales material for free before you sign up to help you make your decision. It's easy and fun to make money for your organization using the Mercardi.com fundraising program. Simply collect donations of unwanted gift cards from your donors, and we'll take care of the rest. We'll announce the program to your donors, we'll help you collect the donors' information, we'll resell the gift cards for you and then we'll send you a check. We can even email tax receipts to your donors for you! There is no cost and no risk for your organization.

Here is how to process works:

People have gift cards lying around that they will never use. Mercardi can turn those gift cards into cash, giving your organization a new source of revenue, in just 4 simple steps:

Step 1: Get the word out! Tell your organization about the upcoming gift card collection.

Step 2: Collect unused gift cards

Step 3: Submit the cards to Mercardi

Step 4: Receive your payment check

So what are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time to set up your fundraising program and have some summer fun in the process!

Boost Your Sales with Gift Cards

Even though Mercardi.com is in the business of buying and selling discounted gift cards to consumers, it would be remiss on our part not to address the other side of the coin; namely, how retailers and small businesses can boost their sales by selling gift cards for their products and/or services.

If you own a business, whether it be offline or online or both, you may think selling gift cards is reserved for the big boys. In this assumption you would be wrong. Now more than ever, it is simple and affordable to implement the sale of gift cards into your business model.

To get you started, here is a great article by freelance writer Sally Bacchetta, which appeared in Country Business magazine, with everything a small business needs to know about selling gift cards.

Take the time today to at least read the article above if you are a business owner. It will be well worth your time. You will learn how easy it is to get started selling gift cards for your products or services.

In the meantime, check out the latest offerings of discounted gift cards at Mercardi.com.

Friday Gift Card Giveaways for June 25, 2010

It's Friday again already! I don't know about you but for us this week has flown by. Mercardi.com once again, like every other Friday, has a wonderful collection of gift card giveaways for you.

Remember, many of these offers are time sensitive, so don't hesitate, click on the links and create your entry--usually just a comment or a tweet--for the free gift card booty offered by these great sites.

Please pass this post along to your friends and family, Digg it, Stumble it, Blog about it, and many thanks.

TGIF and have a wonderful weekend!

This $100 grocery gift card giveaway from Faithful Provisions ends tonight at midnight.

Sign your child up for the summer reading challenge and be entered to win a $100 Borders gift card from Freebies for Mom.

It's All Free Online has a $50 Chili's gift card up for grabs for commenting, this contest ends on June 30th.

The Life Goes Strong Network has a daily contest running for 60 days. Each day they give away a $20 Best Buy gift card. All you have to do is register and comment. You can enter daily, and each entry is added to the pot for a grand prize giveaway of a Nintendo Wii and an Apple iPad.

About.com has a great contest listed from the Home Shopping Network with a daily entry for $185K in gift cards, trips and other prizes. This is a celebration of the HSN anniversary and a biggy!

Mom it Forward has a post about a great giveaway from Daily Grommet. All you have to do is follow and tweet and you will be entered to win a $200 Apple gift card. Sweet!

Fabulous Family 4th of July for Under $20

The most important and celebrated American holiday--next to Thanksgiving and Christmas--is the 4th of July. This is as it should be, for the 4th of July is the anniversary of America's independence from Britain in 1776. Sometimes we forget, amidst all the negative political mumbo jumbo, that the USA is still just a baby compared to other countries. We are less than 300 years old. And yet, we have accomplished much more than many countries which have existed since the beginning of recorded time.

That's a lot to brag about, and certainly something worth a huge celebration. However, there are many families who cannot afford to have an expensive vacation or celebration on the 4th of July. This post is specifically for you.

You can have a great family 4th of July celebration for under $20 and I am going to show you how, in the following step-by-step guide. If you appreciate this information, please show your thanks by passing this post along to your friends and family.

Step 1--Visit Mercardi.com as soon as possible, (it takes a couple of days to get your gift card in the mail, and the 4th of July is only a week and a half away) and purchase a deeply discounted gift card for $20 from Walmart.

Step 2--Go to your favorite search engine online and research the closest lake or family park near you that has a free fireworks show on the 4th of July. Use Mapquest to find directions. Print this information out, and sometime before the 4th arrives, go scope out the area and find a spot where you can park for free, near the water, that will allow you to see the fireworks, if even from a bit of a distance. (You can make this an adventure and a fun excursion for this weekend, and it's not as hard as you might think.)

Step 3--Begin now watching the sales papers and commercials on TV for deals on hibachis or other small BBQ grills, charcoal, lighter, matches, marshmallows, weiners or hamburger meat, buns, mustard, chips, cookies, drinks, coolers, ice, relish, onions, water shoes, sunscreen, OFF, and anything else you can think of that you'll need for swimming and cooking outdoors. Another great way to find deals is to research coupons online on freebie and frugal sites.

Step 4--Tell your kids, if you have kids, to find something fun to do during the day of the 4th of July, or invent something for them to do that is free and fun, so they won't bug you all day, because this family outing doesn't begin until 5 pm.

Step 5--Plan a day ahead to do all your shopping, or at least have it all done by the 4th. Sleep late the day of the 4th, relax and be grateful, remembering how lucky we are to live in a free country. Thank God for all his blessings. When you get up have a leisurely morning as you pack up all your goodies for your 4th of July evening outing. (Make sure to pack stuff for the kids to do while they are waiting for the fireworks and not swimming, like volleyball, or coloring books, or invent treasure hunts, etc., to minimize "is it time for the fireworks yet?"

Step 6--At 5 p.m. on the 4th of July, pack the family into your vehicle--make sure you have your directions you printed out--and head to your chosen spot on the lake of your choice, the one with the free fireworks show. Let the kids swim, play games, explore, while you cook. Ya'll eat before sundown, when the fireworks usually begin. Enjoy the show while you make a campfire and roast marshmallows.

Step 7--Drive home, the kids usually worn out and asleep, smiling as you realize you had the most fun ever and didn't even spend $20!

The Future and Gift Cards

Last night I had a dream that I lived in the future, where the oddest things happened. I won't go into the details, but suffice is to say I was glad to wake up in the present, as dreams go.

However, my dream got me to thinking about the future of technology when it comes to gift cards. Low and behold, when I searched Google I found this article from Chip Chick about the new personalized three-D video gift cards from Home Depot.

Home Depot is one of the favorite retailers of Mercardi.com, where you can buy gift cards at huge discounts from over two hundred retailers, and also sell your unwanted gift cards. Home Depot has always been a leader when it comes to innovation, and once again, with this new three-D video gift card, they do not disappoint.

What do you foresee for the future of technology when it comes to gift cards? Got a bright idea, let's hear about it.

Gift Card Giveaways for Friday, June 18, 2010

With a huge TGIF and well wishes for your summer weekend, with Father's Day celebrations and ways to relieve ourselves from the heat, here is a nice list of current gift card giveaways to get your weekend off to a great start!

My Bargain Buddy has three gift card giveaways listed for you to enter. There are $50 gift cards from Zappos, Ebay, and Kohl's up for grabs. You can enter daily.

Helping Mommies Win is a treasure trove of gift card giveaways! All that is required to enter each giveaway is for you to comment. Have a blast with this one.


Networking Witches is a really cool blog and they too have a great, long list of gift card giveaways, and the gift cards are nothing to twitch your nose at!

Pretty Pink Mama has a great $50 gift card giveaway contest running for Label Daddy. Be sure to check this one out if you have kids.

Here's some real fun with the chance to win high dollar Amazon gift cards from Pirate Pete's Treasure Hunt. I'm in!

Couponers United! has a simple comment contest for a $25 Costco gift card. The drawing is Tuesday.

If you have a gift card giveaway promotion running and you want me to add it , just leave a comment with the info and I'll check it out!

Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend!