[mjrube94]

I think discounted gift cards have been my best money-saving idea. Anytime I know in advance that I'll need something (anything!), I'll go to EBAY gift certificates and see what's out there. I've gotten gas gift cards (not really the great deal they used to be, but with the price of gas these days, better than nothing!), and any store under the sun.

Then, I came across Main Street Savings, where you can buy $25 gift certificates to a bunch of different stores, restaurants, etc., and for each one you buy, they credit you back $5 at the end of the month, for a savings of 20%. I bought $350 worth of cards, got the cards within a week and the $70 credit by the end of my billing cycle. They have stores like Target, Amazon, JC Penney, Toys R Us, Kohls, etc., so it's been, and will be, a really great deal for me, especially for birthday and Christmas presents.