Check out this awesome news segment on GiftCardRescue.com! We were featured on Bay News 9 in Tampa Bay, Florida. We truly all appreciate the support from every one of you! After all, we wouldn’t be where we are without you, so thank you!

During the beginning of the year, many of us set goals on how much money we want or don’t want to spend for that year. Obviously, we would all like to have more money. I mean, who wouldn’t? Sometimes saving money is hard, so we’ve compiled a list of some helpful and feasible tips that you can use to help save you more money this year! Having a couple extra dollars in your pocket would be nice after all.

1. Change your own oil. That’s thirty dollars every couple of months right there!
2. Rotate your tires regularly. We all know tires are expensive, so rotate them regularly to extend their life.
3. Don’t speed. You won’t get a ticket and most importantly you’ll use less gas.
4. Travel after peak season. You can great deals on hotels and flights when you travel in the off-season; not to mention you won’t have to deal with all the crowds!
5. Plan trips to see family and friends. You will save money on hotel costs and you get to spend time with them, plus you’ll have the best tour guide in town! Isn’t that what their there for?
6. Consign clothing you no longer wear. We all have those clothes sitting in our closet that we haven’t worn in a year, so why not make some money off of them!
7. Have a yard sale. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, right? If you don’t use it, sell it and put that money towards something you need!
8. Purchase discounted gift cards from GiftCardRescue.com. It is a great way to save money on things you are already planning on buying after all!
9. Ditch the gym. Now this doesn’t mean don’t exercise! Invest in some great workout DVDs like the Beach Body program, buy some free weights, and run/bike outside. They are all just effective as the gym, but without the monthly cost!
10. Stop smoking. It’s an unhealthy and costly habit. This one has multiple benefits.
11. Take samples. Wherever you are, the doctors, hair salon or grocery store because that’s what they’re there for. Don’t spend your money on a product you might not like.
12. Shop with a list. Studies show you spend less when you do because your focused on only getting the things you need.
13. Pack your lunch instead of eating out. It’s healthier and not to mention cheaper!
14. Make your own coffee. Okay, we know that no fat, no whip, one pump latte is good, but those four dollars everyday add up!
15. Cancel your cable. Apple TV anyone? It’s only $100 and you don’t have to pay a monthly bill!
16. Refill ink cartridges instead of buying new ones. Pretty self explanatory.
17. Print in draft mode. It uses less ink!
18. Get rid of your land line. Do people still even use these?
19. Keep your freezer full. When your freezer is empty is requires more energy to stay cool.
20. Do your research. When purchasing anything that’s going to cost a good deal of money, make sure you purchase for quality. Sometimes buying the least expensive version can cost you more in the long run.

What are your favorite tips on ways to save money and be frugal this new year?

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Fact #1

• According to CEB TowerGroup, propelling gift card sales past the $100 billion mark is due to an increase in open loop gift card purchases. Such as those offered by American Express, Visa, Mastercard and Discover ($40 billion), restaurant gift cards ($19 billion) and merchant gift cards ($36 billion).
• By the year 2015, gift cards are expected to deliver $138 billion in sales

Fact #2

• According to the National Retail Federation, this is the highest amount recorded in the survey’s ten year history.
• The number one reason shoppers buy gift cards is because they allow the recipient to select their own gift. More than one in five (22%) gift givers say they’ll buy gift cards because they are easier and faster than traditional gifts.

Fact #3

• As in previous years, men plan to spend significantly more on gift cards than women. Men shell out an average of $172.92 on gift cards during the holiday season versus women’s $141.66.
• According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spend an average of $43.75 on each gift card they purchase.

Fact #4

• The steady rise of demand for McDonald’s gift cards has landed the fast food chain in the “Top 5 Most Wanted Gift Cards” for the first time. Other than McDonalds, the annual “Top 5” list has remained consistent.
• Click here to read our official press release, along with the “Top 20 Most Wanted Gift Cards of 2012.”

• While electronic gift card sales have increased since tracking began in 2010, sales in 2012 reflected to be slower than initially projected.
• According to CEB TowerGroup, 75 percent of consumers will spend the full amount of money on the card and 30 percent will spend $25 more than the value of the card. This is helping to lower spillage, which is the amount of money left on the gift card that a consumer never spends, to $1.7 billion.

Click here to view our official press release for the “Top 5 Gift Cards Facts for 2012″