Gifts for Dads & Grads - PlasticJungle.Com

June already?!

How is it possible that it is already June?  You do know what it means when June arrives, right?  Father's Day is just around the corner, and the graduation parties have already started.   The problem with all of these celebrations is that they require gifts.  It isn't that I don't like getting gifts for people.  I do.  I enjoy finding the perfect gift for the perfect someone to make them smile.  Unfortunately, when it comes to grads and dads, that can be hard to do.   You never know what a new graduate needs, and dads (or at least the ones I buy for) already have everything.  So, what do you buy the guy that has everything? . . . A GIFT CARD!

I don't know about you, but I just LOVE getting gift cards.  They are like getting money, but better.  When I get cash, I'm likely to spend it on bills or nickle and dime it away on Doc and the kids until it is gone and I don't have anything to show for it.  With gift cards, I'm obligated to buy something tangible (hopefully for myself).  It will be something that I want, need or will enjoy.  Also, anyone that knows me knows that I'm am a smart shopper.  In fact, I have also been called cheap, frugal, stingy, savvy, economical, thrifty, tight, scrimping, and even penny-pinching.   I happily accept those names, because my frugality means that a $50 gift card can get me $100-$200 worth of products.

One pitfall of my cheapness is that it is hard for me to pay full retail for a gift card.  I don't pay full retail for ANYTHING.  Unfortunately, it is rare that you see a gift card go on sale.  That is why I just LOVE plasticjungle.com.  You can buy discounted gift cards up to 35% off with FREE shipping.  While most of the gift cards aren't sold at 35% off, they are all sold for a discount.  For example, you can get a $25 itunes gift card for $23.25, a 7% savings.    It looks like I might be able to cross Doc off my list now.  He is always looking for new songs to buy from itunes.   Perhaps my father in law would like a gift card from Sports Authority.  With cards being sold at 13% off, I'm sure he can find some great boating and fishing equipment.  My dad's favorite place to shop is Sears.  He loves the tools, and likes that he can pick up a new pair of shoes while he's there too.  Unfortunately, right now they are sold out of Sears gift cards, but you can set up an alert to let you know when more are in stock.  What a great feature for buying gift cards to some of your favorite places that you shop all the time!

Another great feature of plasticjungle.com is that you can sell your unwanted gift cards there too.  So, if you receive a gift card that you can't use, you can sell it to plasticjungle.com for up to 92% of the balance.   Hmmmm...I do have some Bath & Body Works gift cards that I haven't found a use for yet.  :o)

*Disclaimer - I received a gift card in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to win . . . How about you?

I know, I know.

I said I'd never enter one of these voting contests again.

I always work so hard and harass all my friends and family to vote for me, then end up disappointed when I lose.  This time, I mean it.  If I win this contest I will not enter another voting contest ever again (by ever I mean until I can't resist the prize and think my odds are better than zero).

So, here's my beg for votes.

If you wouldn't mind, would you please go to the Comfy Sacks Facebook Page and like it, then go to my picture (I'm contestant #5) and like that as well.

Just because I'm feeling generous (and really want to win), I'm offering another incentive as well.  I have a $10 Starbucks Gift Card that I'm giving away to one of you that likes the picture and leaves a comment here.  If I win, I'll double it.  So, please vote, then post here that you did (with your facebook initials so that I can verify).   Be sure to spread the word and ask your family and friends to vote as well.  Even if you don't want to tell them about this contest, you want them to vote.  Don't forget, if I win, the winner here wins even more.

Thanks so much! 

*Disclaimer - If I win the ComfySacks Contest I will win a Kids Mini Lounger.  I am providing the Starbucks giftcards myself.  There are no sponsors for this giveaway.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  The ComfySacks contest is scheduled to end on 12/19/10 at midnight.  This giveaway will end at the same time.  Please include your email address in your comment if it is not visible in your profile.  Winner will be selected by random.org and contacted via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen.

Gain's New Dishwashing Liquid - Review and WINNER

Wandering around Walmart last week, I finally remembered to pick up the new Gain Dishwashing Liquid in lavender.  When I found it, I was thrilled that it was only $0.97.  At that price, just about everyone can go and try it even if you didn't win my giveaway.  So, now that I found it, bought it, and tried it, here's what I think:

Since I didn't really love the smell of the "original" Gain Dishwashing Liquid, I wasn't overly optimistic about the lavender scent either.  In fact, when I got home and opened the bottle to give it a sniff, I braced myself for disappointment.  To be fair, I am VERY scent sensitive.  I only like certain smells, and even smells I like can be too strong and offensive to me.   After the first sniff, I wasn't sold.  It smelled fine, but not great.  I  certainly didn't develop an immediate urge to wash any dishes.  Later that night, like it or not, I had to do the dishes.  (I can't stand having dishes sit in a sink overnight.)  I turned the water to hot, let it run, and squeezed a bit of the lavender Gain into the flowing water.  I was very happy with the quantity and quality of the bubbles that filled my sink.  Additionally, I was also pleased with the smell.  It was fresh, relaxing, and quite enjoyable.   The scent wasn't at all overpowering, but it was definitely strong enough to appreciate.  I don't know what it was about adding it to the water that made it smell better, but it definitely is a more pleasant smell than I got from sniffing the liquid in the bottle alone.

After a week, I still enjoy the smell of Gain's New Dishwashing Liquid in lavender.  In fact, I enjoy it enough that it has been added to my approved list of dish soaps, which is not an easy feat.   Priced well, with bountiful bubbles, and a pleasant aroma, I definitely recommend that you try Gain's New Dishwashing Liquid.  While I like the Lavender, you might just like it in the Original, Apple Mango Tango, or Citrus Splash.

Now Shirley, who likes me on facebook, has the opportunity to try it for herself.  She can even try it while wearing her new purple Gain shirt.  Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: This product review was based on using complimentary Gain product provided by P&G through MyBlogSpark. Bloggers also received Walmart gift cards and T-shirts to share with their friends at their discretion. P&G does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blog site.

Looking for a Camera - I need your help!

CLOSED - Since no one has given me any suggestions as of 9/16, I am ending this giveaway.  Either you don't have any good cameras either, or you just want to keep them all for yourself.  :o) Either way, I've decided to use my gift card to bribe people to join my facebook page instead. 

I don't know if any of you have noticed the pictures that I put up here, but the quality isn't very good. I'm currently using a HP photosmart 635 2.1MP 12x zoom. I know what you're probably thinking - they haven't made that for years! You're right. I got it in the early 2000s, before the birth of Peanut, but after I started my job. It was a great deal and I really did love it. It took "good" pictures and was VERY easy to use.  When I was teaching, I let my kids use it for school projects and never worried about them breaking it.  After I had my girls I could make it work, even with exhausted mommy brain.  It was a good camera.

The usefulness of my HP 635 has now passed.  I need something more compact with better resolution and perhaps a little more functionality.  I can handle a little more complexity, but it still must be generally user friendly.  I want a camera that is small enough to take anywhere, but durable enough to withstand a few short falls.  I'm thinking that it can't be more than 4 feet from my kids' hands to the ground, right?

In a dream world I'd be able to find a tiny little keychain camera with good resolution.  I can't even count the number of times I've seen something unexpectedly picture worthy when out and about and without a camera (No, I don't have a cell phone camera.  As a SAHM I don't use my cell phone often enough to warrant a monthly fee, so I have a prepaid plan and a basic flip phone.)  Also, there are so many times that I intend to bring my camera and just forget.  Wouldn't it be handy to always have one with me?!

So, I'm open-minded and need your help.  Please - does anyone have a camera that they just love and couldn't imagine life without?  Let me know what you have.  Be sure to tell me why you love it as well as if there is anything you would change about it.  I'd love a direct link to the camera as well.  Just for helping me out, I will give one lucky person a small gift card.

Giveaway Rules:

• One entry per person for telling me about a camera that you love.  If you don't have a camera that you love, then you can get an entry for sharing this post with your friends on twitter, or on your own blog.  You'll just need to post a link to the tweet or post.
• I will draw a winner using random.org
• Please include your email address if it is not publicly available
• I will keep this giveaway open for at least a week, but not more than one month.  I will close it once I have a suitable number of camera alternatives to investigate. 
• This giveaway is not sponsored by anyone other than MomOnTheEdge.  I have several low value gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, CVS, Walmart, and Staples that I have received as rebates, for surveys, and as gifts.  At the close of the contest I will give the winner the option of choosing one of the gift cards I have available.
• I will be responsible for shipping or emailing the gift card, but am not responsible for any lost or damaged mail.

WINNER - Sam's Club Gift Card

Random.org selected #80 out of 117 entries for the Sam's Club Gift Card Giveaway. The winner has been contacted and has responded with her mailing information. Congrats Heather!

*Thanks again to MyBlogSpark, Sam's Club, and General Mills for sponsoring this giveaway.