But for now,  let’s get back to business.

Lately I find myself surrounded by the concept and practice of bartering.  I helped out a friend at Bike Week in Daytona, Florida last weekend, selling stainless steel jewelry.  Great people, beautiful stuff.  (Check out www.buybluesteel.com; use code Robin10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase. )  But I digress.  There is an understanding between the vendors at this and really almost any show.  They support each other with very discounted prices and by bartering and trading their goods and services.  For instance, we got a break buying t-shirts, just by saying we were vendors.  We ate lots of half-price food too.  We gave away earrings in exchange for Facebook fanning, and traded rings for end-of-day beers.

On a grander scale, there are companies that do this stuff for a living, bringing together business people who want to attract new business and save cash by trading out their skills.  I have a cow, you have a pig.  You want my cow, but I don’t need a pig, I need a hotel room for two nights.  These companies, the newest being POIU Business Exchange, act as clearinghouses and third-party record keepers, and earn their fees as companies join and use the exchange, and as their currency changes hands.

The business owner gets to barter his goods (bought at wholesale) or services ( his time).  He attracts new customers from within the network, who pay with the network currency,  then start to spread the word beyond the exchange into their own networka.  The buzz begins, and new, cash-paying customers start to filter in.  The business owner now has credits to spend, on everything from printing new menus to having his carpet cleaned, from having his business finances analyzed to advertising his business in the local press, bringing in yet more new customers.  And, since he’s the business owner, he can also use his credits for vacations, personal trainers and massages.

A brilliant business, where everybody wins.  Creates jobs for membership salespeople, helps people support each other and gets the money flowing, starting on a local level before it goes global.

If you’re a business owner who would like to know more, please email me at rkd@ILoveAGoodBargain.com.

For more about trade and barter on a more personal level, click here.

It’s good to be back.

1) Something from home.  Feel free to regift, but do it with class.  Re-pot a holiday plant, print and frame a personal picture, fill a pretty basket with food, trinkets, craft supplies or other themed ideas to appeal to your recipient.  Wrap merrily and be on your way.

2) Something on line.  Print out a gift certificate from anywhere — a local or national chain spa or restaurant, Restaurant.com (code SANTA for 80% off), a gym class or workout, or try Cloud 9 Living for that special something.

3) On the way.  Stop at any open restaurant or store for a gift card.  Make sure it’s something your recipient will enjoy.  Also good is a monthly transit cards in some cities, or for fun, gift cards from movie theaters, and scratch-off lottery tickets.  Print out a greeting card to show that you thought about it before you left the house!

4) From the oven.  Supermarkets are still open.  Pick up some ingredients for home-baked goods, and package prettily.  We have a new favorite here, a low-fat, low-cal fruit trifle.   Bake an fat-free angel food cake, break into pieces and line the bottom of a big glass bowl.  Pour in freshly prepared instant pudding to fill in the spaces.  Follow with a layer of fruit, a layer of sugar free whipped topping, and repeat, using a different fruit.  A guaranteed hit for just a few dollars. And you get to enjoy it too.

5) From the Heart:  Donations to charities, especially those that the recipients care about, are always appreciated and really can make a difference in the world we share.  Live, love and laugh with the people in your life.  Have a wonderful holiday, and may all your gifts be filled with love.

Merry Everything, and Happy Always.

We’ll be taking off for the next 2 weeks or so to revamp our site and clean up our homes.  See you after New Years.  Have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season, and here’s to a FRUGALICIOUS New Year!

1) Heard a rumor that Subway is giving out free cookies with gift cards.

2) FEED IT FORWARD!  FREE FOOD  from Restaurant.com.  Click here to get access to their Feed it Forward page.  If you’re not already a member, you should definitely join.  It’s a  free program which sells very very discounted gift certificates for meals out.  A great way to give gifts and try lots of new spots to dine. Plus, you can print or email your gifts.

3) Magazine subscriptions galore are available at Amazon.   Announce your gift with a FREE e-card from American Greetings or  Blue Mountain.

4) Give the Gift of AudioBooks from Audible.com. Try Audible Now and Get TWO FREE Audiobooks! Also, tons of specials at Borders.com.

5) Make something from stuff around the house.  Frame a photo and giftwrap, or fill a cool mug with coffee or candy.

Tomorrow, we’ll check for last minute printables.  Time to wrap it up!

Meanwhile, check here for more cheap, easy gift ideas. Happy Holidays!

1) Are you Crafty?  Crafts stores are actually doing well this year as more crafters make rather than buy their gifts.  Buying materials will boost that market sector, and your gifts will be one-of-a-kind and special.  Using materials you already own will support recycling and the environment.  Win-Win.  Just make sure you make the gifts with the recipient in mind.  Here are some of the things my friend and I have done this year.

2) If you’re going to regift, be sure to also repackage, again keeping the recipients in mind.  Adding a personal touch makes the old gift new.

3) Treat a friend to a day of health and beauty.  It could be a day at a spa, but more fun and way cheaper is a home spa day.  Collect all those samples of facials and masques, and mix up some homemade beauty concoctions.  Start with an exercise hour, follow with a stretch, make a great salad for lunch, open a bottle of wine, and follow with facials, manicures and pedicures.  Add a girly movie (somehow this is much more a girly thing, but with adjustments, doesn’t have to be).  Take pictures, make memories, help each other with hair color touch ups so you don’t miss the back of the head. And a good time will be had by all.

4) While you have the gang all together, go online and get everyone signed up for Groupon for really great daily offers in your closest city.  If you sign up first you will get credit for your friends too!

5) Gift insurance:  Square Trade offers discount warrantees on all the new electronics people will receive this holiday season.  Give a gift that lasts two or three years!  Believe me, when they drop that iPhone, they’ll be thinking of and thanking you again!

We’ll be back tomorrow with more ideas for instant gifts!  Meanwhile, read more ideas here.

So Gifting this year is different than before.  It’s the year that gifts are not being as frivolous as before.  This is the year where gifts are most valuable when they make a difference, hopefully to you, and the recipient, and beyond.

That said, here are our ideas for the five of the top gifts that make a difference:

1) Make a donation.  Almost every legitimate charity has a  program where they will notify a recipient that donation has been made in their name.  Some also have gifts and trinkets to sell that accomplish the same thing.  This one is easy — go online or on the phone to make a donation without leaving the sofa.  Some of our personal favorites are the Sabrina Cohen Foundation for Stem Cell Research, The Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation, and any organization that brings the Arts to children.

2) Shop at charity sites.  Bidding For Good collects high-end gifts that have been donated to a variety of charities across the country, and offers them for auction to their huge database.  Great place to shop for the person who has everything and wants more, and STILL make a difference.

3) Do you have a friend or family member who has skimped on their healthcare to save money?  This is a serious thing and if it’s affecting someone you know, a picture frame is just not going to do it.  Blue Cross/Blue Shield actually offers a gift card used for premiums.  But if anyone you care about has less than fabulous insurance, you can buy them a check-up, a mammogram or pap smear. There’s just no way to put a value on peace of mind.

4) Take someone shopping.  New clothes and decor are frequently passed over when money is tight, and a day of shopping and friendly advice is worth far more than the cash you spend on a gift card.  And you can be sure your giftee gets something they really want.  Save money on greeting cards by sending an online greeting with your gift message.  Start your free trial at  American Greetings and Blue Mountain to send eCards for every occasion.

5) How about a meal out?  Many of my friends are doing it less, so it could be a gift right on target.  You can buy a gift card with rebate at many restaurants, but even better, Click here for Restaurant.com, buy their $100 gift certificate for $12 (watch for the frequent 80% off promotions; try using shopping code SANTA) and take your friend to lunch or dinner.  If you’re feeling flush and generous, you can also give them a $25 certificate (for another $3) for them to use later on.

Wow, five done and we’ve just begun.  Tune in tomorrow for five more!

Meanwhile, check here for a few more ideas for gifts that give back — to you!

The Aveda Institute is primarily a school for all things spa — haircuts, color, massages, facials and the like — where students perform under the tutelage of experienced professors.  I have always found that I get amazing services in this type of set-up, and this one was even better.  All the students were young, hip, dressed in black and with fabulous hair, so I knew I could count on them for a new and up-to-date look.  Because it’s Aveda, all the products are eco-friendly, and the corporate philosophy is to give back.  So, I got a haircut (regular price only $12!), bought myself a gift box of products ($40, regular price $45) which came in a beautiful, handmade paper box made by a craftsperson in Nepal, AND I scored a $20 gift card with purchase for my next visit, which I scheduled before leaving.  (The Aveda website also offers gifts and samples with purchases; click here.)  So, I suported a student, a Nepalese family,  myself (with a fab new look and products and a new place to go) and my friend, for company and allowing her to contribute to me.   We had a fun girly day and made a difference.

Search the internet for haircare, massage, nail and related schools, and call to see if they have student clinics.  The savings are amazing and make great gifts for yourself and others.

On a related note, if you haven’t already, now is a great time to join Groupon, which offers amazing city-specific savings on all kinds of goods and services.  I just bought the hubby a haircut and MANicure for just $15!  Check them out here.

The thing is, a lot of people have been cutting back (no pun intended) on things this year.  Haircuts and other personal pampering services are often the first things to go.  Find out what your friends are putting off, and you’ve got the perfect gift.

For more ideas on gift-giving that makes a difference, please click here.

So, in honor of the 10 shopping days till Xmas, we offer 10 Great Holiday Gifts that give back for 2009:

1)Get a $5 gift card from Amazon when you purchase a magazine subscription as a gift.

2) L.L.Bean: Spend $25 or more in-store or online and receive a free $10 gift card. Deal ends December 24.

3)Marriott: Receive a 10% bonus with the purchase of any $50 or greater gift card. Plus, Marriott Rewards Members and Marriott Visa card holders can receive 10 points for every dollar spent when you enter your Marriott Rewards number on your gift card purchase or pay for your gift card with your Marriott Visa. Deal ends December 31.

4) Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: Receive a free $20 gift card with the purchase of every $100 gift card. This applies to all OSI Restaurant Partners including Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s, and Roy’s. Deal ends December 31.

5) Morton’s Steakhouse: Receive a free $50 gift card when you purchase a gift card of $300 or more. Or get a free $100 gift card when you purchase a gift card valued at $500 or more. Offer expires December 31.

6) Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse: For every gift card purchase of $250 or more, receive 10% back in bonus cards. Deal ends December 31.

7) Free $5 gift card with $25 gift card purchase at Boston Market.

8 ) CVS Pharmacy will give a $5 rebate for a $25 gift card purchase, with kickbacks up to $30 for larger denominations.

9) Buy a $100 gift card at the Container Store, get a $25 bonus card for yourself, up to five $25 e-cards.

10) Now is the perfect time to join Restaurant.com — and  Take 70% off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. orders! Use code SNOW and Pay $3 thru 12/17/09. Get some for yourself too!

Coming up soon,  some great ways to give a gift that keeps on giving to others.

Meanwhile, for more ideas on discount shopping, click here. Happy Shopping!

As a professional bargain finder extraordinare, it’s important to have friends in high places.  Mine go high into the fashion business, and occasionally I am blessed with discount codes that are not available to the general public.  Today it is my pleasure to share them with you.  Some may have expired by the time you see this, but most will be valid.  This one’s for you, readers!  Happy Holiday shopping!

The holiday shopping season is official!!

Click here for the hotlist!  Login name is reader, and password is bargain.

And here’s more on bargain shopping.

Enjoy!

Thinking like that, one of the most valuable gifts we received for our wedding was a $100 gift card for the local movies.  For that $100, my hubby and I were treated to four evenings out, including popcorn.  And we always thought of the the nice relatives who gave them to us, every time we went out.

This year, frugal is in, but does it extend to gifts?  In our humble opinion, give the value, not the gift.  That is, don’t worry so much about how much or how little you’re spending, but think instead of how much the recipient will value it.  Know Your Giftee!  In our humble opinions, the best gifts for Holiday ’09 should replace the little luxuries that people have given up cause they’re cutting back.  Give a massage gift certificate, or one for a manicure or pedicure.  For couples and families, think movies, travel or dining out.  Hotel room certificates can be bought with any cash-back or hotel points you’ve been hoarding, and many restaurants are giving generous rebates.

You can buy discounted cards at PlasticJungle.com, GiftCardsAgain.com, or GiftCardRescue.com.

Special restaurant deals include Red Robin, Chevy’s, Buca di Beppo , Bonefish Grille, Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang’s, Yard House, Cheesecake Factory and Applebee’s.   Also, Sports Authority is giving 10 % off of the purchase of the giftee and the gifter gets a coupon for $10 off of a $50 purchase from Dec 26, 2009 to Jan 31, 2010  and  Barnes & Noble is offering a free $10 gift card for every $100 gift card purchase through Dec. 6. The $10 GC may be used as of Dec 26, and is effectively a 10% discount on gift cards. $20 for $200, etc.

Thanks to Julia the Bargain Babe and her readers for some of these.

Most important, always ask for a discount.  Why not?

Happy Shopping.

PS: I put in an application for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida.  Will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, for some more good shopping advice, click here.

SO, did you make it through the weekend?  Shopping in a crowded mall on the day after a huge meal just doesn’t do it for me, but if that’s your thing, have at it.  Hope you got everything on your list.

But for those of you who would rather eat fire than brave the shopping maniacs, there is a choice.  Stores across the country, actually around the world, have brought forth a new shopping domain — online, of course — and are promising great buys online, as long as you shop TODAY!

As a professional frugalista, I have never found that these one-day sales really give you enough savings to make it worth your while.  There are going to be bargains galore, online and off, right up to and including Christmas day. You just have to know where to go.

Here’s some great info from Fat Wallet.com, a great Bargain Shopping community. (If you’re not yet a member, just sign up when you go there.)

* Black Friday Blog – The ad rumors are out, come find the best deals.
http://www.fatwallet.com/black-friday/

* Cyber Monday Blog: This area will start building up quickly over the weekend and in to Monday!
http://www.fatwallet.com/cyber-monday/view_headlines.php?view=cybermon day

* Top Deals : Year Round – Quick and Easy Deals selected by our staff of deal hunters
http://www.fatwallet.com/top-deals/

* Gift Ideas: Find great gift ideas for everyone on your list
http://www.fatwallet.com/gift-ideas/

* Holiday Cash Back Sale
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/954779/

* Wish List: Build a list easily from anywhere on the web, and share it with your friends.
http://www.fatwallet.com/wish-lists/install.php

Later this week we will talk about the spirit of giving this year, and how your gifts can make the most impact, and the most difference.  Meanwhile, for more musings about shopping and bargains, click here!