Wheeling and Dealing

Okay, so you all know how it goes. You find yourself with a gift card someone gave you and you have not gotten around to using it, or you think you will never use it, or it is not something you can use. Most of us store them forever, just waiting for that moment we might be able to use them. Others, just throw in the towel and save them for a white elephant party or gift exchange of some sort (not a bad idea I might add). However, I have found a new way to get exactly what you want with a card you necessarily don't want or can't use. Now, let me preface this with the card (s) I am going to exhange are for a store I like. The store is Bass Pro Shops. I find the stores amazing to browse in, kinda like I do Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table and like those stores I know all I will do is browse, because of the "cha ching" factor. This means that it is too pricey for my frugal and lusting eyes. I will wait for these store's products to come down in price or find themselves in a discount store. Well, a Bass Pro Shop card for me will go so far. If I am lucky, I can buy a water bottle with the cards I have. However, if someone wants a discount on some fishing tackle from there, then my cards are the way to go. Until now, I have held onto these cards that my sweet father-in-law gave us, hoping that one day we could use them. It has been several months now and they are still hiding in my wallet.
Well, yesterday, I came across an interesting tidbit in a magazine (Redbook) that said to "give old gift cards new life" by swapping or selling them on various websites. WOW! What an idea. So, I looked into them and found one I really liked above all. One guy on this site (plasticjungle.com) is willing to trade in his AMC gift cards for Bass Pro gift Cards. This would work out great for us, because we earn points on our AMC Movie Watcher Cards, saving money on movies while earning points is a HUGE victory. However, I do not know how I will explain to my F-I-L that I bought movies and received free concession treats with the Bass Pro Cards.
I have been very fortunate this week and have come across a lot of deals and utilized a lot of my coupons and members rewards. My goal is to drastically decrease our grocery bill. I know this will take military-like strategy and preparation, but it will be worth it, if I can save us a few hundred a month. I will embark on this frugal adventure shortly, but still need to conduct more research. Once I begin, I will share this as I go along with you. Some may see it a tedious, I see it as a challenge.
In other news, I am so happy that football season has commenced!!! Tomorrow will be a great day as my Cowboys take the stage. I do not know why I do this to myself every year. Will someone please tell me why I torture myself this way?
Also, I would like to note that at the end of a long tedious day, after I have made the kids a nurturing and nutritious meal, and cleaned the kitchen to a sparkle, I love to walk out and turn around to see, the warm glow of the kitchen light shining around the room.