Online gift cards may help you save big on shopping and dining out

No matter how much money you make, getting a bargain is always a big deal. So we found a way to help you save some of your hard earned cash.

Cardcash.com is one of many websites that allow you to buy gift cards at a discounted price, some more than 30 percent off.

Matt Giuliano counts his cards and adds up the savings. Gift cards, he bought for himself, but it's not an actual present, just his way of saving hundreds on eating at his favorite restaurants, buying clothes and on big-ticket items like a new dishwasher.

"I shopped around and figured what the best price would be," Giuliano said. "I saw that Lowe's had a very good price and then I went online and saw that I could get $500 in gift cards."

In the end, he save $50 on a new dishwasher, all by logging onto cardcash.com. The discounts are different for each store.

A typical shopping trip for Matt and his wife will start at the computer, looking for discounted gift cards.

"I think that's one of those things that's always made me a savvy shopper is that I don't feel a compulsion to buy right away," said Giuliano . And his wife waited patiently for a new beloved bag.

"My wife went over to the Coach store this past weekend and she said 'oh, I love this little Coach purse', so I looked it up and I saw card cash had a 10 percent off Coach," said Giuliano .

There are discounts everywhere you turn in the Giuliano house. Decorations for the nursery, the couple is expecting their first child in May. Even the dog's bones are bought with a PetSmart gift card.

Giuliano said he has "done it before where it's store coupon, manufacturer coupon, sale price and the gift card."

Last year, Giuliano bought 26 cards, with a face value of $2,448.38 but only cost him $2,221.74 which kept more than $226 in his wallet or 9.2 percent.

Saving money has become a game, he considers it a smart once since the family will soon be spending on a little one.

"It taps into similar impulses like gambling does in a weird way where it's kind of like beating the house," he said.

On average, users saved 10 percent on a few of their favorite stores. The card only took three days to come in, and there was no cost for shipping.

There is also a buyback program. The website will pay 60 to 92 percent of the card's value in cash and a 45-day guarantee for the amount on the card.

There are man other websites that claim to offer similar discounts, but the Better Business Bureau says to make sure you look for the terms and conditions that are clearly published and ask for a guarantee in case the card you receive has no value.