I stumbled upon a long-forgotten Starbucks gift card the other day and rejoiced. Here was $10-worth of coffee and treats -- luxuries I no longer allow myself in the name of frugality -- just begging to be spent. And a week before payday, too. Bonus!

Why is finding a gift-card better than finding that proverbial $5 in your pants pocket? Because unlike the five-spot, you can't do anything BUT spend the gift card. No saving it. No redeeming it for cash. No trading it in. You're forced to go out and spend it on what it was intended for. Coffee. Books. Music. Home electronics.

When you've taught yourself to do without, it's a sinful luxury. Not to mention an exciting taste of the way things used to be. For example, I long ago weaned myself off the expensive habit of buying new hardcover books. When something comes out I want, I either put my name on the list for it at the library or borrow it from a less frugal friend. But with a $30 gift certificate to Borders..well? My hand is forced. And doesn't it feel wrong, oh, so deliciously wrong to walk out of there with the latest bestseller in a crisp paper bag? Oh yeah, baby!

As we've reported here on WalletPop, gift cards are growing in popularity. Many retailers are also doing away with pesky expiration dates as well. With the economy going further south every day, I predict these little squares of plastic will take on a new cache. A license to spend, if you will.

So go ahead and give your loved one a vicarious thrill. Hand over that $50 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret or Best Buy and bid them spend, SPEND! On whatever they want!

This time next year, they'll thank you for the experience.

Anyone applying for college this coming year and not paying attention to scholarships may as well skip the SAT and ACT in favor of counting change at the local Michael's. Seriously, going to college without taking advantage of free money is one of the dumbest decisions you can make. There are plenty of excuses to avoid applying for scholarships: I'm not special enough, my grades aren't great and I don't have any time, but honestly none of these should keep you from applying for at least one scholarship.

Don't be discouraged by lackluster academic performance. Many scholarships focus on a well written essay and your future plans. Some others focus on more outlandish criteria including these 9 weird and unusual scholarships, which are awarded based on your last name, height or your affinity for Duct tape! While most scholarships require a little more effort, they are worth it.

Just about everyone is looking for a little extra cash right now, and here's one way that might help. Search for money that belongs to you, but is being held by the government. A site called Missing Money can help you do exactly that, and it's easy and free.

State laws required companies and governments that have money belonging to you to turn it over if you can't be found. You might have forgotten about a bank account you had, and you may have long moved away from the address the bank had on file for you. You may have a balance in a retirement fund from a job you had 15 years ago, and they've lost track of you. There may be a tax refund that you never received because your check was returned to the Internal Revenue Service as undeliverable by the post office.

States collect these fund and attach your name to them, in case you ever decide to claim the money. Missing Money has tapped into the databases maintained by most states to offer you an easy way to search for your own name. If you find funds that belong to you, the site will help you submit your information to the appropriate agency to collect your money. How much easier could it be?

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the information on the site, or whether people have used it successfully, but it seems worth a try. After all you have nothing to lose... only money to find!

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Recently a price comparison site, moneysupermarket.com, took to the streets of Britain and tried to give away free money. Despite standing on two busy streets, being passed by over 1,800 people only 28 people took advantage of the free bill, worth roughly $10 USD! The company running the money parade took to the streets to show that most British won't take simple steps to improve their financial situation even during a hard economic period.

Despite this taking place in Britain, I would venture to guess that the point is still the same here in states. It is relatively easy to cut back or to take small steps to save money, but many people don't even take the smallest steps. Some of the examples the articles lists are to move any savings to a high yield savings account or to stop sending out so many credit card applications, both of which are applicable to us in the U.S. even though many people don't do either. The article provides a lot of British-centric advice for saving money but like those items I already mentioned most of the principals transfer over to Americans.

I'm always leery of a "survey" done with an end result in mind, and honestly the gentleman passing out the fivers does look a bit intimidating, but on a more important note. Don't we all have a built in BS filter when we see a free money sign? Polling of those who passed by revealed that 60% thought it was a trick or a con, and thank God, otherwise I would suggest all the spammers and con men of the world descend on Britain. We have been so conditioned to look at free money or get rich quick schemes with doubt that when a man wearing a sandwich board really does want to hand over his cash to you, you avoid him like you do a rabid raccoon!

Credit card rewards are fun. I love cash back and gift cards. Isn't it fun to get free money from the credit card companies?

Well, yes, so long as it's really free money. The problem is that many consumers forget that if they're using their credit card to get rewards but not paying off that balance each month, the interest charges cost them far more than the silly little rewards they will get back.

I have one credit card that I use for almost all of my purchases. I use that card because the rewards escalate -- the more I spend throughout the year, the higher my rewards rate goes. But the key is that I pay that balance off every month. So the credit card literally costs me nothing during the year. The rewards I get are totally free... and they add up fast. I got over $250 back last year from my credit card.

So don't use your credit card strictly to get points or miles or dollars. Make sure you're being smart about how you're using your card, and that you're being mindful of the interest charges that you could be incurring each time that card is swiped.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.