Need another reason why gift cards stink? Back in June, Clark was given a $25 gift certificate to an ice-cream store for his birthday. When he recently went to redeem it, the store was out of business! That's the big risk with gift cards. Similarly, Sharper Image has announced they won't be honoring gift cards as they re-organize through bankruptcy proceedings. Retail and restaurants are very sensitive to the economic slowdown, so you may see these scenarios play out elsewhere.

Mid-priced eateries are under severe pressure trying to maintain the volume of business. Several chains have begun putting glossy ads in the newspaper. BOGO offers on meals are unusual in the mid-priced sector. This trend tells Clark that the restaurant sector may face some door closures. So you may want to rethink buying that gift card at an eatery. When it comes to retailers, try to use existing gift cards before they're no good any longer. Clark and Lane have a bag full of them and are trying to use them before total depreciation.

Meanwhile, financial writer Pamela Yip has discovered that using a debit card to rent a car opens you up to a whole world of hurt. The rental counter will pull a credit report on you and drastically lower your score. Why? They're protecting themselves against auto thieves that love to use debit cards as a low-risk method to get rentals to steal. Use your real credit card instead!