A gift economy is an economic system in which goods and services are given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future quid pro quo. Typically, a gift economy occurs in a culture or subculture that emphasizes social or intangible rewards for generosity: karma, honor, loyalty or other forms of gratitude. In some cases, simultaneous or recurring giving serves to circulate and redistribute valuables within a community. This can be considered a form of reciprocal altruism. Sometimes there is an implicit expectation of the return of comparable goods or services, political support, or the gift being later passed on to a third party. However, in what is considered to be in the true spirit of gift economics, many times giving is done without any expectation of reciprocity.The concept of a gift economy stands in contrast to a planned economy or a market or barter economy. In a planned economy, goods and services are distributed by explicit command and control rather than informal custom; in barter or market economies, an explicit quid pro quo — an exchange of money or some other commodity — is established before the transaction takes place. In practice, most human societies blend elements of all of these, in varying degrees.

Mr. E. Diner (aka "Mystery Diner"), the founder of DinerDeals.com, writes about the best dining and foodie websites on the internet. Every week he reviews a different website that contains restaurant discounts, restaurant gift certificates, restaurant reviews, online reservations, online food delivery services, etc..

I'm not a big fan of getting or receiving restaurant gift certificates as a gift. I know that my taste in food is not always the same as everyone else's so I generally don't do them. But it seems every year that I get at least one to a national restaurant chain so once again I have to make a trek to a mall type area to sample the mass generated foo

It’s not too late to purchase a GVN Foundation gift certificate for one of our sponsorship programs in Kenya, Uganda, Peru, Vietnam or Nepal. By donating $30/$60/$360 USD you will help ensure the cost of one child’s food, shelter, education and medical needs are met for one month, 2 months, or a year.http://www.volunteer.org.nz/news/?p=154

Dog breeds and dog rescue website is hosting a dog Halloween costume contest. If you submit a photo of your pet, you could win a gift certificate to PetFoodDirect.com and a donation to your favorite dog rescue organization.

According to this site you can purchase a gift certificate worth $25 dollars at Restaurant.com for only $4 with coupon code