Several of you (actually many of you--wow!) wrote to me privately to tell me how you appreciated the Frugality Conversation on a post I did this summer. And you asked if you could share it with the young adults in your lives that are hoping to become financially savvy (yes, absolutely)! So I'm happy to make it a regular part of the blog, because I know that just reading about other people's money-saving ways helps me stay on track.
*You might also want some heavier paper (you can also snag this at the craft store for cheap or 250 sheets at Amazon for $7, which will literally last you seven years).
*If you don't have a printer (and even if you do, ink is expensive), print for 10 cents at the library, or print at work. As an HR Lady, I can tell you that most employers don't care if you print a few things now and then, and there's probably even a "Reasonable Use" policy that lets you do this. :)
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So let's talk about gift-giving, since we're still in wedding season, and then we have fall/winter holidays and December graduations still to come. Specifically, let's talk about cards.
Important Money Mindset Change: I want to encourage you to start thinking about expenses on an annual basis. Let's say you're giving three cards a month, and they're $4.50 a card at the grocery store. That's $160+ on just pieces of paper every year, and that's not even including holiday cards, if you send those. If you reduced that expense by 90% a year, in two years, you'd have close to $300 bucks.
"Oh, this is going to be a boring blog about greeting cards," you thought. But now that I said that you can have $300, I have your attention, yes? Good, let's get started.
Important Money Mindset Change: I want to encourage you to start thinking about expenses on an annual basis. Let's say you're giving three cards a month, and they're $4.50 a card at the grocery store. That's $160+ on just pieces of paper every year, and that's not even including holiday cards, if you send those. If you reduced that expense by 90% a year, in two years, you'd have close to $300 bucks.
"Oh, this is going to be a boring blog about greeting cards," you thought. But now that I said that you can have $300, I have your attention, yes? Good, let's get started.
Here are some of the ways I save money on cards:
1) Party City
- Pros: They're 49 cents all day every day. They have an especially good children's birthday cards and nice ones in the sympathy section. Cheery, right?
- Cons: The overall sentiment is fairly sappy and/or generic, and the funny ones are not-so-funny. I mostly use Party City for the kiddos and the dearly departed. To everything there is a season, right?
2) Etsy Downloadable Cards
- Pros: Reuse the same one over and over and over forever! The designs are hipper.
- Cons: Not really cons, just a little extra work...
*You might also want some heavier paper (you can also snag this at the craft store for cheap or 250 sheets at Amazon for $7, which will literally last you seven years).
*If you don't have a printer (and even if you do, ink is expensive), print for 10 cents at the library, or print at work. As an HR Lady, I can tell you that most employers don't care if you print a few things now and then, and there's probably even a "Reasonable Use" policy that lets you do this. :)
Here's a sample of downloadable cards (that you can use a bajillionty times) from Etsy, all for $2 or less:
- For birthdays there's this one for the Harry Potter fan, this one for those of you who like to color, this one for her, or this one for the cat lover in your life.
- Need a wedding card? Try this for a farm wedding, this cute one, this for the new Mr. & Mrs., this for the new Mr. & Mr., or this for a wedding or engagement.
- How about an encouragement card? I'm sending these a lot lately. This one for the ladies, this one that works for an illness or sympathy, or this one for the Disney fan.
- Graduation? This one or this one.
- Halloween? This or this.
- Thanksgiving? You can personalize this one.
- Christmas? We'll talk about that in a sec.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but honestly, we're talking a couple of downloads, one trip to the craft store, and keeping paper & envelopes in a drawer at your house or office. $20 will have you more than set for a year and a half even if you're a prolific card printer. (Compare that to running to the store half the time you need one, and you'll save both time and gas.)
3) TJ Maxx & Marshall's & Home Goods
- Pros: They're $1.99 and they're all super cute.
- Cons: You have to flip through a little (not a lot) and they typically have birthday, wedding, sympathy, and whatever the current holiday is. Not as many manly options.
4) Make your own!
If you've sent out holiday cards, especially personalized ones (you know the kind--the cute family ones that you make on Shutterfly or similar), it really adds up quickly. And that's even if you have a coupon!
Turns out you can make your own professional quality design--FOR FREE--on Canva. If you know how to use Facebook and Word, then I guarantee you have the tech savvy for this. Here's a design I literally made in 2 minutes for this blog. Design, print, mail (even better, e-mail) and you're done.
Bottom line: If you go with Party city, or reuse downloads + buy supplies, you can literally cut your cards expense by 90%, and spend less than $16/year. Even if you just change your habits and get cards at TJ Maxx/Marshalls, you've still cut your cards expense in half.
And look, any of these options are about the same effort as getting a store at the grocery store, but in just two years you'd save close to $300. Think of what you could do with that...maybe give a cut to your favorite blogger, perhaps?
So, now that you're thinking about annualized costs of low ticket items (like cards), what will you do differently?
Coming soonish: saving money while still giving great gifts!
So, now that you're thinking about annualized costs of low ticket items (like cards), what will you do differently?
Coming soonish: saving money while still giving great gifts!