Greeting cards

[dminnie]

I want to make a bigger effort to send greeting cards to people...birthdays, anniversaries, funeral, etc. When I think of all the people I'd like to do this for(work associates, family, church family), it really adds up to a lot of cards and money. Any ideas on where to get nice ones without spending a fortune?

 

[disneychrista]

Honestly, make sure the people you are sending them to will appreciate them. I am not a fan and throw them away nearly as soon as I look at them.

 

[kymom99]

Dollar tree

 

[Sagginit]

Trader Joe's has cheap ones, I think 99 cents. Sometimes Target has cartwheel on cards and walgreens has deals (bonus points for buying x amount of cards). I have also seen cards at Big lots. Cards are always cheaper in box sets. I have often bought plain cards that can be used for a number of things. If I don't know what to say I google search for suggested expressions. You also may find those on sale or on clearance at stores.

My two best deals on cards? A hallmark near me was going out of business, I got a bunch of cards for 50% off and then 75% off (people were leaving them behind as they didn't have envelopes, I just grabbed an envelope from behind another card as it didn't really matter at that point). I have at least a dozen generic birthday cards and paid less than 50 cents for each. The other good deal is when I make them. I get some nice cardstock from craftstores or target if I find it on clearance. I then make cards using scrapbook supplies (mostly stickers, paper, and stamps). A lot of the stickers I get super cheap after holidays on clearance, the stamps were all bought on sale/clearance at one point, and even the stamp pads. It sounds complicated but all you really need is a word or a basic design on the front in high quality materials.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Honestly, make sure the people you are sending them to will appreciate them. I am not a fan and throw them away nearly as soon as I look at them.

Whereas I have kept every card I have ever received my whole life. I cherish the time someone took to pick out the card, write a message and send to me. Everyone is different.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I want to make a bigger effort to send greeting cards to people...birthdays, anniversaries, funeral, etc. When I think of all the people I'd like to do this for(work associates, family, church family), it really adds up to a lot of cards and money. Any ideas on where to get nice ones without spending a fortune?

I have purchased many greeting cards on Etsy. You can often find some on sale or clearance in the $1-$2 range. And they are often really unique and cute.

 

[bababear_50]

I want to make a bigger effort to send greeting cards to people...birthdays, anniversaries, funeral, etc. When I think of all the people I'd like to do this for(work associates, family, church family), it really adds up to a lot of cards and money. Any ideas on where to get nice ones without spending a fortune?

Hi
I think this is a wonderful idea. I remember as a kid being so excited when I got a card or letter in the mail.
Your post just reminded me that I need to send my grand daughter a new card.
I usually get my cards from the Dollar Tree Store.
Hugs Mel

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Dollar Tree, I believe many if not all are .50

 

[afan]

Dollar Tree, I believe many if not all are .50

There are a lot that are .50 but some are a dollar. The signs are pretty good at letting you know what price the section is. I normally get cards here or the 99 cent cards at Target or Hallmark. Unless it's something super special and I can't find a decent cheap card.

I think a lot of people appreciate cards and getting mail that isn't a bill or junk, which I do, but I don't keep all the cards. It depends on what it is, who it's from and what it's for.

 

[dminnie]

Thanks for the ideas. Kind of cracks me up that the first person that responded suggested to not even send them. Please don't encourage my slacker behaviour of the past Yes, that would save money, but I just want family and friends to know I'm thinking of them on their day. I always think of family on their birthdays, but I've been very haphazard in the past about letting them KNOW I'm thinking of them. I have a VERY large family, so it's not practical to call them and I want something more tangible than a facebook message. If they do throw it away, that's fine...they will still know that I went to the effort of sending them my kind thoughts.

I'll look at some of the places you all suggested. I did find another idea in my online searching and ordered some cards from Current. I'm sure they'll probably be pretty thin, but they come in at about 50 cents each!

 

[disneychrista]

Whereas I have kept every card I have ever received my whole life. I cherish the time someone took to pick out the card, write a message and send to me. Everyone is different.

Exactly, why i said to make sure that the person receiving it enjoys them. I know many enjoy them. But I am sure that there are others, like me, who don't.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Some mentioned the dollar store (favorite of mine) but also if you have a Five Below they have cards on special too for 99 cents (although some are priced as marked). I got a few when I wandered in there for the first time the other day. Most of their stuff is junk for teens or kids but the cards were nice (marked $3.89 on the back) and 99 each.

ETA I think it's really sweet that you want to be better about acknowledging friend's birthdays and whatnot. It's something I always think to do and want to do but have a hard time following through on!!

 

[kymom99]

Thanks for the ideas. Kind of cracks me up that the first person that responded suggested to not even send them. Please don't encourage my slacker behaviour of the past Yes, that would save money, but I just want family and friends to know I'm thinking of them on their day. I always think of family on their birthdays, but I've been very haphazard in the past about letting them KNOW I'm thinking of them. I have a VERY large family, so it's not practical to call them and I want something more tangible than a facebook message. If they do throw it away, that's fine...they will still know that I went to the effort of sending them my kind thoughts.

I'll look at some of the places you all suggested. I did find another idea in my online searching and ordered some cards from Current. I'm sure they'll probably be pretty thin, but they come in at about 50 cents each!

Current is a great idea. I was going to suggest that too. I haven't bought from them in years but their stuff is pretty decent quality. I think I actually still have a couple oddball cards laying around

 

[lanejudy]

We've printed our own cards for years. By now we have a few different versions of software so a good variety of cards. We purchase cardstock in bulk so it's cheap and always have a good supply on hand. I don't even have the excuse of "I ran out of time to go to the store and buy a card" because it literally takes me just 5 minutes at home. If I know several birthdays or such are coming up, I'll take a half hour or so and make a bunch of different cards. But it's real quick for those one-offs like a sympathy card, retirement or forgotten anniversary.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

We've printed our own cards for years. By now we have a few different versions of software so a good variety of cards. We purchase cardstock in bulk so it's cheap and always have a good supply on hand. I don't even have the excuse of "I ran out of time to go to the store and buy a card" because it literally takes me just 5 minutes at home. If I know several birthdays or such are coming up, I'll take a half hour or so and make a bunch of different cards. But it's real quick for those one-offs like a sympathy card, retirement or forgotten anniversary.

I made almost all of my greeting cards for my wedding using my color printer and some high quality blank cards from Paper Source. I designed them all in Photoshop. This included all of the "Will you be my (bridesmaid, groomsman, etc.)?" and "Thank you" cards. It saved a ton of money over purchasing them. The only cards that I bought for the wedding day were the one I gave to my husband and the thank you cards for our parents because I wanted fancier letter pressed cards. Making cards yourself can save tons.

 

[scrapquitler]

Honestly, make sure the people you are sending them to will appreciate them. I am not a fan and throw them away nearly as soon as I look at them.

This.

A few ideas: go to somewhere like Michael's, they usually have a big box of assorted greeting cards. You can buy a box that has like 50 assorted occasion cards in it for maybe $20 or $25.

Or Buy them at the dollar store.

Or get a program that lets you make your own at home. I used to have a program that was from American Greetings I think, but it allowed you to make your own cards on the computer and print them onto cardstock.

But honestly, I think most people feel the way Disney Christa and I do. They don't care that much.

 

[tamerbelles]

This.

A few ideas: go to somewhere like Michael's, they usually have a big box of assorted greeting cards. You can buy a box that has like 50 assorted occasion cards in it for maybe $20 or $25.

THIS! And look in the clearance section of the stationary department at other stores. My mom knows I am awful about remembering cards, so she finds the variety boxes when they're on sale and gives them to me from time to time. I have a large assortment to dig through whenever I need a card at the last minute (with me, it's pretty much always last minute). PLUS, many of them are blank, so I will just write a personal note inside - which of course is more important than the card itself.

 

[hsmamato2]

I love getting cards in the mail...and I keep every one in a memory box. I also like sending them, it's a nice surprise to get 'real' mail. I like dollar tree,Trader Joes, and some sections at walmart sell them for as little as .49- you can also easily make some fun ones...

 

[DreamIsaWish]

I like to make mine on Shutterfly when they have a free card code. The shipping on one card is only 99 cents to directly mail to someone. So, it's only a bit over 50 cents for the card since I was going to spend 45 cents or so on the stamp already.

 

[amyy]

I love getting cards and sending them. Now my husband could care less if he even gets a card on our anniversary. I stockpile when their are sales or I find cards I like. I also love making cards but it can get expensive. I you limit yourself to a few generic designs & stamps. For one year you could come up with 1 birthday design and 1 anniversary design which wouldn't cost you a lot. Switch it up the next year. I love Stampin Up but it isn't always the best deal. You can search for the company and look for some ideas.
I don't know if this link will work but this card is probably 2 stamp sets, a few inks and just white paper. Just an idea. Check out some local FB groups, garage sales etc over the summer. http://scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com/.a/6a0105349d6b3d970c01bb083a6d0d970d-pi

This set is my current favorite. You need 2 inks, 2 stamp sets, white paper. I just sold 3 similar sets for $10.00 total on a local FB group. http://laurasstamppad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Thoughts-Prayers-4.jpg