Christmas Cards Budget
Many consumer products have seasons. Clothes, for one. Shoes, makeup, electronics, etc. But did you know that Christmas cards are also released according to product seasons / years?
I try to send Christmas cards to everyone I know – friends, professors, mentors – just to say thanks and to keep in touch. It might be a dying tradition, but I love it. Believe it or not, selecting, writing, and mailing Christmas cards are actually one of the things I love best about the holiday seasons. Usually, I send out around 50 to 75 cards per year (already started writing them!). I try to keep cost of every card (including $0.44 stamp) at under a dollar – or $0.75 if I can. So that means card expenses usually run $50-$60 per year.
A few days ago, I found 2 boxes of Christmas cards at Marshalls for 70% off because they were labeled “Past Season”. I was really happy to find quality cards for an affordable price, but I’m still a bit mystified at how stationery can have seasons. I would think that even if I had a box of Christmas cards from 1939, they would still be every bit as usable and valuable as cards produced in 2009.
After all, a Christmas card is just a piece of folded cardstock with some message of good cheer in it – isn’t that, by definition, timeless? So, if you receive a Christmas card in the mail from me, please forgive my past season cards! 
Do you send Christmas cards / have a Christmas card budget?
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I positively stalk the stores for the 3 weeks after Christmas to buy my cards for the next year. I spend no more than $15 which usually gets me 3-4 boxes of some very nice cards and then the cost of the stamp the next year is my only cost. When I run out of labels, about every 2 years, I stalk Staples/Office Max for labels for the next year.
I buy my Christmas cards at the end of the "Christmas season" (a.k.a Boxing Day). You can normally get boxes of at least 20 cards for $5 or less from Chapters (those tend to be prettier cards than the discount department stores).
I try to include a personal message in every card. Of course, that's easier to do for some than for others. Strangely, I find that addressing the envelopes is more time-consuming than writing a personal message – I often have to track down old emails to get the right address.
wow, 50 – 75 cards a year?! that's pretty darn awesome. unfortunately i'm so lame when it comes to card giving. i rarely give out cards, even for birthdays. i am a gift giver … does that compensate?
I just mailed my first batch of Christmas cards ever! It was so fun thinking about all the people I love for that long. I sent out 41, but hopefully my list will grow next year.
I guess I spent about $15 on cards, then the stamps. I didn't think that was so bad, but this year I will definitely stalk the after Christmas sales!
wow. that's ALOT of cards. I sorta… just kinda stopped giving cards after awhile. The only ones I mail to are for people who live far away (and even then sometimes I get frugal and just send a e-card!) when I do buy cards though, I usually get them WAY after the christmas season though in February/March when they've been marked down.
On a side note, I've added you to my blogroll and posted about you with a link to your blog.
I love sending Christmas cards. It's only my second year sending them and I can't wait! B laughs at me when I bug him to get his list of addresses.
I bought our cards this year in July or something crazy like that when Hallmark was having a sale. I got 34 cards for about $9! I think they're fantastic – who cares if they're "last season".
A friend of mine keeps a stash of cards. I think he stocks up when they're on sale. The problem is when he can't remember what he sent the year before! I doubt anyone would remember – I only knew what he sent because I had packed my old cards up with my decorations last year.
You know those charities that send out address labels in hopes of donation? They also send out Christmas gift wraps, gift tags, stickers, address labels, and cards around September. I started donating to some charities that I liked and I guess they sold my address 'cause next thing I know, it's a flood of free cards and such. I haven't bought any cards in years.
Oh, and if you want to cut down on postage, make your cards into a postcard (postcards only require like 27cent stamps). I write the card like I normally would, tape it shut, and address the card as usual on the back. If you're willing to forgo the envelope, you can save like 50% on postage.
Wow, that is FANTASTIC that you send out so many cards. Honestly, I wish I had the hand stamina to do that! Do you write personalized messages in each?
I have a box of 100 assorted cards I got on after Christmas sale 6 years ago that I'm STILL using. So I don't have a budget, but after this Christmas I'll probably buy another box because the cards I have left now are the ones that aren't that great.
I send out almost as many cards as you do, Well-Heeled–at least 40 each year, sometimes more. I agree that it's a nice tradition. I know it means a lot to the elderly people on my list, and it's nice to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances and let them know that they are special. I'm a big card person, though, for every occasion, ESPECIALLY thank-you notes.
I started making my own last year out of materials I had around the house. (I'm a big crafter throughout the year so I have lots of stuff to work with!)
The mock up of mine from last year is here: http://cuteellaisbold.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/th...
The inside wished "Peace Love and Happiness for the coming year" and it was great because I didn't have to get them out before Christmas AND it could be sent to all of my non Christian friends.
I think I made about 75 of them? Give or take. I had some others left over from the year before that I sent to other friends as appropriate.
I love it too! It's so nice getting mail that's NOT a bill or a request for a donation!
Your cards are lovely.
Well, this year I got mine free – I created an image in Photoshop to be the cover, and I ordered them using the codes here: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/11/50-more-free-custom-photo-cards-with-free-shipping-.html. Of course I will still have to pay for stamps/postage (ugh!) but at least there’s some savings!
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You are my kindered spirit. I LOVE cards more than presents regardless of the occassion.
And yes I send out and budget for Christmas cards as well. Like you said, it's a simple and great way to say thanks and to keep in touch.
Thanks for the link! I appreciate it. It is a lot of cards, but I start around Thanksgiving and usually write 3-4 cards a day, then mail them out after I write them. That way I dont feel like I have a ton of cards to write and pretty soon I've whittled them all down.
I do in fact have a Christmas Card budget. It's usually higher than most peoples' because I try to find truly unique cards. However once the holidays have passed, I just ask people to recycle their cards if possible.