Show more love for less money

To me, nothing is more important than family and friends. One small way I can show them I care is to acknowledge birthdays and special occasions with a card. There is just something special about getting plain old snail mail.

I love cards and paper products, and there are some really cool cards out there. I could spend all day in the card section at Target alone. However, many of the cards that really catch my eye are upwards of $4, $5, and even $6. Sending around 50 cards a year, that really adds up.

With inspiration from a good friend who makes her own cards, I set out to cut down the card cost in our budget. I picked up a great box of 50 cards at Michael's for $10, along with two packages of accent cards for $8 and two sheets of co-ordinating stickers from Target's scrap book section for $4. So, for a grand total of of $22, I had all the materials to make cards for the year.

Old cost per card (avg.): $4.00
New cost per card: $.44
Savings per card: $3.56
Yearly savings for 50 cards: $178

On top of the great benefit of saving, I have found there are lots of other great things about making your own cards.

Creative outlet
I like crafts and making cards is a nice way to get the creative juices flowing. It's not a huge endeavor, and can be a quick way to get the crafting fix in, unlike the mounting baby scrap book project looming in the closet.

It's an original
It's a great feeling knowing that the envelope you drop in the mail contains a one-of-a-kind creation and was hand-made with love. Really, can any store-bought card compete with that?

Genuine sentiments
When you make your own blank card, the words inside come from you, rather than those great card writers at Hallmark. Sure the verbiage might not be as polished, but taking the words out of your own head means the cards will probably mean more to the person getting them.


If you don't like crafts, maybe this isn't the area for you to cut back. But if you do, don't let the time you think it will take stop you. If you do a batch of cards for the next 3-4 months of occasions, it probably won't take you any longer than it would to pick them out at the store.

More personal, more special, better with less.