When my husband and I were first married, we were so grateful to all those who had shown us love and kindness, we decided to send out Christmas cards to virtually everyone we knew. Fifteen months after we were wed, we had a first child. Again, family and friends surrounded us with love an support. For the second Christmas in a row we sent out a lot of cards and photos. Thus began our yearly tradition. We now send mostly to out-of-town friends and family, however many more people have come into our lives since 1993! We normally include a holiday letter, updating the kid's growth each year, plus a photo. As the cost of postage has risen, this has become more expensive. We have decided this is an important opportunity to catch-up with folks we rarely see and plan to continue our mailings. Below is a list of ways we have made this more affordable.
- Normally I find cards on clearance after Christmas. Although there will be cards available at 75% off, I may choose to get only 50% off. We want to send Christian cards and I have found these become more sparse as the selection dwindles. I stash these for the following December.
- I love those photo cards, however we have never sent these out because I continually find that cards and photos purchased separately are less expensive.
- For many years, we only sent out professional photos. This is the first year I have not had "membership" in the JcPenny Photo club. Every other year, I have taken all the kiddos to the studio as soon as the Christmas props are out. I purchase the photo “package” at studios for $10 or less (watch for these in Sunday inserts or online). The coupon limit is one per day, so occasionally I returned another day for another set of photos when the children were small. Now that we have lots of activities on the calendar, I have been getting one photo package. To supplement, we take a photo of all four children at our home. (It's helpful if you take this photo the day the professional one is taken, otherwise you have to find all the pieces to the matching outfits and iron them all over again.) We look for a great deal, then email the best to whichever store has the best price.
- We like to print the "Christmas Letter" on cute paper. I usually grab some on clearance and stash with the cards. The Dollar Tree also carries this type of paper, so you could pick some up there, if you need this A.S.A.P.
- I print the letters at home, which uses a lot of ink. Because my printer cartridges are small, they run for $15 or less. I recycle empties at Office Max, then earn $3 each in Max Perks. I watch for HP ink to go on sale, then use my Perks to buy more ink. (I could also use Perks to buy red or green envelopes, bypassing the need for cards all together.)
- The most expensive component in sending out cards is usually the stamp. I don't send out near enough to qualify for a bulk mailing, so I am at the mercy of the US Postal service as long as I continue to actually mail Christmas cards.
- Each year I contemplate sending e-cards. These would be virtually free. Although I think this is a great option and is obviously the least expensive option, I haven't brought myself to explore this option. It's hard to break such a long-standing tradition!
