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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 11:35am | IP Logged
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Christmas cards.
This week I noticed that Walgreen's is having a pretty good sale in their photo shop for making your own Christmas cards. You can pretty much get 40% off everything (Saturday is the last day). For under $20 you can get 40 flat photo cards made- with envelopes.
It seems to me that in the interest of saving time and money, Christmas cards are the first thing to go in today's world.
I agree that cards can be a big time/money drain. But I think it's worth it.
I'd rather skimp somewhere else than forgo cards.
HOw do you save money on cards- or do you try? Have you come across any good card deals?
I usually try to buy them on clearance right after Christmas for the coming year. However, I am finding that it's harder each year to catch clearance cards with a religious theme (somehow Surf Board Santa just doesn't feel right to me). Maybe I am too picky  ...
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 11:47am | IP Logged
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Well, the most frugal way is to recieve some in a gift box and save them for the following year.
I am seriously "mail impaired" and have a really hard time getting cards mailed. I finally gave it up as being seriously un-frugal to get the cards and maybe get some written.. maybe even all.. and never manage to get them mailed. 
BUT, the good news is that I've given the job to my oldest and she did manage to get some mailed out one year. We aren't planning on doing any this year. But perhaps next year. And with the forever stamps you can buy those a bit at a time and so not have a big expenditure on the postage.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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knowloveserve
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 11:50am | IP Logged
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I agree about wanting to stop the losing art of Christmas cards! We make sure to budget it in every year! This year, I drew a card. I drew each family member holding a letter to complete the word "rejoice"... It's pretty cute actually! I'll print it on cardstock and call it done! I do still love and prefer the gorgeous religious cards but it wasn't happening this year. A couple years ago, my son made an anagram poem of the word Christmas and illustrated it... we printed those out and sent them.
All kinds of DIY card tutorials exist on Pinterest if one wants to be frugal...
Tangent 1: I personally prefer seeing family photos enclosed IN a card rather than the photo being the card itself. But this is so overwhelmingly popular to do now, I just bite my tongue and cheerily hang up all those families on the inside of my pantry door to pray for throughout the year.
Tangent 2: I'm not a fan of when people send photo cards showing JUST the kids! I want to see my friends, the parents, too!
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 11:51am | IP Logged
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We receive cards in the mail every year from various religious groups we've donated to in the past. It's nice giving to a worthy cause and having Masses or novenas offered for recipients. It feels more meaningful and less commercial combining card giving with prayer and charitable donations. Another benefit, the cards are always religious!
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 12:31pm | IP Logged
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knowloveserve wrote:
I agree about wanting to stop the losing art of Christmas cards! We make sure to budget it in every year! This year, I drew a card. I drew each family member holding a letter to complete the word "rejoice"... It's pretty cute actually! I'll print it on cardstock and call it done! I do still love and prefer the gorgeous religious cards but it wasn't happening this year. A couple years ago, my son made an anagram poem of the word Christmas and illustrated it... we printed those out and sent them.
All kinds of DIY card tutorials exist on Pinterest if one wants to be frugal...
Tangent 1: I personally prefer seeing family photos enclosed IN a card rather than the photo being the card itself. But this is so overwhelmingly popular to do now, I just bite my tongue and cheerily hang up all those families on the inside of my pantry door to pray for throughout the year.
Tangent 2: I'm not a fan of when people send photo cards showing JUST the kids! I want to see my friends, the parents, too! |
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I will add Tangent 3- which I think is the worst  ...
A card that just has the senders name written on the bottom. No pictures, no greetings, no news.... just a signature.
That really seems odd to me.
HOWEVER- I do appreciate the fact that each and every person who sent a card took the time to do so. It's not always easy, like Jodie mentioned, to get them done.
I made an unfrugal mistake this year- I ordered some pretty religious Christmas cards in July when they were being clearanced out. They are very nice- but small! Usually I enclose a family photo in the card, but if I want to do that this year, I will have to put the photo and the card into a bigger envelope. A standard photo print will not fit inside the card .
So I am pretty disgusted with myself and just may go the Walgreen's route at this point.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 1:17pm | IP Logged
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If you go the Walgreens route, you can probably stick your small pretty cards inside. 
I love all different types of Christmas cards. Last year I went with pretty art and stuck in a photo.
Costco nice Christmas greeting cards they discontinued for a couple of years but is available again. You can design your own and print a custom card, which I've done so I can insert the image and quotes I like. I think their cards are nicer than some of the drugstore/box store varieties but still less expensive than many. (34.95 for 50)
A simple option I once did was using a card with multiple photos on the front and inserting an image of the Holy Family as one of my photos. It worked, though many of the choices now available might be too contemporary for that.
I take comfort that the first Christmas card was of a family enjoying a meal together and performing acts of charity. Cards like Surfing Santa still annoy me, but I love lots of different ways of expressing Christmas cheer: snow, nature, firesides, snowflakes, holly, mistletoe, trees. That said, I have some of the prettier cards I've received framed in my home!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 1:36pm | IP Logged
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Ok just saying.. I recieved a card "just signed" for years, from an Aunt and Uncle on my bio-father's side of the family. They and Grandma were the only ones I heard from. Rarely heard from my bio-father and it was totally random. It still brings tears to my eyes how much that "just signed" card means.
Anyway, it makes me wonder who might be cut who really needs to get that card if someone felt thay had to do more than sign the card.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 2:43pm | IP Logged
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Dovetailing with Jodie's thoughts, for many years now I've watched as elderly loved ones struggled more and more to sign a birthday or Christmas card or address an envelope ~ this year I find I'm the one struggling to put pen to paper and control a shaking pen or scattered thoughts. Thanks to you dear ladies, I have renewed desire to work on a couple cards each day. I'll be sure to add a few extra prayers for all those who might send a greeting our way, especially one that's sure to come from an older cousin with cancer, the only extended family member to ever send a card ~ simply signed, but full of love nonetheless! Jodie, your post is a perfect reminder of the best reason of all to send out Christmas cards ~ you never know how much that simple gesture might mean to someone!  s to all those who just can't muster the energy or time for cards, but who need or cherish a greeting when it comes their way!
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DominaCaeli
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For the last few years, we have done handmade Christmas cards. I buy a couple packages of plain "stamping cards" and whatever other materials we will need with our charter school funds (so they're free for us), and then we turn it into an art project. This year and last year, we did styrofoam printing--fun, easy, and lovely results. I then will have photos printed at Walmart or CVS and include them in the card. The expensive part is the mailing!
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 06 2013 at 6:37pm | IP Logged
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Yes, mailing is the ultimate kicker. But sometimes we can hand deliver our cards, which helps.
Along the lines of Ellie's hanging up cards in the pantry to pray for families, we keep all our cards in a basket in the school room. Every week throughout the year we pick a card from the basket and offer a Hail Mary for that family daily for a week. It helps us to remember that Christmas is not just for one day! 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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Erin
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I am the slackest more to do with me and snail mail slackness. However Jodie's story really touches me and is making me think. thanks Jodie for sharing how something can make such a big difference!
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 10 2013 at 11:18am | IP Logged
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Yesterday in the mail I received a Christmas card from a friend who usually just signs her name to the card- not even Dear Melinda, etc....
I am always glad to hear from her but sad, too, that she never offers anything about herself or her family.
WELL, yesterday's card had a picture in it and note saying how much she and her husband have enjoyed watching my kids grow up and how they look forward to our card each year.
It brought tears to my eyes. So that just shows me!!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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Barb.b
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Well, I will be the odd one and say - I stopped sending christmas cards to anyone but my 2 sisters and parents. I stopped several years ago. If someone is a friend or family member - I will be keeping in touch throughout the year so it seems fine to stop the cards. I also got tired of receiving cards from people who NEVER kept in touch through out the year and then I get a Christmas card. Countless people I would try to keep up with through out the year - but it was very one sided - just me making the effort. So the whole christmas card list thing is gone. Now I send very personal christmas cards to my sisters and parents - then I'm done!
Barb
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Pilgrim
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| Posted: Dec 10 2013 at 1:38pm | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
Along the lines of Ellie's hanging up cards in the pantry to pray for families, we keep all our cards in a basket in the school room. Every week throughout the year we pick a card from the basket and offer a Hail Mary for that family daily for a week. It helps us to remember that Christmas is not just for one day!
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I LOVE this idea!
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Pilgrim
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| Posted: Dec 10 2013 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
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Thought I'd mention on the frugal side of things, Dollar Tree had some very nice religious cards this year. Can't beat a dollar or two if you have enough people to send them to.
Another frugal thing we've done this year is to make a family collage of pictures on Picmonkey's website. You can save the collage and then open it in their editor and add text, backgrounds, all kinds of fun stuff. It's free, and a nice way to make a family photo insert for Christmas cards. Anyone we've given them to loves the collages, and seeing all the family members with their own unique pictures.
I must second Jodie, I appreciate receiving even just a card with a name from those whom we rarely or never see, as it means someone was thinking of us.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Frugal Friday: the question of...
