How to Save Money on Holiday Cards

I don't know about you but one of the biggest joys I get over the holiday season is getting cards in the mail.  I know it may be old fashioned to some people but I'm getting old.  I like nostalgia.  What can I say?  I also know that sending them is getting friggin' expensive.  The USPS keeps jacking up the prices of stamps making it harder and harder to justify sending them.

I keep track of who sends me cards.  It's not a tit for tat thing, it's an 'if I don't receive a Christmas card from you for 3 years straight, I'm not going to feel bad about not sending you one and saving about $3-4 depending on the boxed set I got that year."  Mom had about 3-4 boxes of Christmas cards she bought that are now mine so I should be in cards for a few years but the prices of boxed cards are going up every year.  If you're one of those people who like to send those personalized picture cards, it's even more expensive.  How can you reduce the amount you spend to spread holiday cheer?  

Here are a few tips:

For family or couple picture cards, sign up for multiple photo sites.  When holiday card season rolls around, places like Shutterfly and Snapfish will usually roll out promos of 10 free cards where you only have to pay shipping.  Have multiple emails?  Well, I'll just leave that thought right there to do what you will with it.  (Actually at the time of posting Shutterfly is having this deal.)

Shop Dollar stores.  When you're getting a Christmas card, I would say 80% of people throw them out at the end of the season.  (I don't and I'm so glad I don't as I look over cards from people who aren't with me anymore.  I know I'm in the minority but if you'd like to do the same and want a sweet little keepsake place to put your treasured cards, this can keep them in one place.)  It's the thought and good tidings that matter not the price of the card.  

Put together a newsletter instead of a card.  I know some people hate these, I do not.  How many of us actually keep up with people we know throughout the year especially if you're not on social media much or at all?  (That doesn't really matter either, people don't seem to share much anymore.)  You can grab a few of your favorite pics to splay across the top and your update below and it just costs you some ink.  Or you can get some fun holiday newsletter paper to print it on to bring the holiday spirit for about $9-14 on average.  Make a cozy ritual during the holiday season of brewing up a cup of cocoa or holiday tea and read the newsletters you receive with some festive music in the background.

Stock up on forever holiday stamps.  Apparently the one thing you can count on now other than death and taxes is the post office thinking you're made of money and jacking up the stamp costs.  If you send out even 25 cards to people and let's say the rate increases are what they were last year, it'll be at least $.07 more per stamp so $1.75 more if you don't stock up.  If you send double that which seems to be the average according to research, $3.50 more.  Is that a deal breaker?  No but isn't that $3.50 better for chocolate chips for your cookies or whatever you want to put it toward given the price of everything now?

Cut back on how many physical cards you send out.  As I said, I keep track of cards but it's so I can keep track of who I sent cards to because I send about 40ish and I don't always get them done in one sitting.  I can go back and check my spreadsheet to pick up where I left off.  It's also to see who I sent them to so I didn't neglect to send to those people the following year.  There are some people that have never sent them and unfortunately those people are getting cut this year but if I have emails for them, they'll get an ecard.  Sometimes you have to cut where you can and if they don't send to you repeatedly, it's not disrespectful to do the same.  If you want to send ecards or consider a social media shout out, take the weight off of your shoulders.

Send ecards.  It's becoming increasingly hard to find free ecards services anymore.  There can be work arounds for that too.  This site can probably handle your average card load for the holidays with a $2.99/mo plan.  Don't want to pay?  They have a free trial!  (Don't forget to cancel if you don't want to continue the subscription.)  If you're organized and get all of your email addresses you want to send in one spot, you can easily choose either the same design or a design for family, one for friends and one for co-workers or whomever and bulk schedule them to send.  They have photo options if you want to include a family pic.  That particular place even gives the option of gift ecards!   It looks like American Greetings also has a free trial, as well.

A social media shout out.  On Christmas Eve morning, say something like "Before the chaos of the next few days sets in, I/we wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday.  Thinking of you all and wishing you a great holiday however you are celebrating and good health and peace in the coming new year!"   (By not saying something like "wishing you a great time with family and friends" it doesn't exclude those who are grieving loved ones, estranged from family or alone for the holidays.  No I'm not saying this to sound 'woke' or whatever crotchety people say, I'm saying this as a griever who had well meaning comments like that cut her to rivets the first year without her mother.)

If you're going to be traveling for the holidays (and you definitely don't want to announce if you are), you can say something like "like everyone else, the rest of the month is going to be completely crazy and I don't know if I'll have time to hop on here before the holiday.  I/we wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday.  Thinking of you all and wishing you a great holiday however you are celebrating and good health and peace in the coming new year!" 

I hope some of these tips helped give you some money saving ideas for how to handle your holiday cheer this year!

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