Avoid ever purchasing a greetings cards again

I hate visiting an outlet and having to pay a lot of money just for a card. Hallmark and other alike companies currently have most of the market covered and so they charge a lot of cash for stuff that I am aware are extremely low cost to create , I know this because I used to work in the print industry. $2 and upwards isn't worth the cost for a graphic of a cartoon frog or a shot of some kids doing some fishing. The cut the artists end up getting through the card company deal commonly are not high enough to use as the justification either!

Other reasons beside cash exists for not purchasing greeting cards. Greetings cards are great and everything but they're rather wasteful and also we have got a habit of giving too many, in my opinion. By selectively sending real cards and making use of other methods to greet, congratulate, commiserate and wish happy things we are able to be eco-friendly also.

So let's take a look at a few alternatives to sending purchased greetings cards.

Sending an individual e mail
E-mail isn't seen as something to use for personal messages of this nature but how about it? Sending a card is a gesture that is more to do with just thinking about someone but I'd prefer to receive a well planned and thoughtful e-mail than a couple of squiggles in a shop purchased card. It could take more time than getting a card and putting it into the post box but people ought to have your time.

Send an internet based eCard
The online world is filled with sites that enable you to send cards to individuals using email. These cards have advanced now and can include audio, videos, interactive elements plus more!. To locate them you can perform a Yahoo and google search for eCards but take care not to have to purchase anything, key in any sensitive information and ensure you have your virus programs up to date and only use well rated sites.

Make your own eCard
I really like making individual eCards for friends and family that I can produce and mail. Using a digital camera you can snap a photo of yourself, some local landscape or anything that is suitable for the message you want to send. Using a easy graphics program (even mspaint is capable of some stuff) you can add some nice neat text to the image and it can be sent out as an email attachment.

Give them a call
So old fashioned I understand but rather than sending all of your relatives a holiday card why don't you give them a call all one at a time. I bet it has been years since you last talked to a few of them and a phone call will likely be much more treasured than the usual silly greetings card.

There are several occasions when a tangible item may be suitable though. Below are some thoughts for those situations.

A written letter
Much better than a card any day a complete hand written letter is often a joy to receive. Make use of good stock recycled paper along with a fancy pen to write with, for those who have one. Write down a practise letter on an old bit of printer paper before attempting the perfect one (a couple of errors are a component of the charm though).

Handmade or printed cards
If the occasion is special then a hand made card from recycled materials from your house or a printed card made form a photo or layout you made using the pc is excellent. It shows an individual touch and cuts out Hallmark saving you money in many cases too.

Have a look at our Frugal Living blog for such things as Free Printable Thank You Cards, frugal money preserving suggestions, minimal ideas and much more.