Then there are family cards to buy, from both us and special ones from the children. Then friends, neighbours, colleagues, distant relatives, school friends, teachers, playgroup friends........the list is endless. I really struggle to spend less than £50 on cards every year - and that is when I buy them from the cheapest card shops!
£50 on cards!!!! (In reality it's more). This is verging on ridiculous. After all, they are only pieces of paper.
What is the solution though? Some people have now chosen to forego the giving of cards and instead give the money to charity. While I think this is a much better use of money, especially at Christmas time, this is not a solution for me. I LOVE giving gifts and cards, it is just part of who I am and I love receiving them, reading the messages and using them to decorate our house. Christmas and birthdays are the only times of year a pretty coloured envelope with a lovely card comes through our door. It is nice to receive something that shows somebody has thought of you and your family at this time of year rather than another bill or junk mail. For me, Christmas would not be Christmas without cards.
So this year, in a bid to reduce my card bill, I have decided to make my own cards. A friend pointed me in the direction of wilkinson's as the best value place to pick up card craft materials and I managed to buy enough materials to make 40 cards which is enough for one card per household for the people i really want to send a card to and it only came to £6!!! I have also bought 2 packs of 40 meerkat cards for £1 each for the kids at school.
The cards were really easy to make for an amateur and next year I think I'll try a more complex design. I'm really pleased with the results.
So that is how you reduce a £50+ card bill to just £8.
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