Birthday cards - what a rip-off

katiepops_2

You can't beat a nice hand made card ... I haven't bought a card in years, and I have no intentions of ever buying one again, it's much more rewarding to make one.

Contrary to popular belief, it isn't necessarily expensive to make cards ... a card blank plus envelope costs about 20 p, and if you buy 12 x 12 scrapbooking papers you could pay as little as 40 p for a sheet of patterned paper and a sheet of co-ordinating cardstock - if you make an A6 you will get at least 4 cards out of your sheet of paper if you completely cover the front, and loads more than that if you don't. Add a sheet of peel off greetings at around 70 p (enough for about 20 cards) and you're done. And it's fun!

The majority of people will appreciate a hand made card so much more than a shop bought one, in my experience.

Kate

Lyndsay_21

must admit when i went into m&s last night bought 2 of there £1 cards, plus i think people assume you've spent a lot more on the card just cos its from M&S

beachbeth

Kantankrus_Mare wrote:

Any how I asked my mother what was going on and she said........"oh I keep all the nice cards and put them up every year!! Dont bother buying me a "special card at Xmas anymore, they are a waste of money!"

My husband and I do this too! When we were first married we bought each other a lovely big Christmas card each and every Christmas after that I put the same two cards up. Absolutely NO ONE noticed at all (we've now been married 20 years!) I pointed it out to a couple of people and they were really surprised.

Until I read this thread I thought I was the only one that begrudged buying expensive cards. What an utter waste of money they are, especially Christmas ones. Why can't we just all get together and agree not to send any more? After all, who enjoys writing the damn things!!! I think you should only send cards to people who live far away to show you are thinking of them and not people you see all the time!

I have a local newsagents and there's one in my nearest town too that sell cards for as little as 49p, although most are 80p. I find myself looking through for the 49p ones!

beachbeth

Once, when one of my daughters was at nursery school we sat and wrote about 6 cards to send to her best friends at the nursery class. I then saw another mother writing down a list of the whole class (40 three year olds) so that her son could send a card to each one! I was so annoyed because I thought they should just send a few and not ones to children they hardly knew! What a waste of time and money!

One Christmas too my workplace had a huge card put up and said instead of everyone sending cards to each other we should donate a pound and sign the big card instead. The money collected would go to charity. I thought this was a brilliant idea and was all for it. However, everyone paid the pound, signed the card and STILL sent everyone else a personal card! This really got my goat I can tell you!

I think its a guilt thing, thinking you have to send millions of cards each year and I HATE it!!! They nearly all end up in the bin so whats the point!!!!

Lillibet_2

I send free e-cards to as many people as I can possibly get away with. For those that I can't I usually buy packs of blank notecards & use these, that way they can be good for many occasions, I only buy proper cards for very very close family members (parents & Nan) birthdays and then only if I'm not going to see them on the day (why buy them a card if I am going to be with them?) or for weddings. Last time I needed a card in a hurry, in order to avoid havign to dash out to Borthdays or somewhere equally prohibitive, I looke don line & printed out a free-to-print card, trouble is now I can't find the website I used to get anymore:rolleyes:


Cards which I receive get cut down & turned into homemade cards.....a sort of card craft for the craftless! I actually tell people not to buy me cards as I find them a faff always falling off the mantle peivce & getting in the way when I dust but people will not listen & insist on buying them anyway! I only ever keep them up for about 3 days, if that!

Rage_in_Eden

Austin_Allegro wrote:

Market stalls are worth a try. A lot of their stuff is tacky, but they do sometimes have 'arty' cards (impressionist paintings etc) for about 50p each.

I'd second this. Our local market has 35p each of 4 for £1 and if you are feeling flush a very classy (and it stocks expensive cards too) shop has them 39p each or 3 nfor £1. Bouthg OH's Mum's bday card in there last week (well, like he'll remember.... :rolleyes: ) If you find one shop that does it the rest will follow- it's a price war!!! yippee :j

pavlovs_dog

i begrudge paying for cards for several reasons

1) having worked in a shop that sells cards, i have seen them be bought in bulk (pack of 12 is the norm) for, on average £3. then, Vat is added (3.0*1.175=3.525). this total is then divided by the number of cards in pack (3.525/12=0.293= ACTUAL COST OF CARD), and this would then be double or even tripled to give the price that the customers pay....and these cards were widely considered to be good value for money (on a par with the value offered by card warehouse etc) :eek:

2) after a week, they end up in the bin anyway


what i have taken to doing, is if i do need to buy a card, i get one from the Oxfam bookshop, or a normal oxfam shop. the have a fab range of cards for 99p, and you know it is going towards a good cause

shellabear

I went into M&S yesterday and they were selling Valentine cards for 25p and Mother's Day cards for £1 when they should have been £3.50. thought this was a bargain. it just means you need a really good hiding place and a brilliant memory!!

kittiwoz

I normaly make cards. I just fold a sheet of A4 in quarters and glue it carefully. I usually use a glue stick because that's what I have but spray mount is loads better. Then I put a heavy book on top of it so it dries flat. I have a lot of different coloured pencils, crayons and felt tips and some special effect pens like metallics and "spider" pens. They're mostly Crayola because they're a bit cheaper than proper artist supplies and you can sometimes pick them up cheap in pound shops or Quality Save etc. I don't buy the cheapo kids' stuff because it isn't nearly as good. I also have things like tissue paper, glitter and fun foam that I buy when I see them in the pound shop. I sometimes use the stick-on jewellry you find in toy shops too. I collect interesting things like shiny paper from chocolate bars, nicely patterned carrier bags and lost or broken jewellry. Sometimes I design the card to suit the person I'm giving it to. Sometimes I make a more general card and just use whatever ideas come to mind. If I'm doing a load, like with Christmas cards, I'll do them as a batch job eg. draw all the Christmas trees, highlight all the cards, write the message on all the cards.

If I'm posting cards I like to put in token gifts that I can just send with a stamp on. I generally think the dafter and more pointless the better. I often include a balloon, a party popper, a few sweets or some confetti. In the past I've also posted a sachet of hot chocolate with marshmallows; "It's your birthday so have a drink on me!", and in a similar vein a list of cocktail recipies along with a mini-umbrella and a straw with a fold-out paper honeycomb pineapple attached.

Most people seem to appreciate the effort that goes into making a card as opposed to buying one. I made one of my closest friends a card for his 19th and he said it was the first hand-made card he'd ever been given. He was really touched by it. I guess he's pretty easily pleased but that's one of the things I love about him.

sarahspain

The M&S cards are lovely and great value.

I also make my own cards which can be as expensive or cheap and cheerful as you like you just need a bit of imagination.