Frugal Greetings

I love sending and receiving greeting cards, and I enjoy giving them another opportunity to spread their cheer. Here is how you can up-cycle your holiday greeting cards into postcards. The bonus is that the postage for postcards is 28 cents!

First, make sure that the card is an appropriate size. The U.S. Postal Service has specific requirements for postcards: minimum size 3.5 inches high and 5 inches long or maximum size 4.25 inches high and 6 inches long. Any other sizes will result in additional postage.

Second, make sure the other side does not have any writing on it. I also do not use the cards that have an embossed image as it makes it difficult to write on them.

I use a small portable paper cutter to trim the card, but you could easily use scissors.

Center the design on the card as you do the trimming.

Check for the proper size and trim more, if necessary.

Any card can be salvaged, so don't overlook other holidays and occasions.

Of course you can simply write on the postcard, but I like to print a greeting on peel-and-stick shipping labels. By changing the font size to a small but legible size, you can even write the typical family letter.

If you have cards that are too small for the postal requirements, don't throw them away. These make great gift tags or gift enclosures. You can even make fun shapes by using your cookie cutters for patterns.

This project is great for saving money and saving the environment.