broke greetings

I am pretty disgusted to see how much greeting cards are costing us at the stores these days. Aside from the occasional 99 cent special that you can find at the dollar store (which tend to be off-register, misprints, misspelled, or worse), I just can't see buying greeting cards for people anymore. There is nothing worse than blowing $5 or $6 on a greeting card from the store, and then watching the person read the card, thank you for gift and throw the card into the trash with the mangled gift-wrap. So what are your options?

One - quit sending greeting cards altogether. This is a sure fire way to get yourself banned from family get togethers and parties. If you're a hermit and don't want any friends or family, this might be a good choice. Personally, I'd reconsider.

Two - Make your own greeting cards. This can make for a truly personal gift if you have some creative skills, but you also have to make sure that you have the time that it takes to put something together. If you don't have an artistic bone in your body, I'd suggest option three.

Three - Subscribe to an online service greeting card service, like eGreetings. Valentine's Day is coming up, so here's your chance to send out something hilarious like their funny Cupid pickup lines eCard.



An annual subscription is only $13.99, which gets you *unlimited* eCards. Heck, that's the cost of only three physical cards from a retail store. Best of all, a membership allows you to schedule when your cards are to be sent. So here's my advice...

Get a membership. Sit down one afternoon and pick your cards for the entire year - for everyone. Include birthdays, holidays, and why not throw in an occasional "thinking of you" card while you are at it? This way, you can cross greeting cards off of your list for the entire year, and concentrate more on gift giving.