But there really is no better feeling than receiving an unexpected card in the mail (amongst the junkmail and, even worse, bills).
I'm a big fan of mailing cards and other "lemme-catch-up-with-you" letters...especially since my friends are scattered around the US.
I've subscribed to a couple of "frugal mom" (and the like) emails, and it was through one of these that I discovered cardstore.com. I ordered two cards from the site completely free (they didn't even ask for my CC info, which is the best way to determine there are no catches!)-- one for Lea's Sweet 16 and another for Melissa's birthday, which is next month. The quality of these cards has been far better than you find at Walgreens/Walmart/Target, and the cost is very reasonable. Most cards are around $2.99, which is about what you pay at the chain stores. Best of all, each card is personalized and you can even add a photo. The selection is good, plenty of funny cards, the site is user-friendly, and you can opt to have your order shipped directly to you ($1 shipping) or addressed and sent directly to the recipient (.65 shipping). If you ship to yourself (as I did with the girls'), it comes in sturdy cardboard packaging, ensuring it isn't bent during transit. I've sent my first directly to the recipient today (to Jana at Vanderbilt) and I don't anticipate any problems given my past experiences with the company. (FYI, they are currently doing free shipping, but I'm not sure how long that will last!)
Once I placed my order, a discount code popped up on my screen, valid through April 1st: 25OFF for (you guessed it!) 25% off of your next order. That makes the cards $2.24 each (even better!) so I may stock up on a few upcoming birthdays and simple I-miss-yous.
Send a card, send a hug :)
Enjoy, y'all.
***UPDATE****
Cardstore.com is doing another free promotional offer right now (I got the email this morning).
Free card and free shipping with the code CCE2246 at checkout.
Only one free card per account (although I did order and pay for a second) and (again) they won't even ask for your credit card information (or force you to create an account). It's completely commitment free (and you know how I feel about business commitments!)
