topic Re: Accumulating greeting cards in Community Chat

Accumulating greeting cards

mibaker — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 21:18:21 GMT

I have quite a few greeting cards from friends and family. Been tackling the clutter and have been successful but have saved cards and need a new system. Do you keep them from year to year then toss? Do you toss them after the occasion is over with? Keep a few special ones? When my parents passed away they had saved cards and they didn't mean much to me so I know what I have will not mean a thing to my daughter. I have saved cards from 2 of my dearest friends and haven't looked at them since I put them away. More of a sentimental item than a needed item. I have saved some of the fronts that I really like and framed them. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

gidgetgh — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 22:07:06 GMT

I read and throw them away. Actually I shred them because our recycling center takes shredded paper. I only have kept two, one from my husband and one from my parents, from the last year my mom was alive. I keep the memories in my head and heart and don't need the cards.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

mewsmomtoo — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 22:30:11 GMT

I keep most of the ones from my family. I saved all the postcards my sister sent when she went to Europe and I have saved all the letters she and parents wrote to me. They are in 2 paper bags at the moment, but I just bought some nice boxes to keep them in. To me, they are like little time capsules and don't take up much space. When I pass away, they can toss them.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

ROMARY — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 23:19:49 GMT

I would keep all of the cards in waterproof containers. We really never know who, down the line, will treasure those cards. They will be 'vintage' many years from now. Also, I have made postcards out of greeting cards. Make sure you use the first class envelope stamps on them, though. Sometimes if the post card is even a slight bit larger than the standard post card, it won't be delivered unless it has the higher priced regular postage stamp.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

TX-starlight — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 23:21:41 GMT

I have started recycle/using them for note pads. I keep cards from family,but that is all. I have kept several pretty Christmas cards, with intentions of somehow recycling tham also.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

jackthebear — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 23:45:33 GMT

look at them and recycle

the only ones I have are from my wedding and when my kids were born, everything else recycled otherwise it piles up

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

chrystaltree — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 01:44:54 GMT

I only save cards that are particularly beautiful or unique. I have them in scrapbook. I did have a box of old cards but I kept special ones from my husband and my girls and through most of the others away. I'm not into clutter anymore.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

PinkyPetunia — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 03:19:35 GMT

I used to save cards when I was much younger. I moved a lot and dragged them from place to place. Eventually I went through them and they didn't really mean anything to me so I pitched them. Now I never save cards. I display them for a few days when I get them, then they go into the trash.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

Kachina624 — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 03:25:22 GMT

You could always scan them into your computer, then destroy. I don't keep junk like that. It accumulates and becomes overwhelming.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

Marienkaefer2 — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 03:32:59 GMT

I have kept a few. The last ones I received from my grandparents before they passed, as well.as the last one from my aunt before she passed.

Before I moved a couple years ago, I had a scrapbook with all of the cards since my birth. My mom had started it. I looked through them all one more time, scanned a couple, then recycled the rest.

Now when I get a card, I keep it for a short while after the event, and then recycle.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

151949 — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:48:13 GMT

When my grandmother died my Mom went to clean out her house and found she had kept every card she had ever received in a huge box in her closet. Many of them had cash in them and when my Mom went through them the cash totalled up to over $16,000. Can you imagine?

I throw away cards about a week after we get them.The Christmas cards are displayed on the mirror of our buffet while the Christmas decor is up then tossed out when I take the Christmas tree etc down. I always think I should save them to use for some decoration the next year but I never have as yet. Some of the ones that are family pictures I save.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

hckynut — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:38:07 GMT

All this is an individual thing. Some like keeping things saying they are important to them. Others like to think everything is important to them, and by this point in your life I would think you know yourself well enough to make this decision.

Everyone is different and one only need watch a few minutes of a "hoarding show" to see how different people can be when it comes to keeping things.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

NYC Susan — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 05:37:22 GMT

I keep them, and always have. Not every single card I've received, but those that are meaningful to me. I have every card from my engagement, wedding, and the births of my children along with lots of other cards from various other occasions.

My grandmother always wrote beautiful long notes on cards in her gorgeous, flowery handwriting, and ever since I was young, I didn't want to throw those away. Most people who send me cards write something inside. If they were just printed cards with signatures, I would probably be less inclined to keep them. After an occasion is over, I look at what I have, pull out a few that I want to keep, and recycle the rest in various ways.

I've sadly lost a lot of people in my life, and having cards & notes that they sent brings me a lot of comfort. My children (grown up now) have always been interested in those kinds of links to the past too.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

OnlyShopsOnline — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 03:01:40 GMT

I had one whole drawer in my secretary desk filled to the brim with cards from my daughter and husband over the years. I finally just tossed them because I needed the drawer space. And, I made them promise to not spend any more money on cards.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

circles — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 04:26:21 GMT

On 7/28/2014 happy housewife said:
When my grandmother died my Mom went to clean out her house and found she had kept every card she had ever received in a huge box in her closet. Many of them had cash in them and when my Mom went through them the cash totalled up to over $16,000. Can you imagine?

I throw away cards about a week after we get them.The Christmas cards are displayed on the mirror of our buffet while the Christmas decor is up then tossed out when I take the Christmas tree etc down. I always think I should save them to use for some decoration the next year but I never have as yet. Some of the ones that are family pictures I save.

wow.....what a nice surprise...but think of all the people who may have never been thanked and never knew if she received the cards and money....

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

goodstuff — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:12:26 GMT

I usually keep cards for a while and then toss all but the very special "keepers". It's nice to receive cards, but for me they don't need to pile up forever.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

happygolfcartrider — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 13:29:14 GMT

A perfect way to keep cards and not take up room is to take a large round coffee container, cut the bottom out. Wrap yarn around and around and around top to bottom. Put lots of yarn.

When you are done you can put one card on each round of yarn. Holds many many cards and takes hardly any room to store.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

ROMARY — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:49:23 GMT

If one just can't toss those cards, (such as me/myself), then a good idea would be to just store them in one plastic container, in the attic/storage room/garage/basement. That way, if someone 'down the line' is very sentimental, they won't have to go to vintage shops to buy them. Also, I've heard that learning cursor/handwriting isn't an option now-a-days for some kids; and perhaps, one day, any card with actual handwriting will be a treasure from the past.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

ROMARY — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:55:42 GMT

p.s. Some cards are very expensive now-a-days, and most likely in 20 (and many more) years from now they could be worth hundreds of dollars each, especially with beautiful handwritten notes. I love to view vintage Valentine's Day cards. They are beautiful.

Re: Accumulating greeting cards

ROMARY — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 21:00:34 GMT

Oh, p.s.: I just thought of this........As far as scanning cards and storing in a computer/whatever, in twenty, thirty, or more years, the gadgets of today will be obsolete; and I doubt our heirs will have the time or interest to bother to transfer what we are using now into their gadgets of the future. But, just maybe, if they run across the actual cards, they will appreciate and save them for their children/heirs. Just thought of that, right or wrong............