If you aren’t already using an allowance for every family member, start now.  Determine ahead of time what allowances must purchase, and stick to it.  Read The Money Tree by Sandi Larson for lots of ideas about how to use an allowance for kids. You can purchase a copy at:  www.bobbibopstuff.com

From now, and until the first part of November, every time you send a card to a family member or friend, take a Christmas card from the back of your box.  Spend a few minutes writing a brief note in their Christmas card.  Put the card in an envelope, stamp and address the envelope, and put it back in the box.  By Christmas, most of your cards will already be addressed.  You’ll just need to add any further thoughts, seal the envelope and pop it in the mail.

Go find all the Christmas cards you purchased after Christmas and any that you had left over.  If you didn’t buy any during the after Christmas Sales, and didn’t have any left over, then you’ll need to wait until later to accomplish this task.  Put the cards in the card organizer box.

Make a trip to the post office or go to usps.com to order stamps.  Buy enough to mail out all your Christmas cards, birthday cards, and other special occasion cards that you will be mailing for the year.  If you can’t afford to get them all at once, plan on purchasing more as soon as you can.  Put the stamps in your card organizer box.

Get a large shoe box or a card organizer box, and buy 24 to 50 all occasion cards.  Check out www.bobbibopstuff.com  for some great cards at reasonable prices.  (You’ll even find a card organizer book and a couple card boxes.)  Purchasing cards this way will probably cost you from 30¢ to 75¢ each.  You’ll save a trip to the card shop and at least $1.00 per card.  Put the savings in your tin. 

Organize the cards in your box or book.  There are many ways to organize the cards.  My favorite is by month rather than occasion.  That way, at the beginning of each month, I can see who has a birthday, anniversary, etc… and get cards sent out.  Then, I put the “unknowns” ( like get well, congratulations, sympathy) in the back of the book or box under their category