Can you believe that now is the time to put together your Christmas cards? Every time we get here, I wonder where the year has gone! I love getting all the reminders that it’s time to work on Christmas cards because I love giving and receiving them. The only problem is that Christmas cards aren’t always budget friendly. Check out my favorite tips on how to get the best deals on Christmas cards.
When it comes to Christmas cards, I feel like I’ve done it all. Some years I’ve had professional photos printed on custom cards complete with custom return address labels, a few years I made my own, and then I’ve skipped sending Christmas cards a few times too. No matter how you do it, you can make it affordable to send Christmas cards.
DEAL ALERT: Shutterfly is having a Buy 2, Get 2 deal on calendars. Use code: CALBUY2GET2
7 Ways to Save Money on Christmas Cards:
1. Skip the custom Christmas cards and opt for an eCard or post the perfect photo on social media
Save money on the price of stamps by sending an eCard, detailed email with a picture, or put a favorite family picture on Facebook and Instagram. It’s okay to skip the holiday cards if you can’t afford them or don’t enjoy going through all the effort during the busy holiday season.
It’s also okay to skip the Christmas card hype even if you can afford them! Save that money and put it towards savings or charity instead. Bonus: you’re taking a minimalist approach and reducing your carbon footprint!
2. Go old school and send store bought folded cards with cute Christmas card designs
This is a great way to send holiday cards on a budget. Who doesn’t love getting a handwritten notes with a personal message? Tons of stores sell packs of cards for less than $5. You can even get them at the Dollar Tree. I’m not going to lie, I love the simple idea of sending non-photo cards.
I’m currently a fan of these recycled ones from Amazon:
Pro tip: Pick up holiday cards during the after holiday sales. Print pictures through a drug store to put in the card and you can personalize it even more.
3. Print your own cards/ DIY Christmas Cards
The world is your oyster with this one. One search on Pinterest will give you a ton of ideas. Last year I printed these on my home printer. It feels nice to design and print your own card. Download the printable here.
If you have kids or like being crafty, you can even make some cute handmade custom greeting cards with your favorite holiday greetings.
Pro Tip: I wouldn’t opt for printing your own photos. With the price of photo paper this isn’t the most economical way to send holiday cards.
4. Make Holiday Photo Cards with these Best Photo Christmas Card Sites: Shutterfly and Tiny Prints
Custom cards seem to be the norm these days. If you’re looking for the best deals on Christmas photo cards, then you have to check out these sites. I love how these sites offer a one-stop shop for custom photo cards with classic designs. If you’re big on sending a photo out with all your family members then these are the best sites to place your holiday card order. I also love that you can get personalized photo gifts on these sites too.
Shutterfly- Affiliate Exclusive: Save an Extra 5% with Code: EXTRA5!
Related post: Learn more about how to get the best Shutterfly deals and how to get free shipping here.
Pro Tip: Save an additional 20% off on Shutterfly when you sign up for texts! Sign up here.
5. Check out Groupon for Cheap Photo Christmas Cards
Groupon has lots of different deals for Christmas cards every year including deals from different stores and even Shutterfly.
6. Design your own personal Christmas cards at a store
Drug stores, Walmart, office stores, Costco, and Sam’s Club are all great places to look for deals on Christmas cards, especially if you like to do this kind of thing in person. You can either design online or walk into a store and ask for some help from the photo desk. You may even luck out with same-day pickup.
7. Get super personalized custom made cards with Etsy
Want a super customized card? Check out Etsy! Just remember that you are dealing with individual artists and they rarely offer coupon codes. On the bright side, your supporting a small business which is always a plus.
FAQ About Christmas Cards:
How Much Do Christmas Cards Cost?
Holiday cards can cost a lot of money, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot. You can get holiday cards for as low as 5 cents per card at The Dollar Tree, and as much as $4 a single card when specially ordered. If you’re on a budget you might want to skip the gold foil accents and opt for the simpler Christmas card templates.
The best deal might not always be the best for you!
When Should I Order Christmas Cards?
This is a great question! I definitely think you can save money if you are asking yourself, “when should I buy Christmas cards?”
I’m a fan of buying them early- between Halloween and Black Friday. This gives you great prices and plenty of time to address and send the cards.
If you plan to hire a photographer for Christmas cards, plan to hire one right after Halloween to give you time to get the photos back, pick the right photo, pick the right card, and order the cards with enough time to allow you to not stress of addressing all the cards.
Pro tip: you don’t have to stress over addressing Christmas cards if you get a great deal on cards that come addressed!
When is the Cheapest Time to Order Personalized Christmas Cards?
The perfect time to order Christmas cards and get the best deal is between Halloween and Black Friday. Tons of companies have their best photo Christmas card deals during this time.
What websites have the cheapest personalized photo Christmas cards?
If you want to get personalized Christmas cards on a budget, then you will want to check out these websites. All of them offer budget friendly photo Christmas cards, some as low as 28 cents each! These are my top picks for family Christmas cards, New Year cards, Hanukkah cards, holiday party invitations or even business holiday cards for your office.
- Shutterfly
- Tinyprints (usually costly, but great deals with coupon codes when you can find them)
- Walmart (as low as 28 cents a card!)
- Walgreens Photo
- Costco
- Canva
- Sam’s Club
- Walgreens
- CVS
- VistaPrint
- Cards Direct
- Snapfish
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Want more tips for saving money during the holidays?
You need to check out these posts too:
- Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- How to Ask Grandparents for Money instead of Toys this Christmas
- 125 Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments
- Family Advent Calendar Ideas
- Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas
We love Shutterfly’s cards. They are so easy to personalize and really make ours. Plus they will even address the envelopes for you!
I really like that option to have the envelopes addressed!
These are great suggestions. I remember how cool it was when I was little and we got so many Christmas cards. It was always exciting to get the mail. I miss that.
Oh yes, I still love getting cards in the mail. It’s my main inspiration for sending them.
I have used shutterfly in the past. My friend sends out this lenghty printed family update every year and i think holy moly who has time for that. My friends and family watch my family through Facebook so i just post something there. I dont think there is a person that’s not on there i would send a card too. For people and businesses that do send cards, shutterfly is perfect.
Ha ha! I’ve gotten those lengthy printouts in the past too. It’s crazy! Maybe I’ll have time for that when the kids are older?
I have not even thought about this yet this year but it’s due time isn’t it!? I will check out Tiny Prints and I have used Shutterfly in the past. Thanks for the ideas and inspiration to get started.
Absolutely! I hope you find something good!
I was just looking around fir Christmas card ideas for thus year. Last year I really over spent, so this is a great list for me to save.
OH yes, it is soooo easy to overspend!
When it comes to Christmas cards, I admit, I’m as old school as they come. It makes me happy to know that I’ve brightened someone’s day with a little something in their mailbox. Because we don’t send a lot of them, I’ll typically look on Esty and buy something I like that is speaking to me that year. x
Etsy is perfect for the people looking for something special! I love that the options are endless.
These days the focus is more on ecards and wishes flow like crazy on social media. But it would still be great to receive a personalized card. If the card is handmade, then even better. The charm of a kid’s hand-painted card cannot beat the most advanced animation ecard.
Such a sweet idea to do a handmade card. I love that!
I’ve always used the photo cards to make our Family Christmas Cards. You can find great deals on Shutterfly or even online at Walmart.
What a great idea to try Walmart. Thanks!
I really love the amazing things that can be done through Shutterfly. They do terrific books with compilations of all of your pictures that you take. We made several of them with my daughter when she was younger and they are always awesome. I will have to check into them for Christmas cards this year.
Yes! It’s awesome to make books through Shutterfly. We love that too!
These are amazing ideas to save money on Christmas cards. Never thought about using store bought cards. I’m definitely thinking of getting a personalized card from Etsy.
Personalized is so nice! I hope you find some you love!