Things You Can Always Find At A Thrift Store #1: Chirstmas Cards

Hello! My friend Libby suggested I mention that Christmas cards are plentiful in thrift stores this time of year (and in our town, at least one thrift store has Christmas items for sale the year round). This suggestion ties in perfectly with a blog category I'd been meaning to start: things you can always find in a thrift store. Instead of buying common items at the usual retail stores, save money by purchasing these items secondhand! 

By way of "research", I visited a local two-store chain, Bibles for Mexico, this week to see what Christmas cards they currently have on hand.  Both stores  had a good selection, including some never-opened packs. There were some nice quality cards, too, like a set that had originally been produced by the Museum of Modern Art (though it came to the thrift store via TJ Maxx)  Unopened packs seemed to generally range from $1.00 - $2.00.

However, last week I got an unopened set of 24 Christmas cards, made by Ikea, for 25c. Am I going to send these out for Christmas - heavens no! I'm punching them out with a 1" circle craft punch, and then I'll glue the circles back to back on a cord to make a nice little garland. 

Besides the unopened packs, there are many bundles of cards that would have come from opened, partially-used boxes. The amount of cards per bundle, of course, depend on how many cards had been unused from the original set, but I saw many attractive designs among these cards as well. Prices varied, but these were less than a dollar per bundle.

There are even single cards for sale; I think these are a dime each. Might be a nice way to find a special card for someone. 

Perhaps it goes without saying, but I'll add that all the cards do come with their matching envelopes. 

So, use them to send out your holiday greetings, or use them for crafting - you'll save money either way!