Save on holiday cards without looking cheap

If you look forward to opening the mailbox and getting holiday cards, you are not alone. Even in this digital age, people love receiving cards in the mail.

But they can get expensive, with a box of photo cards costing $150 or more. But the good news is you can save money and still be creative.

Consider local shops

Carolyn Deininger owns a card shop called Paper Wings, featuring creative holiday cards. She hears daily from customers who are tired of the same mass-produced family photo cards year after year.

"We're seeing a movement back to the tradition," she said. "You have this kind of magical item that has this beautiful design in the front, then you open it up and it's a handwritten message."

If you still want to send a photo, most of her cards are large enough to hold a 3-by-5-inch family photo inside, but with artwork on the outside.

The U.S. Postal Service estimates over 2.65 billion holiday cards are sold every year. That's enough to fill a football field 10 stories high with Christmas cheer.

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Trae Bodge is a nationally known smart shopping expert. She says if you're ordering cards from a mail-order house, make sure to plan for all the costs, including tax and shipping.

"If you're sending 100 plus cards, you're really going to pay for that," she said.

After you set your budget, she says, look for deals, as most sites have various coupon codes.

"Couponcabin.com has a lot of offers that can be applied," she said.

If you have leftover cards, Bodge says use the extras to make gift tags.

Consider digital

If sending a physical card will stretch your budget too thin, then consider the digital option.

"Digital is typically the least expensive," Bodge said.

For around $30 a year, she says, you can get unlimited digital cards from several card sites.

"The better cards require a membership base, though," she said.

Now is also a great time to get creative, using your child's artwork as a holiday card to make it extra personal and save at the same time. Deininger says people will appreciate getting something unique in the mail.

"They're not going to get that same card from anywhere else," she said.