Janetti Spaghetti

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Is It Time to Go Cardless?!

May 30, 2022 By Janetti Spaghetti

I’m hip, I’m modern, I’m with it 😉 … quite some time ago Miss 25 set me up so I could go cardless, and pay instead using my phone.

But that’s not the type of cardless I’m talking about today.

No, I’m thinking of greeting cards, and in particular birthday cards.

lolly basket with birthday card
Miss 25 and her hubby gave this lolly basket to Mr 28 for his most recent birthday. I thought the card was from them as well because it was in the basket but got this text “I don’t do cards”! So I think the card actually came from my stepmum and dad. (Can’t get away with anything with the kids reading this blog LOL)

Christmas cards have pretty much gone the way of the dodo already. A big part of that of course is due to the speed and convenience of email and social media. It’s cheaper and better for the planet to send an electronic Christmas greeting.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been several years since I sent out Christmas cards; and these days we only receive a handful – and most of those are from real estate agents! 😉

But what about birthday cards?

birthday cards
For some reason I get a lot of cat-themed birthday cards?!

I must confess that we don’t always bother in our family. Gifts yes, but birthday cards are a bit of an optional extra.

You might be surprised to learn that even though I love writing, coming up with something to write in a card is guaranteed to give me writer’s block. The pressure! I really struggle to think of something fun / interesting / original – so generally I stick to the basics: “Dear such and such, Happy Birthday, love Janet and family”.

And have you seen how much some birthday cards cost?! They can be quite expensive for what is not much more than a piece of paper!

Usually I buy my cards from the cheap shop. We have a pressie box which I keep stocked with wrapping paper and various cards, so when a birthday or other occasion comes up, we always have them on hand.

photo of birthday cards
Birthday cards received by the husbear several years ago

At the other end of the spectrum, you have people like my stepmum, who puts a lot of time and effort into choosing just the right card for the recipient. It’s something that is uniquely her, and I always look forward to seeing what she finds!

woman holding a cat birthday card
I received this gorgeous kitty birthday card from my stepmum and dad a few years ago

The pressie box however works for me, as I struggle to find the time to browse and choose the perfect birthday card. In my case at least, I guess you could say the birthday card is becoming another casualty of our modern busy lifestyle.

birthday presents for Julia
Birthday gifts and card which we gave to Miss 25 a couple of years ago

Having said all that, I still like to browse birthday cards on the odd occasion I’m indulging in a bit of retail therapy. I particularly like looking for birthday cards for the husbear – if I come across the perfect card, I’ll buy it and put it aside even if it’s many months before his birthday.

I do still enjoy receiving and displaying any birthday cards I receive; but it’s true, then they do tend to end up in the recycling bin (except for the ones from the husbear).

It seems I don’t even tend to take photos of birthday cards, as the pics in this blog post are all I could find. I think this is something I’m going to start doing from now on though – so at least then I will always have the memories.

Are you team birthday card or not?

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Filed Under: Relationships

About Janetti Spaghetti

My real name is Janet Camilleri, and I love to write. Janetti Spaghetti is my third or maybe fourth blog ... but who's counting?

You can also follow Janetti Spaghetti on Facebook and Instagram!

Comments

  1. Suzie says

    May 31, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    My Aunt passed away the week before Christmas.
    I have been the one who kept driving to Sydney and had to get rid of things.
    I brought home with me a crate of cards from Birthdays, Christmas, both for her husband (who passed away 26 years ago).
    And donated them to the local day care centre at the end of my street.
    They loved every single card.
    The kids have made mothers day cards out of the covers and stuck them onto paper and written on the inside.
    I at Christmas time they will be making decorations from them. Like how as kids we did.

  2. L Duckett says

    June 1, 2022 at 11:21 am

    I still send Christmas cards the list is a lot smaller than it used to be and because my kids and grandkids don’t live close i send them cards with a little gift inside. I like you tend to go
    to the dollar store for cards.

  3. Janetti Spaghetti says

    June 1, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    Hi Suzie, that’s a great idea if you have a lot of old cards! It doesn’t really seem worth it for the 2 or 3 I might get for a birthday though. PS Miss Fleur says HI!!!!

  4. Janetti Spaghetti says

    June 1, 2022 at 3:48 pm

    I think I’d do the same if my kids (and future grandkids) weren’t local. Hadn’t thought of this!

  5. Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au says

    June 8, 2022 at 11:43 am

    Hi Janet – I gave up on Christmas cards and the family newsletter several years ago. With FB it seems like we all know what’s going on in each other’s lives, so it was all a bit redundant. But birthday cards are still a big thing for me. I like that it gives my adult kids the opportunity to write something nice to me that they wouldn’t take the time to say (we’re not big gushers in our family) and I also don’t give my ‘kids’ physical presents – just cash to spend on something fun they’d like to buy themselves – so a card is a good way to enclose the money and it makes it a bit more special. And finally, there’s the handmade cards from my little grandgirls – they always make me smile, so I’ll be hanging on to the birthday card tradition for a little longer.

  6. Janetti Spaghetti says

    June 12, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    Leanne, you’re so right cards are FABULOUS when you’re enclosing money or a gift card (as we often do).

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flourishing is my word for the year Perhaps we've already met - after all, I've been blogging for over ten years now. You may remember me from such blogs as Middle Aged Mama, Redland City Living or Footprints. I must be the master (mistress) of re-invention because here I am again! Here at Janetti Spaghetti, I'm blogging purely for the love of it - and I hope you enjoy reading, as much as I enjoy the writing. So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and come join me on the journey. Who knows where we will end up?!

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