How to Organize Greeting Cards

I love giving, and I like organizing.  So I try to be prepared for most special occasions ahead of time with cards and even gifts.  That makes it easier to be thoughtful, and let others know they’re special and really matter to me.
I keep a printable on the side of my refrigerator (very low tech), with a list of my family’s birthdays so I don’t forget when they are.  It just makes for a nice reminder, and one less thing I have to hold on to in my over-crowded head.  If you’re like me and need all the help you can get, here’s a link to these free printables:

Blue Birthday Tracker

Pink Birthday Tracker

Just fill it out, and put it in your home binder or on the refrigerator…or someplace that works for you!
Of course, they’re lots more occasions than just birthdays and anniversaries, and a simple way to be more prepared for all events is to:

Keep a stash of various types of greeting cards on hand.

For occasions like:

• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Thank you cards
• Graduations
• Get well cards
• Thinking of you
• Special holidays like Valentines Day…
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
• Christmas
• Baby Shower
• Bridal Shower
• Wedding

Now there are a couple of different ways to build your stash/stockpile of cards.  One way is to take a copy of your list to the store, and go ahead and pick out cards for everyone that you know you’ll want to buy a card for in the next year.  Add some generic cards for other occasions and you’re pretty much set.

Or you can just pick out some generic cards for different occasions and different genders and ages…

Now depending on your style and personality, your system can be as simple as
Tossing the cards into a decorative box and putting them on a shelf, or sticking them in a drawer,  so you’ll know where they’re at when you need them.

I also advise keeping your address book (or computer document of addresses) handy, along with some Forever stamps, and return address labels, to make it a snap to get your cards in the mail.

If you don’t keep too many cards on hand,

Another option is these spiral notebooks made specifically for the purpose of holding cards organized by months of the year.

I’ve had a couple of these through the years, but I usually have more cards on hand than they can accommodate.  🙂

So my solution was to use a decorative cardboard box, and make some pretty divider tabs that would fit in it, to organize my cards by occasion.  Now some storage boxes come with dividers already in them, usually with the alphabet letters or months of the year.  Mine didn’t, so I made my own with cardstock. First I measured my box to check the size I needed, and then cut my cardstock to fit.  Then for the top tabbed part, I used a file folder as my pattern.

My trusty label maker quickly printed out the categories I wanted for my box.

Then I made quick work of organizing my cards.

**A tip:  When picking out a box, keep in mind that it needs to be tall enough and wide enough to accommodate the widths and heights of the cards and a lid.

It also helps not to buy gigantic cards!
Unless you can fit your box in a drawer, without a lid, your cards will get dusty.

So make sure your lid will fit on the box without bending your cards and tabs.

These little cardboard storage boxes can be found almost everywhere at stores like Target, Walmart, Michaels…
Just try to find one taller and wider than a regular small photo box, so that various sizes of cards will fit.

Then put it on a shelf or in a drawer or closet, and you’ll be prepared for the next occasion that rolls around!  🙂

If you like using printables to support you in getting more organized, be sure to check out my other free printables!