Affordable Announcement Option

As technology continues to take over our world, I often wonder if the postal service will soon become extinct! I love snail mail, so I am really hoping that it doesn't! It is always a treat to get something in the mail! I have a little addiction to thank you notes, especially monogrammed ones! I should really add up how much I spend in stationary and postage every year! It is probably a scary number!

With a stamp coming close to 50 cents, it is definitely expensive to send announcements, invitations, Christmas cards, etc. So, when it was time to send announcements for Charlotte's birth; I started researching options. I found some adorable options on Minted, Tiny Prints and Shutterfly, but with our list topping out at over 100, I knew I would be spending a fortune on the announcements if I went that route. 

In the past I have used Etsy for invitation designs for my nephew's birthday and for an engagement party. The designs can range anywhere from $10-$20 or even a little more for a custom design. You are buying the PDF/JPEG image and then you can either print or send as an embedded file in an email.

Announcement design by  Four Harp Designs 

If you do a 5x7 invite, you can fit 2 per page. I would suggest this because it reduces the cost of color copies by half. When you are planning to print, keep an eye out for a sale. I used Office Max for Charlotte's announcements and they were running a 25% off all printing sale. (Side note: Office Max and Office Depot are merging and they offer a significant military discount) With the military discount, color copies are 39 cents. Then, you would need them to cut the prints to the proper dimension at $1.00 per cut. I would suggest at least 100lb. cardstock for thickness. If you aren't interested in the hassle of printing, most Etsy stores will also print and ship to you!

Then, you need envelopes. I was in a rush for time, so I picked up my envelopes from a local supply store in Hawaii at a great price! I spent $8 for 100 5x7 envelopes. I would also recommend Amazon and cardsandpockets.com for an assortment of colors and textures. 

And finally, you need postage! You can always get personalized stamps on Zazzle to complete your look. I was able to find some cute floral postage stamps that somewhat coordinated with my address labels and envelope wraps.

Envelope Address Wraps by Four Harp Designs

Total Cost for 100 Announcements: 

Design- $18.00 

Envelopes- $8.00 

Color Copies- $19.50 

Envelope Wrap Design- $10.00 

Labels for Address and for Evelope Wraps- $15.00 (with plenty leftover for next project) 

Postage- $46.00 

$116.50

 You would easily spend this much for just your announcements on a site like Shutterfly or Minted! I should also mention that Charlotte's daddy took all of her precious newborn photos. He did such a good job! :)