What do you do with greeting cards/thank you notes?

[Anonymous]

This has always been a problem for me. In general, I dislike clutter and collections of things. However, I struggle to throw away cards and notes, especially if they include a personal message from someone who it important to me. This extends to my kids because I think maybe one day they will treasure all these cards from grandparents, etc. However, their grandparents typically only sign a store bought card (rather than including a meaningful personalized message). Over the years, these things accumulate and take up a lot of space and I really can't imagine ever going back and reading them, but I also feel guilty discarding. What do you do with these things?

[Anonymous]

Read, take cash or check and toss

[Anonymous]

I put them on the fridge until they are replaced by the next set. Postcard, greeting cards, thank you cards. They go into the trash from the fridge unless there’s some extra special sentimental reason to hang on to them.

[Anonymous]

We put them up on the fridge for a week or two and then toss them. On occasion we keep one or two if they are anything special for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you should take a pic or scan them before tossing?

[Anonymous]

I toss all the ones that just say "Dear Lauren ... Love, Dad". Even if it says "Dear Lauren, Happy birthday, Love Dad" I toss it. Because it's not like he wrote from his heart or anything. It's just a cliched saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you should take a pic or scan them before tossing?

+1 If you struggle to let them go, make an electronic copy and the recycle!

[Anonymous]

We have a bin we throw all our receipts into -- I add cards that have a message in them or otherwise mean something to me. At tax time, I get to enjoy them one more time which is a nice break from tax time, and then they go into the recycling.

Exception -- I have kept a handful cards from people who are very old. I put them in my Christmas boxes. A few were the last ones I ever got.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has always been a problem for me. In general, I dislike clutter and collections of things. However, I struggle to throw away cards and notes, especially if they include a personal message from someone who it important to me. This extends to my kids because I think maybe one day they will treasure all these cards from grandparents, etc. However, their grandparents typically only sign a store bought card (rather than including a meaningful personalized message). Over the years, these things accumulate and take up a lot of space and I really can't imagine ever going back and reading them, but I also feel guilty discarding. What do you do with these things?

😄

[Anonymous]

I have a large Rubbermaid box full of old cards and letters which has basically every card/letter I’ve ever gotten since I was a kid (I’m almost 40 now and have 2 kids of my own. I put cards they get in there too.). I’m sentimental and have a hard time throwing stuff like that away but the thing is I have never and probably will never go back and read them. I know I need to get rid of them and stop saving each card I get. I have no problem throwing out other stuff. But things loved ones wrote to me is the hardest (cards from my grandparents, who are now dead, letters from my childhood best friend who became my pen pal when she moved away).

I need to do it though or else one day my kids will be the ones w the burden of discarding all my old mementos.

[Anonymous]

Thank you cards I generally have no problem reading and then throwing away. Greeting cards I normally set out on the side table in our dining area. They stay for a few weeks or until the next holiday. Then I throw them away unless they are particularly sentimental. We have a bin for special keepsakes (kids art work, programs from performances etc.). I put the special ones in there. But we're careful to not let that bin grow to more than one bin!

[Anonymous]

I toss them all.