Never forget an important date again!

My friend Jen is amazing about sending cards. I don't think she's ever missed an important date. Heck, she even thinks to send cards for occasions that would never occur to most of us. Receiving a handwritten card in the mail is a refreshing break from all of the electronic forms of communication we're bombarded with. In an attempt to be more like Jen, I loaded outlook with every important date I could think of. Setting reminders on my blackberry would keep me from ever missing a birthday again. Wrong! Turns out you can hit snooze on a reminder just like an alarm clock on a blustery winter morning. After all, the reminder doesn't put a card, postage and addressed envelope in your hand!

Developing a card system

Supplies

• Expanding wallet (12 month pendaflex style folder like the one shown above)
• Postage stamps (forever stamps)
• Addresses and calendar information for the important people in your life
• It's easy to find a plastic expanding wallet at your local dollar store. Look for one that has at least 12 tabs in it. Label each section by the months of the year. Leave a pocket in front for extra cards that you'll keep on hand for emergencies.

• Next, create an excel spreadsheet of all the important dates you'll want to remember. How crushed would you be to lose this important information on your phone or computer? Make two copies of this and put one in the front of your file and take the other to your local Hallmark. If you want to really dazzle the world, keep the second listing for your local scrapbook store and hand make all of your cards!

• Take your list with you to your local card shop and purchase the next 6 months worth of cards at once.

• Bring the cards home and immediately address the envelopes. Do not seal the envelope or write out the cards until the day you send them. Write the date of the event in the upper right corner of the envelope. A quick flip through your cards will show you which ones need to be sent out. This information will be covered with a postage stamp later. Keep your forever stamps in the front of the file so you are never with out stamps.

• It's a good idea to keep several blank and general cards in the front of your file. Sympathy, congratulations and thinking of you cards mean the most when they're sent out in a timely manner.

• Check your file the beginning of each week and send your cards 5 days in advance so they're sure to arrive on time.