Green Tip Tuesday

It's Green Tip Tuesday!  Most of my friends and all of my family live a thousand miles away.  Due to my "strained" relationship with the US Postal service and my basic procrastination I am notorious for being late, (sometimes very late), sending out cards and gifts.  I have found the answer to my prayers and it's made even better because it's environmentally friendly.

Send e-cards and e-gifts.

I know, e-cards have existed for years, but they weren't always that great.  Recently though, while looking for a way to connect with my 3 year old niece and celebrate her potty victory, I re-examined http://www.hallmark.com/.  Their website has completely changed in the past couple of years.  No longer are you stuck with just a few designs with dicey clip-art that appears on the screen while tinny background music plays too loudly or softly in the background.  Gone are the days of e-cards that look like a 6 year old got hold of PowerPoint.  Now there are many e-cards available, many of them are hilarious, that contain animation, music, and dialogue that will have your recipients laughing and sharing the e-card with others.  I went ahead and bought a subscription for $9.95/year.  I have already sent about 15 e-cards (which would have cost $.99 each) and plan to send many, many more.  I am even considering sending e-cards for Christmas to all my friends and family who have email.  I don't know if I can go quite that "green" yet, but I am considering it.

And the e-gift-card options are endless.  You no longer have to send a gift card that may get lost in the mail, or not have a proper activation code, or that just ends up in a landfill when the credit has been used.  It is a procrastinating environmentalist's dream, I tell you.

Now if only I could convince my puppy-wanting-daughter to get an e-pet instead...