Just a little note...

        

I love a handwritten note.  In an age where texts and e-mails are most how often how we express our love and affection for one another, it seems that a handwritten note is truly a rare treasure.  If you're like me, you always have a list of thank you notes to write for shower gifts, kids' birthday parties or for out-of-town relatives that sent birthday money, etc.  And I usually don't realize it's a friend's birthday until I see if on Facebook and by then, it's too late to get a card in the mail.  For years, I have vowed to be better at this, to develop a system of writing notes and cards that wouldn't leave me feeling behind and allow me to actually enjoy writing these notes and put some thought into them.  
Part of my Happiness Project is to start a "new habit" each month and for the month of June (theme- Celebrate!) that habit is to "Celebrate loved ones by writing 1 note or card a day."  (averaging 5 a week) That would be over 260 notes a year!  I know it sounds like a lot, but if you think about the time you have sat and carelessly written 10 or 12 cards at a time for a party or shower and put little if any thought into what you wrote on each card, I think writing 1 note a day is actually more realistic.  This way I can really think about what I want to say and since I write my note at the end of the day, it ends my day feeling grateful for that person and for the gift they are in my life.  Pretty cool.
 

Getting Started

I have figured out a couple of tricks to being consistent with this.  The first is getting yourself all set up.  I have cute little bin near my bed where I keep thank you cards, birthday cards, blank cards, stickers, envelopes, my address book, return address labels, stamps etc.  
The second is taking a few moments once a week or so to pull out the cards for that week and address them so they are ready to go.  Doing this, allows me to literally spend 5 minutes each evening writing the note - I grab the card that is inches away from me on my bedside table, write the note, and set it aside to be put in the mailbox first thing in the morning (which Scout loves to do : )

Budget Buster? 

Now some of you may be thinking, "one stamp a day at 46 cents a stamp... "  You are right.  I do spend around from $8-$10 a month on stamps.  Which, to me, is totally worth it but you might consider that depending on what your budget allows.  Also, as far as cards go, my absolute favorite place to buy thank you cards and/or blank cards is at Target.  You have to look carefully, cause some packs can get super pricey, but they always have a 15-24 pack of cards for
$3.99 -$4.99 and they are printed on recycled paper (added bonus!).  I believe the brand is "Greenroom."  By far the most frugal choice would be to go with a bulk pack like the one pictured here.  I got this at Target for $13.99.  It includes 200 flat cards (not folded) and 200 envelopes of various colors.      

An Added Bonus

One of my favorite things about this new habit is that once I am up-to-date on all my thank yous and birthday cards I get to write "just because" notes to encourage someone or tell someone how much they mean to me.  It makes my smile when I get to write one of these cards.  So does that mean that this is indeed making me "happier"?