Many moons ago, I worked in student ministry at a church. Each year, my mailbox would be filled with Open House invitation. Even forking over a measly $5 per student would have stretched our budget beyond belief.
I began creating postcards for students to fill out in the fall when they needed a boost and some encouragement. I pre-addressed the cards and even stamped them so all the graduate would need to fill out would be their new address along with some of their favorites.
From the favorites, I built care packages especially for each student whenever the card made its way back to me. I wrote encouraging notes and in later years had our girls put their artwork in the care package, too. The students often commented that the pictures from the girls were their favorite part of the care package! Simply spreading out the blessing eased our gift giving budget. We were still able to give students a gift but didn’t need to give 10-15 at the same time. And they got something they loved when they needed encouragement.
This year, I created a special half-sheet postcard for you to print out and give to the special graduates in your life this spring. You’ll want to use a cardstock so that the card arrives safely back to you in the mail. I went with a half sheet over a traditional postcard size so that there would be more space for writing. This means you’ll need to check the postage rate and be sure to apply the correct amount.
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free on Kindle or Pre-Order Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After (due out November 2014).
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
[…] Create a care package postcard. Need to spread out the expense of graduation gifts? Use a word processing or design program to create a personalized postcard for graduates. Include blanks for students to fill out their favorites – candy, school supplies, snacks, colors, and more – as well as their new address. Self-address and stamp the postcard and then whenever the student needs a boost of encouragement, they can drop the postcard in the mail for you to create a personalized gift. Rarely do students drop them in the mail the same week, so you’re able to spread out the cost throughout the year. I’ve made a card for you to print out for FREE here. […]