How to Go Green and Save Money on Shipping, Cards and Stationery

Mailing supplies comprise one area where, not only is it easy to go green, it's more profitable, too! Try some of these ways to save money on cards, envelopes, postage and stationery.

Make the overall package you use smaller when shipping large envelopes or boxes. Sometimes just the fact that the packaging is half an inch longer can raise or even double the price. If you can, cut padded envelopes in half to make two and tape them closed down one side. Ship items in the smallest box possible. Check package sizes online before going to the post office. If an item is already in a box, just wrap the box in heavy paper (this is a great way to reuse paper grocery bags) and ship it.

If you are shipping a heavy item, consider flat rate shipping. You can pick up flat rate boxes at your local post office or schedule for your mail carrier to leave them at your door. You can ship as much as you can fit into in anywhere in the US for one flat fee. It is possible this may be cheaper than shipping another way.

Compare prices, but generally avoid companies like UPS, FedEx, and other private shipping companies. They are almost always very expensive and USPS is usually the cheapest.

Use recycled materials when shipping. Save good, sturdy boxes, padded envelopes, and packing bulk such as packing peanuts and bubble wrap to use again. To save room, I like to break down and flatten the extra boxes for storage. They fit nicely between the washing machine and dryer, in a closet, or behind the couch.

There are many types of free, natural, and environmentally friendly packing supplies you can use at home. Crumpled newspaper is the old standby, but there are other things you can use as well. Shredded paper from destroying important home documents makes excellent padding for packing materials.

If you are not going to ship overseas, you can use dry hay or straw to pack your boxes. I have also heard of people using unflavored air-popped popcorn. This is great because it is biodegradable and can be composted. Looking for something to do with all of those plastic grocery bags? They make excellent stuffing for packages and weigh less than newspaper. When moving, use bedding, pillows, clothing, socks, and underwear to pad your fragile items. I save any other soft items such as Halloween spiderweb decorations, plush toys, towels, and pet toys for these purposes.

If you need any type of packaging, you can usually get it for free by asking on Craigslist or Freecycle. There are many people who have just finished moving to a new place that would be happy for you to come pick up all of their packing or shipping supplies rather than letting them go to waste. Plus, they won't have to drive the items to a recycling or trash collecting facility.

You can make new, free holiday cards by reusing old ones. Save your old birthday cards, thank you cards, and Christmas cards. You can either cut off the back flap and write on the blank back of the front of the card and use it like a postcard (postcards usually require less postage than letters), or you can take a clean sheet of paper, cut it so that it is just smaller than the inside of the card and glue it in. This will make the card appear brand new again and you can reuse it.

I also like to make my own stationery from recycled materials such as old cards, calendars, magazines, note paper, and old books. Cut out drawings and beautiful pictures with a pair of sharp scissors or an Xacto knife. Create beautiful scrap collages on paper and envelopes by putting a light application of glue on the back and gluing them to the surface. You can also use cut-outs like stickers on letters and envelopes by putting a small amount of glue on the back.

You don't need to buy envelopes. Make your own by folding scrap paper. You can fold your envelopes from beautiful magazine pages, calendar pages, blank paper, children's drawings, old phone books, junk mail, and scratch paper. Check out this website with different ways to fold your own envelopes.

Some other options include going without an envelope entirely and just folding the letter over on itself and sealing it with a sticker, a piece of tape, or a dot of glue. You can find ways to do this as well at the above website. I also like saving the envelopes sent to me in the mail for return mail. Often, they are blank and can be sent to anyone. If there is an address already printed on the envelope, you can glue a piece of paper over it and write in the new address.

If you have envelopes and find that, over time, the glue on the back has become moist and the envelope is sealed shut, hold the back of the letter over a boiling tea kettle, being careful not to burn yourself. The steam issuing from the spout will soften the glue and after a few moments, you should be able to open the envelope easily without damaging it and reuse it again.