Unusual Uses for Old Business Cards

I once had literally hundreds of business cards. In the days before computer software address books, I think most of us did. Now that we can capture the data by putting into any address book program or by scanning the cards directly into a specialized program, what becomes of all those cards?

Well, I have discovered some practical uses for business cards you no longer need. Having a small supply of them around can and does come in VERY handy at work at home and in the car. Because of their rather unique consistency and thickness, they are more pliable than cardboard and more sturdy than plain paper. Here is a representative sampling of possibilities.

You can use a business card or a piece of one as:

- A Tooth Pick.
Tear off a corner and fold it into a point. Voila! A Stimudent sans peppermint. A toothpick that cannot and will not puncture your gum by mistake. A quick clean before an appointment.

- A Fingernail Cleaner.
You are about to sit down for an important meeting and suddenly realize that there is something noticeably yucky under one or more of your fingernails. Your manicure kit or Swiss Army knife is not handy. An old business card will do the trick!

- A Slight Wedge To Balance Furniture, etc.
Folded over on itself, enough times to create the needed depth, the business card can be used to level out the legs of a wobbly chair or table.

- Noisemakers For The Wheels Of Your Child's Bike.
When we were kids, we would sometimes clothespin playing cards to the supporting bars of the fenders on our bikes so that the cards would be struck by the spokes on the wheel creating a motorized sound that we liked. Old business cards will do the same thing without destroying the one deck of playing cards you still have lying around the house.

- An Impromptu, but Short, Shopping List.
Leaving a few near the refrigerator leaves them handy to jot down items you need to get at the store.

- Non-Sticking Post-It Size Notes.
Write brief notes to people. Disposing of the card is then THEIR problem.

- A Drawing Media For Kids.
Children enjoy drawing and coloring on different shaped things. Asking a six-year-old to draw one family member on the backs of each of several business cards can give them a half-hour of fun to share and play with.

- Creating games using the lank backs of the cards to make your own game idea a reality.

- A Tool Of Deception For People You Don't Like.
Carry a few old business cards in your wallet. When you encounter someone you wish you hadn't, hand them one of them as you leave. By the time they figure out (if they do) that it isn't you, you'll be well on your way and the person you are get to get away from will have become someone else's problem. I realize that this one is kind of tricky and perhaps even mean - but decided to include it anyway!

I'm sure there are hundreds of other uses and possibilities. I leave some of them in many different places just in case I need one quickly: In the car, in the small table by the front door of my home, in my wallet and desks at home and at the office. You never know when one will come in handy. Use this list to stimulate your own thinking caps and use those old business cards creatively before they enter the world of (hopefully) paper recycling.