Some call them Club cards. Other stores call them Reward cards or Membership cards. We all have too many of them, and understandably so. Those little pieces of plastic give you a discount, in exchange for being cumbersome and hard to keep track of. But what can you do? Until retailers drop their prices, shoppers will continue to use reward cards to get a good deal.
The other day, I saw a Reward card holder at the Container Store. It was almost like a little purse for all of your reward cards, and, although nifty, for me – it simply defeated the purpose!
Reward cards are about saving you money, not about spending it on another doodad. Luckily, there is another way to keep your cards organized. For eons, my mother has been wrangling her reward cards on a key ring. Mom’s way is better, and definitely cheaper.
First, find an old key ring. There’s probably one sitting in your junk drawer right now. Make sure it is at least an inch in diameter (that will make it easier to slide the cards around), or, if you have as many cards as I do, go for the two inch ring. That keeps everything simple.
You will also need a hole puncher. If you don’t have access to one, they’re available at any craft store, and pretty cheap. Plus you will find lots of other uses for it later on.
From there, it’s easy! Just punch the card opposite of where the magnetic strip is. If the strip is on the bottom, punch the top corner, and if it is on the top, punch the bottom corner. Feed them on the ring and you just slimmed down your wallet!
Now what do you do with them? I keep mine in my car, so when I’m in the store’s parking lot, I just grab the whole ring and drop it in my purse. When I come out of the store, I pop it back in the center console. This way, it doesn’t weigh down my bag, my wallet isn’t about to explode, and I always have it with me, no matter what handbag I’m using.
Reward cards are a great way to save money, and this is an easy way to keep them all organized and at hand. What do you end up doing with all of yours?
~V
Velma
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