I love everything about photography: the composition of photos, telling a story, looking back at memories.  Unfortunately, in this digital age, so many people take photos and just sweep through them on their phones!

Scrapbooking is my go-to hobby, along with card-making.  There’s nothing better than giving someone a handmade card or album that you personalized just for them – and with cards running $5-9 a pop, sometimes card making can be cost effective in the long run (depending on how many papercrafting supplies you purchase!)… I could talk about craft supplies for days.

Anyway, back to the point.  Scrapbooking isn’t digital. It’s physical evidence, with printed photos, flipping through pages, designed however I desire.  In order to scrapbook, I need to actually PRINT photos.  Even with backup USB’s and backup websites, I still want a guarantee I’ll have those photos forever – and the only way to do that, is to print them!

Printing can be pricy.  But, of course, I save up my photos until there’s a great coupon.  Right now on shutterfly, they are offering $20 off of a $20 purchase (on basically anything – prints, cards, address labels, photo books, photo gifts)!  I made sure my total hit just at the $20 mark.  With tax and shipping, I paid under $10 total for 147 4×6″ photos.  This ended up being cheaper than going to a drug store or big box chain to print them – plus I don’t need to leave my house, and they’re delivered right to my mailbox.  Use code FIRSTGIFT until October 14th at checkout.  Plus, If you spend over $39, there is also free shipping with code SHIP39.

Don’t have a shutterfly account yet? Go sign up.  You’ll automatically get 101 free prints just for signing up.  They offer free, unlimited photo storage, which works as a great back-up system to your phone or computer.

So, next time you are showing photos to your friends and family, don’t hand them your phone, hand them actual photos!