Thing-a-Day 18: The Wrong Paper Rings

Thing-a-Day 18: The Wrong Paper Rings

A box of currency bands

A Backwards Step

I had ordered this box of 4-1/4 inch currency bands (used to hold together stacks of paper money) last week, thinking that they were self-adhesive. The idea was that I could use them to wrap a small stack of 3-1/2×2 inch business cards together, and stamp them with my rubber stamp as a kind of cheap-but-cool packaging. I didn’t want to use a rubber band for this purpose because it seems inelegant.

Alas, these particular currency bands are NOT self-adhesive. They are pre-glued, so it’s $9 down the drain. Such is the cost of entrepreneurialism. Rather than mail them back, I can probably find some organization that runs bake sales or maybe accepts donations in bills (churches, perhaps?) and donate to them. Worst case, Goodwill probably could find a home for them.

I’m using this setback as today’s THING-A-DAY, because it’s process related and took up my time, and not every day will be a hit. Today, I struck out. The next likely candidate for a cheap packaging solution are napkin bands, which apparently are used by the catering industry, and are self-adhesive. I’m having trouble finding a source of the larger 6-1/4 inch bands online that isn’t expensive, so I may visit a restaurant supply store up in Manchester. I like visiting that store anyway…so much cool stuff to look at!



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3 Comments

  1. Cherry Jeffs 9 years ago

    How about lick-and-stick brown parcel tape? Cut off a short piece, wrap round biz cards & wet just the last 1/2cm of the tape to stick. Decorators tape would also work :)

  2. Author
    Dave Seah 9 years ago

    Cherry: Ooo, great ideas! I’d prefer to avoid anything requiring licking, though! I’ve been thinking lately that maybe I should go with rubber bands and some kind of card that folds around the contents. If I can find a nice wide rubber band, that is!

  3. Cherry Jeffs 9 years ago

    Hey you don’t have to lick ’em! I wouldn’t either ;) Any little sponge in a small plastic container would do the trick. You put a little water under the sponge and it stays damp. You just drag the gummed edge over it.

    The rubber bands would obviously work but what I don’t like about them here in Spain, they just decay really fast because of the heat…and if you don’t put them on just right, the make a mess of the edges of your cards.

    Another other paper option is just ANY paper cut into strips and gummed with a glue stick :)