Old calendars never really go out of date.
Photo credit:
Zawezome This little fact was big news to me. I was casually flicking through a magazine at work when something caught my eye; it was buried in the bottom corner of one page and stated that you can use old calendars in the years to come. And this year, there are a bunch of great old dates to choose from.
As some of you may already know, there are a limited number of combinations for calendars – 14 to be exact (half account for years with 365 days, the other half for leap years). Big deal? Probably not, but here’s why it excites me.
In this day and age of personalization, tattoos, piercings and various other ways to flaunt our individuality, most of us are looking for ways to express ourselves and make our surroundings more unique.
From an office cubicle to a garage or kitchen, we seek out items that say a little more about us. And for some of us, that often means going retro. I, for one, would prefer a calendar on my wall that stood out; maybe one from my pre-teen years when I was hooked on Buck Rogers and crappy Glen A. Larsen TV shows, and movies like the original Star Trek and The Black Hole. Oh, and 1987 was the year The Lost Boys was made...love that flick!
They don’t make 2009 Calendars for most of those shows and movies now. Why would they? But, they certainly did back in the day. And with the advent of eBay and Craigslist, you can pick up a piece of the past for the same price as a modern calendar (or a lot less in some cases) and proudly display it on your wall as a functioning 2009 calendar.
For the packrats amongst you, there may already be a stack of calendars in your basement or attic that once served you well. And now, they can again (the days are the same, although as fellow Wisebread blogger Philip Brewer pointed out to me, one or two of the events and holidays may be different). Anyway, here’s a list of old calendar years that will work in 2009:
A website called Time & Date lets you plug in your desired year to see calendars that will work for the year you want. In 2010, if you're planning ahead, look for the following dates:
Personally, I’m looking around for an old movie calendar or maybe a classic Norman Rockwell. Maybe you want a pop or rock group, or a TV show from back in the day. But whether you go to old boxes in the basement, or new websites full of old collectibles, it’s a fun way to bring a little useful nostalgia into 2009. Happy New Year.
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- remove the staples or spiral binding, frame the pictures, and you have cheap wall art!
- Rather than worry about matching up the year, just print out new blocks from your computer (easy with Microsoft Office, or you can find them on the internet). Tape or glue them over the old calendar grid, and your calendar is instantly updated.
- Use the pictures for gift wrap or note cards - cut the pictures into a card-sized rectangle, fold in half, and glue a piece of white paper or cardstock inside.
- Decoupage, scrapbooking, or other kinds of crafts.
I loved Lost Boys, even though my snob friends who know movies think I'm crazy for it. As far as calendars go, this is a great news. I've had great calendars that were a score, only to toss them out (albeit with a broken heart) at year's end. Now I'm going to save them. The only problem is, what to do about all those notes and messages that I've scribbled on them. A bottle or two of white-out, perhaps?
I had never thought about this - I used to think calendars were completely useless because you just throw them away after a year. But now I need to plan out schedules with work and family life. And now I think I will start keeping them - will be awesome to see one year, what I was doing the other year, on that day. Oh how life could be so different!
Great idea, thanks for posting. I have a tip, though, on displaying your content: PLEASE don't post screenshots of tabular data that looks like links. The two images from the Time & Date website look like regular tables, and one would expect the dates to be clickable. Instead, we have to frustratingly find out they're just screen shots. I would suggest eliminating the images altogether or replacing them with actual tabular data.
I love the idea of taping over new monthly grids on an old calendar! And I'll keep my eyes open for 1998, 1987 (my graduation year!), 1981, 1970 to reuse an old calendar for this year.
My mother-in-law has a nifty perpetual calendar to mark recurring dates. Maybe I could pair my own print-out (I mean, once I type up a list of birthdays and anniversaries) with a favorite picture to create my own calendar.
What a fantastic idea!! I will definitely make note of the "Time & Date" website.
This will also add some extra spice to flea market, thrift and garage sale hunting! Those vintage calendars have so much more character, and how fun would it be if there were actually notes from the early 1900's!!
XOXO
ThriftKitty
Great! Now I want that calendar that you've posted as an example! Do you have a high res file of it?
(I know this kinda defeats the purpose of recycling)
I found her. Gotta seek before you find.
Thanks for the idea!
i have a jaguar 1985 calender never been out of the package, does any one think if this is worth anything.
i want to feb 1981 calander