Starbucks Binder*: A Three-Month Update

It’s been three months since I set up my Starbucks binder.  A lot has changed since then, so a proper update is necessary.

Since my initial post back in February, a member of the Filofax for Philofaxy Fans Facebook group had posted a question as to whether or not people collected Starbucks gift cards and/or kept them in a Filofax binder (or stated that she was starting such a binder—I forget the details, now).  Several people were interested in this idea, and this triggered a new Facebook group: Starbucks Gift Cards, Trading Cards.  There are many websites and/or groups out there for trading Starbucks gift cards, but this was spin-off of the Philofaxy community, so it was one I was willing to join.

[Both Facebook groups linked above are closed groups, and you need to request to join.]

Now that I’m a member of a Starbucks cards trading group, I have acquired many new cards, cards that I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to get.  As per the group’s rules, in order to get cards, you have to send cards.  No money is involved, just a pre-agreed upon trade. 

Below are the cards I have collected since my original post.  Some I found on my own, friends and family gifted some to me, and some were cards that I traded others for.  I thank all of you who gave me cards, whether gifted or traded.  I am excited to have all of these cards as part of my collection!

You may have noticed from the photos I had to swap out binders along the way.  I started off with my compact brown Regency, which was absolutely perfect for this collection since the colors reminded me of coffee.

But, with collecting so many cards, I quickly ascertained that a compact binder would soon not be enough.  So I switched to my personal chocolate Classic/Cross.

On a sad note, you can see from the photo above that the binder is starting to peel at the edge, just as others’ Classics have done.  I’m very upset about this, as this binder was the first Filofax I bought for myself.  (I started off with a personal chocolate Domino, which was gifted to me by a friend.)  I don’t understand how after 5 years of owning this binder and keeping it in otherwise pristine condition, this could happen.  But, as we’ve seen too often of late, Filofaxes can and do go wrong…

Moving on!

Since I needed to move my collection from one binder to another, I figured that was a good time to reorganize my collection.  I started off with my city/state cards, seeing as it was the Texas card that started this ball rolling (though I had to put New York City first since it is my home city).

Then, I started my “specialty” cards—cards made for specific holidays and events.

Finally, the section for “generic” cards, meaning general thank yous, scenes, designs, etc.  Some of these may move to the specialty section when they’re no longer as common to get.

The last two probably should be moved to the specialty section now.  Although these cards (supposedly) are available in many locations, these two came of Germany.  These were one of my swapped cards.  If you look closely, you can see that the sticker (which I normally peel off) is in German, as is the text on the back of the card.

I’m very excited to have cards from another country and in a different language!

In addition to these cards, I also picked up a couple of new mugs while traveling a while ago:

The mugs I will collect only from places I’ve been.  That makes it more special.

You can check out related websites to get more information on Starbucks gift cards and mugs.

*Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Starbucks brand, gift cards, or mugs.  I am merely a happy (and well-caffeinated) customer.