5 Ways to Share Digital Photos for under $10

Giving birth to the first grandbaby on both sides of the family has its pros and cons. I've never had to purchase more than four items of clothing for my daughter. She has all eyes on her alone (still debating if this is a positive, given her personality). Her toy bin is filled to the brim. But one pet peeve that has sprouted and taken roots is incessant comments from the family at large wanting to see photographs. Apparently posting religiously on Facebook isn't enough for these photo hounds--they want something sent to them personally.

While the days of the portable photo book are over (ahem, grandparents) people have difficulty seeking out photos of the new bundle, regardless of ease. Here are some creative ways to display your photos for next to nothing and calm the raucous out-of-town relatives.

• Use basic software to make a video photo collage. Windows Movie Maker offers a free download (for Windows OS only) that makes it a cinch to add photos and/or videos with music, titles, and audio. If you own a Mac, use iMovie to do the same. I made my first 8-minute show within 2 hours and it brought my mother-in-law to tears. Burning to a disc with a printable label will only cost you around $3 per DVD
• Shutterfly now offers free, customizable sites for you to upload your pictures easily and allows viewers to order prints. You can enroll specific family members and friends to your site to avoid stalkers. The baby templates are really fun and inviting. Flickr is another great spot for photo organization with editing and sharing capabilities.
• Scrapblog provides a free service to create online scrapbooks. There are many free designs and other available for a small fee. If scrapbooking is your diehard hobby, you can purchase all those lovely stickers and background sheets for a fraction of the cost. Publish your work into a soft cover book with 20 pages for just $9.99.
• Kodak Easy Share is ranked #1 for photo sharing and organization. Plus you'll get 20 free prints just for signing up and free shipping on all products during the summer. Order personalized announcements, invitations, and funky products with your photos printed on them at low cost. My favorite is the Martha Stewart square stickers--30 for $3.99--and the photo baby onesies.
• If you have a big extended family who keeps in touch, check out MyFamily.com. It's basically a Facebookish app with more options to keeping the relatives in the know. The basic service is free and the next level is $24.95 per year, which works out to just over $2 per month. You'll get 100mb per member of monthly uploads, unlimited storage, and some fun themes to choose from. On MyFamily.com you can add discussion boards, files, photos, videos, family trees, and voice messages.

Any of the options above will get images out to those all-too-interested aunts and uncles without having loads of hard copies to tote around. Streamline the memories with these free options and you'll keep the photo naggers at bay.

Related: Shutterfly Coupons, Kodak Gallery Coupons