Thrifty Gift Wrapping Ideas

 

Your tree is up and decorated, your holiday gifts are purchased, now it’s time to wrap!  I always forget to budget in the cost of wrapping goods- the paper, the bags, the boxes, tissue paper, ribbon, bows, nametags, tape…..these little things add up quickly!  And if you think about it, it all goes directly into the trash afterwards!  

A few things you can do to save some green is to buy all of your wrapping from the Dollar Tree or 99 Cent store.  Look for items that come in bulk, such as packages that contain multiple gift boxes or bags for $1 instead of buying them each individually.  Be sure when buying wrapping paper that you pick out rolls that have the largest square footage to stretch that dollar a little farther.  You can get tons of adhesive nametags for $1 and stock up on bags of assorted bows.  I can usually get all of my wrapping for under $20.

You can also get creative and use newspaper or magazines as wrapping paper.  Remember all of those Black Friday ads that came in paper—put those to some good use.  Or if you happen to have a surplus of brown paper bags, turn them inside out and wrap your gifts.  Have your kids decorate them with markers, stamps, stickers, and more.  Here’s a fun tutorial from Heidi.

Here’s a list of some cheap packaging ideas:

• Oatmeal canisters
• Chinese takeout containers (ask for extras when ordering, or just be sure to wash it out well—no one wants a sweet and sour present)
• Wallpaper
• Tin foil
• Fabric scraps
• Old pillow case
• Paint cans
• Blank butcher or craft paper
• Shoe boxes
• Glass jars
• Baskets

You can also save your bags and bows that didn’t get torn to shreds by the kiddos for next year’s gifts.  And remember, all of this WILL be on sale the day after Christmas so why not stock up in advance?

And that’s a wrap!

 

 

 

 

Your tree is up and decorated, your holiday gifts are purchased, now it’s time to wrap!  I always forget to budget in the cost of wrapping goods- the paper, the bags, the boxes, tissue paper, ribbon, bows, nametags, tape…..these little things add up quickly!  And if you think about it, it all goes directly into the trash afterwards!  

A few things you can do to save some green is to buy all of your wrapping from the Dollar Tree or 99 Cent store.  Look for items that come in bulk, such as packages that contain multiple gift boxes or bags for $1 instead of buying them each individually.  Be sure when buying wrapping paper that you pick out rolls that have the largest square footage to stretch that dollar a little farther.  You can get tons of adhesive nametags for $1 and stock up on bags of assorted bows.  I can usually get all of my wrapping for under $20.

You can also get creative and use newspaper or magazines as wrapping paper.  Remember all of those Black Friday ads that came in paper—put those to some good use.  Or if you happen to have a surplus of brown paper bags, turn them inside out and wrap your gifts.  Have your kids decorate them with markers, stamps, stickers, and more.  Here’s a fun tutorial from Heidi.

Here’s a list of some cheap packaging ideas:

• Oatmeal canisters
• Chinese takeout containers (ask for extras when ordering, or just be sure to wash it out well—no one wants a sweet and sour present)
• Wallpaper
• Tin foil
• Fabric scraps
• Old pillow case
• Paint cans
• Blank butcher or craft paper
• Shoe boxes
• Glass jars
• Baskets

You can also save your bags and bows that didn’t get torn to shreds by the kiddos for next year’s gifts.  And remember, all of this WILL be on sale the day after Christmas so why not stock up in advance?

And that’s a wrap!