Saving every dime you can during the holidays presents quite a challenge when all sorts of small expenses creep up, starting with wrapping paper. The cheapest way is usually to wrap the gifts yourself, unless of course they come with free gift wrapping services, but even wrapping them yourself can cost you more than you were hoping to spend. Here are some tips for saving money on wrapping your gifts the frugal way.
How To Save Money on Gift Wrap
Reuse: The cartoons out of the paper make great wrapping paper for kid’s toys and gifts. Just start saving them and wrap with fun bows!
Use scrap fabric. If you are a quilter or like sewing, you may have fabric laying around that might be excellent for wrapping gifts in.
Buy “used” wrapping paper. The other day, I was at the thrift store and I saw half used rolls of wrapping paper for sale for 25 cents each. It may not all match, but this is an excellent bargain.
Use brown grocery bags to create your own. For wrapping paper, gently tear along the seams until you have a flat sheet. Use pencils, markers and stamps to create some fun paper. Turn these into gift bags by following the same idea. Add ribbon at the top for a handle.
Use part of the gift as the wrap. For instance, if you are giving a bath set, buy a low priced towel and use it to wrap the gift in.
Use found objects in nature to add special touches to your gift wrap. Pine cones, acorns, and small evergreen branches all add a nice touch to your gift wrapping centerpiece.
When purchasing wrap, pay attention to the amount you are getting. It may seem like a great deal to buy gift wrap at the dollar store, but you may be only getting 15 feet. You could get 50 feet for just a couple dollars more.
Don’t pay for gift wrapping services ever. There are many ways you can make gifts look presentable if you are not talented in wrapping or have very limited time. Gift bags are a great option if this is your issue. You can buy them at dollar stores.
Don’t buy gift tags. You can make your own by using templates found on Pinterest and printing them out onto card-stock.
Get in the habit this year of saving gift bags and paper to re-use. As long as people open the bags gently, they should be good for several years.
Skip buying boxes to put your gifts in. Simply start saving them now or look for free ones in the paper or online and use those. There really is no need to buy boxes ever. Often, you can get free ones from department stores if you ask.
For ribbon, just visit the clearance bin at your favorite craft store. As long as it is solid, any color will do. It does not have to be the traditional red or green!
Use gift wrap from other occasions even if it is not holiday themed. You can simply flip it over to have a blank white color and stamp it of leave it simple white.
More Gift Wrapping Tips:
How to Make a Reusable Gift Box
How to Make a Fancy (and Reusable) Bow
Tips for Organizing Your Gift Wrap
5 Simple Gift Wrap Ideas for Christmas
How to Create Wrapping Paper by Recycling Household Items
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Margaret says
If I need wrapping paper, I wait until after Christmas and buy at 10% the original price. By watching, I am able to find solid colored paper for every occasion for the year…red for Valentine, blue for men’s birthdays, yellow for baby showers, glossy white or silver for wedding showers, etc. Then I can add my own appropriate decorations.
Christy says
I never buy gift tags – just write on the paper using an indelible marker. I also don’t put my kids clothing gifts in boxes I just roll the article of clothing up and wrap – saves tons of paper. We have been using the same gift bags for years – some have multiple names on them. Part of the fun!