Frugal Gift Wrapping Part 3: Inexpensive and Personalized Gift Wraps
Frugal gift wrapping can be fun wrapping. Tightwads make a game of trading tins. Trim the packages with toys or lace. Add a bit of yourself to the wrapping on each of your gifts.
Frugal gift wrapping makes the most of what you have on hand. Beyond saving money, though, it includes a bit of you with the package. Your touch. Your thoughtfulness. Your creativity. Have fun with it.
• Cookie Tins – These are classic frugal gift wrapping for mailing candy and baked goods. There’s no reason to limit them to food gifts. Frugal friends can have fun sending the same containers back and forth year after year.
• Comics – Kids of all ages enjoy comics. Comics are good frugal gift wrapping for extra large boxes. You can tape several pages of them together to form a giant sheet of super frugal gift wrap. Use a toy or figure from one of the comics for the package decoration. If your comics include Garfield, you might use a small plastic Garfield figure or a Garfield stuffed animal.
• Fabric Remnants – Fabric wraps are good for odd shaped presents. If the present has pointy edges, it won’t poke through and tear fabric as easily as it would paper. If the gift is round, set the fabric under it and gather it on top, then tie. Fun ties are yarn, fabric strips, rickrack, lace, and braided cording.
• Plastic Wrap – These are especially nice when you don’t want to hide the gift. They are ideal for covering plates of home baked goodies and gift baskets.
• Newsprint on rolls – This is a super frugal paper to have on hand for many uses. Decorate it with potato prints or rubber stamps. Used plain, its creamy color goes well with brown bag wrapping.
• Paper Lunch Bags – You should be able to find packages of lunch bags in the grocery store or discount store, in the household goods section by the zip lock bags. The most common colors, and thus those that make the most frugal gift wrapping, are brown and white. However, if you go to a party store or paper goods store, they will likely have them in every color of the rainbow and then some.
• Shopping Bags from Stores – The smallest ones, the size you’d get if you bought a greeting card, are just right for photos and stationary. Slip in the gift, fold over the edge, and tape. It’s then ready for a bow or gift tag. Use the large ones with handles for hard to wrap gifts. They are also good when you want to give a gift basket type collection of small gifts.
• Chinese Take-Out Boxes – Some Chinese restaurants automatically provide paper take-out boxes with meals. If you don’t use them to carry home your leftovers, keep them and use a gift boxes.
• Commercial Gift Wrap – Buy it soon after Christmas. It will likely be at least half, and more likely 75 percent, off the regular price. Look for colors and patterns that you can use throughout the year. Red or red striped for Valentines. Gold or silver for weddings. Lodge prints for men’s birthdays. Just because it is store bought ready to use does not mean it can’t be a frugal gift wrapping.
Go to Frugal Giftwrap Part 1: A Thrifty Alternative to Costly Wrapping Paper Frugal giftwrap costs less than buying expensive squares of wrapping paper. With each frugal giftwrap in the list, you’ll find suggestions for embellishing and adorning it.
Go to Frugal Gift Wrap Part 2: Inexpensive Trimmings Dress Your Gifts In Style Frugal gift wrap personalizes packages. Regular gift-wrapping paper can be cheapest. Here are frugal alternatives. Try these if you are out of regular giftwrap and trim or if you want to be creative.
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