31 Things to do before Christmas - It's a Wrap

(This is #25 of 31 in the 31 Things to do series)

It's a Wrap

After you've gotten all of your Christmas shopping done (smile), here's the fun part.... gift wrapping.

You've stuck to your budget on the gifts, don't blow it on gift wrap. Spending five bucks on a gift back is ludicrous. Really, if you are really creative you don't have to spend anything on gift wrap. But if you have planned ahead and caught the after-Christmas sales in previous years, you probably have tons of gift wrap that you bought for pennies on the dollar, ready to go.

Here are some creative (or not so creative but cheap at least) ideas I have used for gift wrap:

1. Old calendars. A lot of places give out large calendars with poster size sheets. These are decorative and pretty intresting and can be used to wrap smaller gifts.


2. Comic pages from your Sunday paper.


3. Re-use gift bags and gift wrap from gifts you have received. As long as it's in good shape, it can be reused. Just try not to give it back to the same person who gave it to you! The tags on the gift bag is usually folded in half. Cut off the half that is written on and use the other half. Bonus - this is recycling.


4. When you buy glass items at a lot of stores, they will wrap your merchandise in paper to protect the merchandise from breakage. Some of these papers are very attractive and can be used for gift wrap. I asked a clerk if I could have a few extra on one occasion, and she gave me several extra, free of charge.


5. Colored tissue paper that has nice designs can sometimes be used for gift wrap as well.


6. This is another tip for after Christmas. When you go to the after Christmas sales, stock up on the marked down gift wraps and bags that have designs which can be used through out the year. I try to stock up on plain colored papers and bags, lots of reds, golds, greens and silvers. These can be used for weddings, Valentine's day, birthdays and other occasions.