$100 Christmas Budget: Wrapping It Up

 

CHRISTMAS WRAPPING

“Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.”

                                                                 Eric Sevareid

There are many ways to be creative in wrapping a gift.  Listed are some ideas:

1.  Make cloth bags from old clothes to wrap gifts.

2. Use newspaper, comics or brown bags from the store with a string or ribbon if you have some on hand.

3. Wrap in a T-shirt.

4. Reuse last year’s Christmas paper, bows or bags

5. Purchase wrapping paper and ribbon at 90 percent off during after Christmas sales. 

6. Save birthday wrapping paper and reuse.

7. Use cardboard boxes or brown bags and draw or stamp on them.  Try using a carved potato or old sponge as a stamp.  

8. Wrap in any fun container you have in the house:  lunchboxes, metal tins, canning jars, etc.

9. Try Furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping in scarfs, other fabrics, etc.

10. Save free boxes or bags from gifts given to you throughout the year.  

11.  Find inexpensive or free wrapping paper at garage sales.  

12.  Use old wallpaper books for wrapping gifts.

13.   Use plastic wrap and tie it with a ribbon.

14.  Try using foil.  

15.  Use baskets that you already have around the house.

16.  Wash and save plastic containers from salad bar purchases.

17.  Skip the wrapping altogether.  Santa doesn’t have to wrap gifts.  It is better to get your sleep and enjoy the family the next day instead of staying up all night to wrap gifts.

18.  Make paper flowers, bows, or origami animals, etc.

19.  Use old buttons for decorations on lunch bags or grocery bags for  wrapping.

20.  Use clear, plastic newspaper or bread bags with a ribbon around the top of it.

21.  Use mittens or socks.

22.  Use coffee cups or mugs.

23.  Use any extra glitter or sequins around the home and glue them to plain wrapping paper or bags.  

24.  Use old, clean paint cans or plant pots.

25.  Knit or crochet a container or bag.

26.  Use clear plastic containers with lids from orange juice, candy, etc. and decorate.  

27.  Use tree branches, pine cones or other things from nature that will work.

28.  Sew bags from old clothes, material, etc. to use year after year.