Saving Money On Wrapping Paper

That is some very good advice my friend, I appreciate it!

I'll add my 2 cents, there is one little trick I've been pulling for a while, well, in reality it is no trick at all, I do it because I genuinely think it looks pretty, but i'm sharing it because it also works as a way to save money, here it goes:

Just use a brown paper bag, I know what you're thinking, a brown paper bag?! People would hate that! But that's not the case, once you decorate the bag with colorful stuff, the plainess of the bag makes the decoration stand out that much more and it looks pretty awesome, something like this:

 

Most wrapping papers are seasonal so you can usually save a lot of money by buying them months or weeks in advance before the season begins. Right now, wrapping papers for seasons like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are very cheap because they are not in season. It may be a good idea to purchase them right now because when the season comes, the prices can double.

 

I don't spend money on gift wrapper. I give gifts without a a gift wrapper. This saved me money as well as time (I don't have to spend time wrapping gifts.) Instead of gift wrappers, I give gifts on paper bags or plastic bags. When I get back from shopping, I don't throw away paper bags and plastic bags. I store than and use as gift packs.

 

Wrapping paper is cheapest during the Christmas season. There's a place called Divisoria that is right in the heart of Manila where they sell the cheapest wrapping paper and cute boxes with good quality. My trick is to buy so many one time that would last for 2 or 3 years. The purchase includes a variety of ribbon. Yeah, you can guess that I do the wrapping by myself so I need to have a complete set of materials - box, ribbon, wrapping paper, gift tag. I buy all those in bulk.

 

I actually recycle wrapping papers most of the time. For every gift me and my family members receive, I see to it that I don't destroy the wrappers and I keep them neatly in a box. Once gift season starts or whenever I need to warp something up, I always open my box of used but still usable wrappers. I also use old magazine pages when I run out of wrappers to use. I love the thought that I'm not only saving money but I'm also doing the environment good.

 

I agree, buying wrapping paper out of season can save you a lot of money. For Christmas for example, I always have loads lying about because I'm always stocking up on it whenever I stumble across it. The same goes for Christmas cards. I also like to shop for them in bargain stores like Pound Stretcher and Home Bargains. Many, many times I've picked up some lovely stuff in there, some of which is exactly the same as what they sell in more upmarket stores such as Marks and Spencer!

 

These are some great ideas. I also try to buy plain, solid colored wrapping paper at those post holiday sales, so it can be used for other occasions as well.

Brown paper bags are great. They can be decorated to be very cute. A pack of lunch bags is far cheaper than picking up lots of gift bags. They work great for small gifts. I like white paper bags even better, so I always save those if I get them. The lunch bags also used to come in white, but I haven't had much luck finding them lately.

I also save brown paper that is used as packing material when items are shipped sometimes. I just smooth it out and use it as gift wrap. It too can be decorated nicely, or used as is and then apply things like raffia or dried flowers as a decorative finishing touch. That kind of stuff goes perfectly with brown paper.

 

Yes I agree buying wrapping paper and gift bags right after the holiday is the best way to get deals. You only get what you pay for with wrapping paper. I've bought cheap brands and ended up getting so frustrated because it would rip as I tried to wrap my present. I always stock up after Christmas. Sometimes you can find solids colors which can be used all year round. The following year you will be so happy once you realize you don't have to buy any.

 

I purchase a lot of wrapping paper after Christmas because you can get it for like 75% off. It is a great deal considering you are buying something that is just going to get destroyed anyway. Another thing you can do is swap wrapping papers with friends and family after the holiday season so that you have some new and exciting wraps to work with the following year and do not have to pay a dime for them. My mother in law and I have done this a couple of times.

 

I use tinfoil with gold ribbons or a gold bow so then it will look like gold and silver. Tinfoil looks good with any other shiny color as well and you can get a lot of tinfoil for cheap around here. Tinfoil is also a lot easier to keep together because of its ability to hold itself together. They also sell different colored tinfoil as well such as blue, yellow or green. People don't mind.

 

I usually get my gift bags and wrapping paper at the dollar stores to safe money. I have found similar or better paper and bags than other stores but at a lower price. Your suggestion is great too as they have great discounts after the holiday has passed even up to 90% off which in crazy good.

 

I rarely wrap gifts anymore. But when it calls for a wrapper I try to see if I have any in my stock for reuse. If not I go out and buy, they are not that costly where I am.

 

Well I know that I stocked up on it this year, so if all goes according to plan I should be saving a lot next year. Of course that means that I have to remember to use it and remember where I put it.

 

We also buy wrapping paper by bulk and to save more, we only buy for 3 occasions – Christmas, Birthday, and a universal wrapper for any occasion. You can get a big discount by buying by the hundred sheets instead of 3 or 5 sheets only. And to preserve those wrapping paper, we enclose it in plastic bags so the color will not fade due to time. We were advised to sell to friends but selling is not our line so we just buy in bulk that would last for 2 or 3 years.

 

Every occasions like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays, among others, I know everyone may be receiving some gifts from the said occasions. It is suggested that the wrappers of those gifts shouldn't be torn or thrown away instead they should be reused in the coming occasions. They should be kept for that purpose and of course, cost-saving is attained. It is simple way of recycling those used wrappers.

 

You can save money during the gift-giving season by doing any of the following:

1. You can simply use the paper bag of the store where you purchased your gift. Just make sure to remove the receipt and the price tag on the gift.
2. You can also use the brown paper bags from grocery shopping. I would usually add an old red ribbon to prettify things. @AgentD22's photo up there is a brilliant example to make your gift livelier.
3. You can use shoe boxes or canisters. In a way, those containers are gifts themselves.

 

I just buy a cheap Manila paper or construction paper with the favorite color of the person who will receive with. The simplicity is feast in the eyes. I don't think the news paper idea is amazing because it can be insulting to the person who will receive it. news paper idea will only appeal to a tree hugging hippie who values recycling. A plain white paper will also do because white shows purity. It is the ribbon that makes the presentation appealing.

 

I don't necessarily agree about the newspaper thing being bad. I've seen some really cute ideas for how to use it nicely. Check Pinterest.

I also like to make packages where the wrapping is part of the gift. I like a lot of these ideas, but this one is my favorite.

A good example is if you are giving a baby shower gift, you can wrap it up in a new, pretty, receiving blanket and tie it with a ribbon. The blanket is cute, and more importantly useful, so it's perfect. There is also no paper waste when you use this method.

I prefer spending the money on something useful as opposed to spending less on the gift and extra on the wrapping paper or gift bags.