The following is a guest post by Whitney from Coupon Wonder Mom.
I’m always thinking of ways that I can save money. It doesn’t matter what I’m buying or what store I’m shopping in, I want to know how I can get what I want for less!
I mean, seriously, don’t you hate paying full price for some things? I know I do. One of those said things is gift bags and tissue for gift bags. Luckily, I hardly ever have to buy them!
I am a proud gift bag hoarder.
There, I said it, it’s true.
I save all the wonderful bags my daughters receive for their birthdays and re-use them. I even save the tissue! My friend recently had a rather large baby shower and I quietly asked her to throw all the tissue behind her as she opened gifts… that way I could go and swoop it all up and take it home.
And I did. I took them all home, flattened them out one by one and re-folded them, and then sorted them by color and stored them away. It’s seriously one of my favorite things to do.
It saves me so much money to have gift bags and tissue on hand. I have all sizes and colors all sorted and ready for me to use. Not only does it save us money, it saves me time and hassle. I never have to run to the store and get a bag before I go to a birthday party. Not to mention that a gift bag can easily cost around $5 – ouch! It’s also very “green” to re-use!
Don’t feel like being the one who hoards tissue and gift bags?
Another way to minimize the amount of money you spend on gift wrap is to utilize the Dollar Store. People don’t know (or care) where the bag came from. I used to shy away from Dollar Stores back in the good ol’ days when money grew on trees and I didn’t know what frugal meant. However, times have changed and I’m much wiser now! The 99c Only Store in my area is one of my favorite places to shop.
Most larger stores like Target also have economical gift bag options. They are usually the solid colored bags made from thinner material. There is nothing wrong with these bags either!
Lastly, I’ll share my ideas on how to make a gift basket.
For baby showers and raffles I prefer putting gifts inside baskets that can be reused. My favorite for baby showers are those cute plastic laundry hampers that have wheels or nursery storage baskets. Have you ever tried to fill one of those with gifts? Boy, those things are deep!
The first time I put together a gift in one I thought the basket looked pathetic. I felt I had adequate gifts but the basket still looked empty! That’s when newspaper comes in handy. Since I get several newspapers each week I always have some sitting in recycling. I take several sections of newspaper and bunch them into large balls. Do this several times and layer them on the bottom to act as a platform. Then place some gently used tissue to cover the newspaper, arrange the gifts on top, and voila!
These tips are sure to save you some money. I’ll bet you not one person will notice the difference–especially the little kid who tears everything up. Besides, the recipient will be grateful that you saved the money and put it towards buying them a better gift (right?!).
What are your creative ideas for saving money on gift wrap?
I do this, too! A friend came up with a neat idea for kids’ gifts, too…. Put the gift in a pillowcase (A lot of times, you can find them on clearance, especially kiddie ones.) If it’s for a girl, tie it closed with a hair scrunchie or a ribbon for their hair. The wrap becomes part of the gift! My kids loved the cases she gave them. They became their special cases for sleep-overs & trips.
I’m so happy to hear that so many of you do the same thing! Just this past weekend my friends were laughing at me as I was folding up my tissue… but it’s SO worth it! I never thought to ask for gift boxes and use brown paper – very good ideas!!
I do this too!!
I love it, the hubby is even on board and brought some tissue home from a retirement party they had a work.. I had to laugh a little but its a GREAT way to save money!
I use brown paper. I’m a costume maker so I always have it to make patterns out of. So I wrap in brown paper with fabric Ribbon Bows. I stock up on wired ribbon after christmas when it’s 90% off in stores. Then I write the persons name and sometimes draw a little something with sharpie on the top. It’s completely recyclable.
Honestly, I am a gift wrap/bag hoarder too, so I rarely have to buy them either. But when I do I love going to the dollar store (ie. Dollar Tree) and buying them there. They have some very nice bags and they are only $1. Works for me!
I like to buy Christmas paper when it is very cheap and then I turn it inside out and let my kids draw on the white side for the “homemade” decorations!
I am really big on when shopping (even for myself) i ask the store for a gift box. Most stores will give them to you for free (Victoria’s Secret, Aerie, etc)… I stick the gift box, and the bag from the store in an under the bead storage box, and that way I NEVER buy gift boxes. Also – some stores will also throw in tissue paper (since they think you are wrapping up a gift, and want it to look nice since it reflects on their store. 🙂
I love using old maps as gift wrap! It’s a fun vintage look and doesn’t cost anything.