Wrapping paper

i bought wrapping paper today. here is my thing about the wrapping paper. You take the time and pay alot now for very pretty paper the ultimately ends up in the garbage. It seems like such a waste. I feel the same way about greeting cards, unless there is something heartfelt worth keeping I tend not to do the cards. When my kids were young I would wrap gifts in the funny papers, they were bright and colorful and the kids liked them. I have even tried gift bags, which i prefer because they can be re-used. One of the smartest things I have seen is the use of small blankets to wrap items, no waste there!

 

I actually do not use newspaper because I hate the way that it looks. Typically I will use regular wrapping paper and sometimes scrapbook paper if I am looking for a unique twist.

 

We used wrapping paper to wrap out presents, and I usually stocked up on them after the Holidays were over. They were 80% off regular price, so I also stocked up bags, and trimmings. I found the bags are easiest to use, and we can reuse them too, which means saving money

 

I tend to buy my wrapping paper for the next year when it goes in sale after the holidays. I am not very creative when it comes to finding other means to wrap gifts. I actually like going into the gift wrap sections and finding pretty themes and decorations for the gifts. I do like to use gift bags as well, because you can recycle them and get a second life out of them, only having to pay once. I find them handy for collecting the donations in my house and then use them as the packing device when I take donations to my local thrift store. If the bags are not themed, I will also use them to hold my things when I have to take things places I go.

 

If I buy wrapping paper, it's always when it's been deeply discounted post-holiday or occasion. I also like to use gift bags, since as noted, they are reusable. I even make my own bags and filler sometimes. I have done the newspaper thing on more than one occasion, and I'm currently working on a way to decorate it. You can even make bows from newspaper to make it match or make gift bags with newspaper (but you have to double it up to make it sturdy enough as one thin ply will rip).

 

I really like nice wrapping paper, but I'm not willing to pay an arm and a leg for it! I usually wait to see it in the sale, or I'll check the Pound stores as they usually have very decent quality ones for cheap. I've seen them selling similar ones to regular stores and bookshops.

 

I really like the quality of wrapping paper that is sold at Costco and you get it for a cheap warehouse price. The only problem is that, unless you have a lot of big gifts to wrap, you will have that paper around for many years to come. I have one roll that I have been using for about 5 years now and I am starting to get bored with it. If I have a small gift to wrap, I am going to start looking for alternative papers to wrap it with.

 

It all depends. For Bdays I usually use gift bags since they're easier and less expensive and I know the receiver will end up reusing it (so it's a gift with a gift). BUT, for Holidays I use wrapping paper. I store it well where it wont get ruined and I always have some for next time.

 

There is also the option of wrapping paper made from recycled materials if it's an Eco-friendly issue for some, but from what I've seen, these options are much pricier than regular wrapping paper. I'll keep an eye out for any discounts to share, but so far, the ones I've seen cost about 4-5 times as much as the typical products. If they could get the price down, or offer savings by bulk or something, I think more people would use it. As it stands, I'd rather use newsprint than pay those kinds of prices.

 

I just found out that you can design your own custom wrapping paper and gift bags on

Log In

. But the prices are $$$. But it'd be pretty cool for a special gift.

 

I'm an "after-Christmas" buyer, too. I buy it super cheap and then store it for the following year.

A couple tips for storing it better:

1. Use hairties on each end of a roll to prevent them from unraveling or snagging. This is better than rubberbands or tape.
2. After you've used about half a roll or more, take the rest off the roll and fold it neatly instead. Store these in a plastic tub easily.

 

Newspapers? Lol. I have seen this happen a few times over the years, but very seldom. When I give presents, if I even wrap at all, then sometimes I will wrap them and give them to people. Especially if I have some novelty wrapping paper that I think would make someone laugh, then I will use it. Much more fun than newspaper

 

I've seen it often, especially with the brightly colored comics pages. That was the typical wrapping for packages at birthday parties when I was younger. People preferred to spend the money on the gift rather than on the paper.

The black and white pages work too though, and can even look cute if done right. One of my kids loves black and white with touches of red. I wrapped her birthday gifts in newspaper and tied them with red bows and then used red balloons. It looked better than you might think at first. Along with saving money, it's also a good way to recycle/upcycle newspaper.

 

Yeah, we use wrapping paper. We usually buy a roll or two and it lasts for quite a few years. When I feel lazy, I use the gift bag things.. whatever are they called.

 

Sometimes we also run out of wrapping paper in our household too lol. Over the years we have accumulated many gift bags and bows that were wrapped around presents and gifts that were given to us. We decided to keep them, because they were still in good condition, and we felt that it would be a shame to throw them away. So we sometimes recycle the wrapping that is given to us, and use it for other people's presents. Goes down a treat lol.

 

Oh, we do that too, @DreekLass. My grandma and mom saved a lot of different stuff like that, so I naturally started doing it too. My kids will laugh and say, "Don't throw that away. Mom saves everything." Yet, when they need to wrap something, they ask me for supplies, lol. I don't really save everything, but I do save any large pieces of really nice paper, and some of the nicer ribbons, bows, and of course, good gift bags, so I can reuse them.

 

Fortunately my wife takes care of the wrapping department haha, so I don't touch a thing in what concerns wrapping. Well, I do have a storage space filled with that paper, it's not very pleasant, but at the same time I can live with it.

 

Using newspaper to wrap gifts seems odd to me. If I'm trying to budget, then art paper would be the better choice, right? Although that is just my opinion. I also think that buying wrapping paper is a waste of money, so I would just hand the gift as is.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by art paper, Sidney, but most of the art paper I come across is rather small and rather pricey (sheets of scrap-booking paper and such). What kind of paper do you use?

I agree that buying wrapping paper can be a waste of money. It can be a waste of paper as well, so to speak. I think it's more "Eco-friendly" to recycle stuff like newspaper where possible.

I like to make bows with it, or wrap large packages in newspaper and then just use a strip of pretty paper, or even make gift bags.
There are lots of ways to use it and some are kind of cute:

Log In

Log In

Log In