Although the wrapping of holiday gifts has become almost as important as the presents themselves, concerned moms may be on the lookout for alternatives. There are a couple of reasons for this shift in thinking. For starters, most holiday wrapping paper is non-recyclable, which means tons of waste going to the landfill each year. In addition, wrapping paper, ribbon, and so on can be expensive, especially if there are a lot of gift recipients on your list. However, the thrifty mom with an eye on the future of the environment can find all kinds of alternatives that are even better than traditional holiday gift wrap in a number of ways. Here are just a few options you may want to consider.
- Butcher/Kraft paper. Whereas you might pay $3-10 for a single roll of holiday wrapping paper that is about 25 feet in length, you can get a thousand feet of butcher or Kraft paper for $30-$50 at craft stores or online (you can find great prices by ordering on Amazon and other outlets). Just for reference, even the low-end holiday paper would cost you about $120 for the same amount. Of course, it will be plain. But you can go with a rustic look by accenting it with twine instead of ribbon (also totally affordable at hardware stores) and adding natural elements like pinecones or leaves. Or you could go old-timey with actual ribbon (wait for sales at fabric stores to get 99-cent spools). And if you want to decorate your paper a bit more, have some fun with holiday stamps.
- Newsprint. If you get the daily paper anyway, this is a totally cost-effective means of wrapping your holiday gifts. Stick to black-and-white pages for a chic look and accent packages with black ribbon or a pop of color. As a side note, you should probably spray pages beforehand with a fixative (found at craft stores) so that the print doesn’t rub off on fingers, clothes, and everything else. SpectraFix makes non-toxic sprays that will suit your purposes and are totally safe to use indoors.
- Recycled paper. If you already recycle then you likely have a bin for scratch paper in your home. This can definitely be used to wrap presents. And if you want to add the personal touch, have kids color the pages, add stickers and stamps, and so on. This is a great way to get the whole family involved in the paper-making process.
- Reusable boxes and baskets. I know what you’re thinking: this isn’t exactly the cheapest way to wrap a gift. But when you make the container a part of the gift itself you can skip the wrapping paper and enhance the present. Using boxes, baskets, and tins is a great idea if you’re going inexpensive on the contents by giving baked goods or homemade bath products, for example. So you’ll save in one area and splurge a little in the other. But you’ll also do a good turn for the environment by offering family and friends packaging that they can use again and again.
- Reusable bags. The gift bags from RetailPackaging.com may provide for ease of use, but if you’re looking for eco-friendly and low-cost alternatives, you might want to consider making your own reusable gift bags. If you have a sewing machine on hand it’s simple enough to make bags in a variety of sizes using holiday fabrics. Or you could save some money by hitting up the discount racks in search of low-priced bolts in the colors of the season. Just sew them like a pillow case and add an open channel at the top to run a pull-cord (ribbon or other) through. After the holidays, ask family and friends to return the bags so you can use them again, or encourage recipients to pass the bags on when they give gifts in the future.
This is a guest post written specifically for this site. Opinions expressed are of the author.
