Something I have learned over the years is that children LOVE to unwrap a gift.
Is there a child that doesn’t just love tearing into that paper?
Yes, unfortunately, the gift bag with the pretty tissue paper sticking out is exactly that – pretty. But it’s not fun to just yank tissue paper out!
Trust me, it is all in the tearing, and discovery of what’s inside that perfectly wrapped present!
So how do you save on wrapping paper?
It really does not have to break the bank. Look for alternative methods.
Garage sales are one of the most frugal places to start. Look for anything that can be used to wrap gifts, such as wrapping paper (obviously), wallpaper, drawer liner, even scraps of fabric.
Look for yarn and pieces of lace or other trim to use instead of ribbon. Even look for ribbon!
In other words, just use your imagination!
You can even wrap the gift in tissue paper, which is a fairly cost effective way to wrap since tissue paper is sometimes even free, and when it’s not, it costs less than wrapping paper. And to be honest, the tearing fun is still in place.
PLUS the cost of those gift bags can really add up!
One last piece of advice. I know that some people like to wrap the gifts in newspaper comics, but this is really not that great of a practice. Sure, it definitely saves money! And it’s a great way to recycle your newspaper. However, the black print gets all over the child’s hands, which in turns often gets all over the cute outfit they are wearing, and spreads to other places as well. So avoid the newspaper method. I know it’s frugal, but it’s also a pain for the parent of the gift recipient.
What other fun, creative and frugal methods do you have to wrap or give a gift?