We have suggestions of ways you can save money on gift wrapping supplies. Wrapping paper and gift bags are getting expensive these days, especially considering that many people just rip off the paper, wad it up and throw it away (often it can be placed in your recycling bin, but that can still feel wasteful). Wrapping paper doesn't have to be costly though, and we can show you how to save money rather than overspending on gift wrap. Being a professional gift wrapper, I have discovered ways to repurpose wrapping supplies while also giving beautifully wrapped gifts.

Here are some quick tips for repurposing, upcycling, and finding discounts on wrapping paper, gift bags, gift bows, and other gift-wrapping supplies. 

• Shop at discount stores, not the places with rolls of wrapping paper that cost more than your gift. You won't always find the best quality paper at these inexpensive places, but if you decorate the gift creatively, it doesn't have to look cheap. (Add ribbons, decorative tags, etc.)
• Watch for sales at the more expensive stores, especially the items with clearance tags! There are certain stores that have high-end luxury papers which I love to use. But I wait for those clearance tags, checking that section in the store every time I'm there. When it goes on clearance, it's my time to stock up! 
• Save gift bags! Whenever you receive a gift in a gift bag, save it to reuse for the next time you have a gift to give. Most gift bags are reusable for several occasions. 
• Save wrapping paper from the gifts you receive. Then reuse it! My family has the long-time tradition of setting a huge basket out at Christmastime, and everyone throws their wrapping paper and gift bows in there from their opened gifts. After the celebration, the host sorts through the wrapping paper remnants and smooths them out to be reused. My grandmother actually would press the wrinkles out of the paper with a cool iron. Our wrapping paper gets used multiple times. And all of the bows get reused!
• Recycle other items you already have in your home to be used as gift-wrap. For my high school graduation, my aunt wrapped all of my gifts from her in the pages of comic strips from a newspaper. That clever idea has stuck with me. You could also use paper grocery bags as a substitute for gift wrap and decorate it with stickers or doodles. Another idea is to use clean and emptied cardboard boxes from food to put gifts in. It may look like a box of cereal, but it's actually a more exciting gift inside. 
• Give your gifts inside of another gift. Use a backpack, purse, reusable shopping bag, pillowcase, or basket to place the gifts in. The container then becomes part of their gift. It really minimizes waste because you don't need to wrap these gifts in paper, but the use of the bag or container still helps give it the element of surprise about what's inside. 
• Repurpose other items in your home to use in place of a gift bow. Decorate a gift with buttons, scraps of paper, twine, string, or yarn. If you know how to make a paper airplane or cool origami things, tape something like that on the top of your gift. Attach a real flower or a silk flower for a beautiful gift presentation. My grandmother would cut out images of flowers from magazines that she taped to our gifts as a decoration. It was always special. 
• Upcycle! Use an old t-shirt to make a reusable gift bag. Learn how to make a bag out of a t-shirt here: No-Sew T-Shirt Tote Bag DIY - Priceless Handmade Gifts
• Wrap gifts in fabric remnants or silk scarves! Instead of using tape though, try using safety pins, clothes pins, satin ribbon, or rubber bands. These gifts can turn out to look beautiful and can be decorated with flowers from your garden or a fancy ribbon tied into a bow.
• Rather than purchasing gift boxes, reuse packaging from product deliveries that have been shipped to you. Cardboard boxes can typically be reused several times for various uses.
• Either reuse tissue paper from previous gifts, or use alternative packing materials like bubble wrap, fabric, or crumpled paper that you'd normally recycle.
• Get good deals on wrapping paper at garage sales and thrift stores. Sometimes you can find some quality gift wrap and gift bags that other people are getting rid of. I usually look for metallic paper or the ones with a linen texture, and I get them when they are offered at a good price.
• Purchase durable wrapping supplies that are designed for years of use and reuse. You can find some great reusable gifting supplies here: Wrapping - Priceless Handmade Gifts

We hope you've been looking for clearance sales at retail stores lately. If you haven't, go shopping soon and look for those vivid clearance stickers. Stores often have a section just for clearance stuff. Sometimes there's a clearance section in each department of a store. We believe it is always worth a check, in case there is a great gift for someone on your shopping list.

For example, January and February are great months to get winter items on sale for a deeper discount, and you may also find Christmas items for up to 90% off. Stock up on gifts any time you see a clearance section. It saves you money and also saves you time in December by getting ahead with your gift shopping.

We recommend keeping a record of the items you buy throughout the year that may be given as gifts. Maybe you're finding last year's Christmas items on sale now. Perhaps you've seen something that your sister or grandma would like to receive. Buy it for them, saving it for a gift to give next Christmas.

It's not limited to just Christmas items, of course, but general "useful" things as well. Home decor, kitchen gadgets, clothing in someone's favorite brand, sporting goods, popular toys, and more can be found on clearance throughout the year. Get it while it's discounted, and you will be so happy with yourself when the next special occasion rolls around. If you have gifts already on-hand, things that people in your family actually need and want, it makes holidays and birthdays so much easier on the budget. It saves you time, too, because you won't have rush to a store for a last-minute gift. It will already be available in your home because you've become a planner, a money saver, and a great gift-giver.

We like to keep a "gift-bin" in our home that we fill year-round with birthday and Christmas gifts. This sure makes it easier when holidays come around, because we are already ahead of the shopping rush.

If we see a big yarn clearance sale, we buy yarn for a crafty relative. When tools are marked down, we buy them for the handy-man family member. Someone on our list loves candles, so we always keep an eye out for those to be marked down.

Generally, we buy clearance items that are 75% to 90% off of the suggested retail price. But sometimes at 50% certain items will sell out quickly, so we might get those particular items at only half-off, especially when they only have a few left. They may sell-out before they are marked down further, so decisions have to be made on the spot in certain cases. There's nothing like expecting it will still be there next week when the prices may be reduced again, only to find out that the special gift idea is gone (sold-out) by the time you return the following week.

If you decide to stock up on gifts all year long as we have suggested, we have created a "Gift Inventory" chart for you to print out and use as you accumulate the "perfect" gifts - on sale, of course! This chart will help you keep track of what you've purchased, who it is for, and when it should be given.

If your gift list is short, you might only need to print one sheet. But if you are big on gift giving, print out a separate sheet for each person on your list.

Print out your own Gift Planner Inventory sheets from this file:

We also have a sample form for you to see below. Hopefully it will help you understand how the form is intended to be used.

SAMPLE GIFT INVENTORY SHEET

Here is what the worksheet looks like...
Find The free download below the image.

Enjoy your adventures in saving money!
​You can do it!