Ways to Save Money on Gift Wrapping Supplies

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