Tips for Gift Wrapping on a Budget
One of the most non-essential Christmas-related expenses is definitely the cost of wrapping paper and cards – most of which can’t even be reused and therefore end up in the bin! Read on for tips on how to be a “”wrap”” star.
Buy in Bulk Well Before The Christmas Rush. Stock up on paper, ribbons, boxes, bags and bows at $2 shops. Post-Christmas sales also provide great opportunities to stock up on the essential wrapping items for the holidays ahead.
Make Your Own.
Play with recycled or brown paper, magazines, or even old newspapers. What a great way to keep the little ones occupied – especially if you let them play with potato stamps! Another good way to reduce, reuse and recycle (all while saving money on wrapping items) is to use stuffing paper from shopping paper bags.
Buy Coloured Paper in Green And Red.
If you really can’t resist the gorgeous colours of shiny Christmas wrapping, buy plain wrapping paper in bulk in Christmas colours like red, green and gold which can be used to wrap all kinds of presents year round. Neutral colours can also be very universal – as long as you stick some Christmas-themed decorations on.
Be Creative.
Here is another way to save money by creating your very own Christmas wrapping paper that we have found on kidspot.com.au: print it on your computer! Here is how. Open a Word file, and using the fonts called Wingdindgs and Webdings, try typing up the following symbols:
— Present – Webdings e
— Bell – Wingdings shift + 5
— Snowflake – Wingdings shift + t
— Dove – Find via clicking on insert in the toolbar of Word and choosing symbol. Look for it under the Webdings font
— Candle – Windings apostrophe
— Cross – Wingdings shift + u
Wrapping items are non-essential, meaning that you can definitely leave them out of your shopping list if you are on a strict budget. However, if you need extra cash for essential items, and your payday is just too far away, consider talking to us about our cash loans.