Chris Moran with Vandervalk Farm in Mendon, Miss., shares how this year he lost 500 small Christmas trees on the farm due to unusually dry conditions in the Northeast. (Source: WBZ-TV)
Vacations can certainly be expensive.
From gifts, to gift wrapping, holiday decorations and more, the final months of the year can take a toll on your credit card statement heading into the new year.
Spending months paying off holiday debt is a stressful way to spend your New Year.
There are many ways to save money while wrapping your gifts this holiday season. (/Stock)
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To avoid overspending during the holidays, create a structured budget based on how much you have to spend.
If you find that your expenses far exceed your income, it’s time to start thinking about ways to reduce your spending.
There are many ways to do this and sometimes small repairs can have a big impact on your bill.
One place you can save this holiday season is gift wrapping. You don’t need fancy wrapping paper and fancy accessories to properly wrap a gift.
In fact, using creative ways to wrap gifts is often more fun for you and your thoughtful gift recipient.
The holidays can cause a lot of stress. Keeping a tight budget and finding small ways to save can make a big difference. (/Stock)
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Keep these money-saving hacks in mind as you wrap your gifts this year.
- Save wrapping paper, bags and tissue paper year after year
- Wrap in old newspaper
- Use construction paper and create
- Pre-measure your wrapping paper
- Take advantage of recycled boxes
1. Save wrapping paper, bags and tissue paper year after year
Recycle wrapping paper, bags and even tissue paper if you can.
The bags are stackable and easy to store and reuse. Keep a bin somewhere in your house filled with all the gift bags you’ve received, and reuse them when the right occasion comes up.
Every time you receive a gift in a bag, put the bags aside to use again for another occasion. (/Stock)
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Wrapping paper is very difficult to preserve, but it can still be done if handled carefully.
If you receive a gift with a sturdy wrapping paper, it may be worth your time to store it.
For tissue paper, if it tears, it’s best to throw it away, but for those pieces that are left whole, you can wrap them up neatly and leave them in your bin with your recycled gift bags.
2. Wrap in old newspaper
If you have a pile of old newspaper lying around, put it to good use by using it instead of wrapping paper.
Not only does using old newspaper to wrap gifts save money, but it also gives your gifts a unique vintage look.
You can use old newspaper instead of tissue paper by cutting it into strips and spreading them over the contents of your gift bag.
Old newspaper is great for gift wrapping, and gives gifts a nice vintage look. (/Stock)
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3. Use construction paper and create
Construction paper is another way to fold paper.
Using construction paper to wrap gifts can provide fun for the whole family.
Kids can decorate the construction paper you use, which creates a nice, heartfelt touch to any gift you give.
4. Pre-measure your wrapping paper
If you choose to buy wrapping paper this holiday season, the importance of measuring before cutting cannot be overstated.
Just guessing how much you need can lead to wasted paper, which means more money down the drain.
Measure your wrapping paper before cutting to make sure no paper is wasted. (/Stock)
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Before you make any cuts in your wrapping paper, take it out and place whatever you’re wrapping on top.
Fold the sides over the paper, and use a pen to mark how much you need to fully cover it.
When deciding how much you need, you’ll want to overlap, but not too much.
For any small pieces of excess that you have that are too small to use for wrapping anything, fold it in half, so it’s like a little card.
You can use this extra paper as a gift tag.
5. Make good use of recycled boxes
If you have something that’s hard to wrap, it’s probably easier to just throw it in a box, and wrap the box, instead of trying to wrap something inconspicuous.
Before buying gift boxes, look through your recycling and see if there is anything you can use.
You may be able to find old boxes around your house that you can use for wrapping. (/Stock)
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Even if the box has nothing to do with the gift, it can be used.
It can even provide a comedic moment on Christmas morning when someone unwraps a pasta box full of goodies inside.
If you look around your home, you may find something like an old shoe box or jewelry box that can be reused as a gift.
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