Gift Wrap for Do-It-Yourself Types

Although many retailers offer free gift wrapping around the holidays, it’s not as prevalent as free shipping promotions.

If your budget is so tight that you’re making all of the gifts you give this year, then you’ll want to make the gift wrap too — read on for some ideas.

Containers

Any container that has a lid or closure can become a gift box as long as you match up the sizes — or find some appropriate padding to fill up unused empty space that might leave room for the present to move around too much and get damaged before it’s even opened.

That said, you could use anything from clean tubs to mason jars or even storage boxes. Or reuse the boxes you receive gifts in.

Fabric

Here’s another option that isn’t paper: fabric. This can be as simple as remainder fragments left over after sewing or even from garments that no longer fit. Instead of securing it with tape, you might be able to tie knots at either end of the gift.

Magazines

Fortunately, the ink used to print magazines — and calendars too — doesn’t bleed, and the images are typically higher quality.

The photos might even pass for commercially bought wrapping paper, except that it’s usually thicker and often glossier.

Plain Paper

The possibilities in plain paper are vast, depending on what you might already have lying around the house: printer paper, lined notebook paper, construction paper, drawing paper, craft paper, tissue paper, and even brown paper used for parcels. If you don’t like the look of plain paper, you can always decorate it.

Shopping Bags

Plain brown or white grocery bags make pretty sturdy wrapping paper — and if you want to dress them up, you can decorate them with stamps, stickers, fabric accents, photos, your own drawings (if you’re artistic) or anything else that strikes your fancy. You could also try reusing plastic shopping bags.

Tin Foil

Aluminum foil can make a very stylish statement as wrapping paper. Another benefit: you might not need to use any tape to hold it in place, which will save you even more money. Plus you can also use foil to create bows and accents to use on top of other presents.

Wax Paper

The texture of wax paper can make for a rather unusual gift wrap, and here’s how to make it you can make it even more interesting: put leaves, flowers or other items between two sheets of wax paper and then iron them to fuse them together.

No Gift Wrap

Why not forego wrapping gifts in the first place? You can tell your recipients that you are specifically choosing not to wrap items in order to spare the environment and save money. You might be pleasantly surprised at how well people will respond to that since they are probably just grateful you’re giving them a gift in the first place.

While it’s true that not using wrapping will limit your ability to surprise recipients, it will force you to be a bit more creative about how you give the gifts to each of your recipients.

Readers, how are you planning to wrap the gifts you’re giving this year?