Four Tips on How to Cut Costs

Do You Need Something to Place Your Gifts In?

Four Tips on How to Cut Costs

By Desiree Future

When giving a Christmas gift, we all need something nice to put the gifts in. However, holiday gift bags, boxes, and even wrapping paper can be a little pricey. Especially because it’s a seasonal item that only comes out once a year. Here are a few tips that I use when giving any gift.

1. When it comes to gift bags, I have stopped buying the fancy ones. I realized not only do they cost more money, but I can only use them once a year. Now I buy the plain ones without anything on them. I can decorate and use them for gift-giving all year round.

2. Gift boxes are perfect to place anything from jewelry to larger items like sweaters and such. Paying for the boxes increases your gift item, especially if you’re on a budget. I save any box that I can repurpose all year. Whether it’s a heavy cardboard box or a plastic box. Case in point, I made a bracelet for my friend’s daughter. My friend was taking the trip a few states away, and I didn’t want it to be destroyed. I took out my makeup sponges and used the hard plastic box they came in. The bracelet made it through the trip without damage.

3. Who doesn’t like to tear into a beautifully wrapped gift? Me, especially when it looks like a department store wrapped it so perfectly. Sometimes, as pretty as the paper is, it is also on the fragile side. Budget-friendly me started using craft paper, which is not only heavier but also customizable. Add a little bow and some string, and viola, you have awesome wrapping paper. If you want to go a step further, consider skipping the gift tag and just adding their name with a sweet message.

4. Gift baskets are awesome because it’s always a treasure trove of goodies inside. Finding the right one can be tricky because of the price, contents, and even the basket itself. What I do instead is purchase a basket from the floral store department or any store where I can find a low-cost basket or bin. I’ve also used plastic bins to make my own gift baskets. Essentially, you’re giving two gifts: the items in the basket/bin and the basket/bin itself.

Spending money on something to place the gifts in doesn’t have to be as expensive as the gift itself. It only takes a little creativity to make it work. The next time you need something to place your present in, look around your house first. You’d be amazed at the things you can find.

John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,