Ideas for Cutting Corners when Gift Buying
During these difficult economic times, many people are thinking of ways to cut corners when it comes to buying gifts. People with big extended families know what it’s like to feel that every weekend is seemingly another birthday, anniversary or graduation party. Also, holidays are increasingly becoming more difficult when it comes to buying gifts. However, cutting corners when it comes to gift buying doesn’t necessarily mean giving out hand drawn pictures to all your friends and family. There are some simple tricks to cutting corners when buying gifts that don’t call for sacrificing quality or style.
Many people overlook the cost of gift wrapping when it comes to buying gifts. However, wrapping paper, ribbons, gift bags, tissue paper, bows and all the other things people purchase to make a gift look attractive for all the different occasions can really start to add up. You can almost always tack on an additional $10 to $20 to your purchased gift, in just what it takes to wrap the present.
However, it’s pretty easy to cut corners in gift wrap by following a few simple tips. The first tip is to purchase non-specialized wrapping paper. People usually get hung up on themed wrapping paper, whether it’s baby bottles for baby showers or snowmen for Christmas. However, the general rule with specialized themed wrapping paper is that it is more expensive for the roll and contains a lesser quantity of paper than generic themed or solid color wrapping paper.
Instead of choosing a themed wrapping paper, choose a color that is able to be used for all different occasions like gold, silver, white or even blue. Dressing up the package with different colored ribbon can make all the difference. A baby blue ribbon on top of a cobalt blue wrapped gift can make it into a baby boy gift for a shower or birthday, but a white or silver embellished ribbon can make it festive enough to give for Christmas.
Neutral wrapping paper is usually less expensive than specialized themed wrapping paper and often comes in a much larger roll. Therefore, the same roll of paper can last you occasion after occasion and long after the holidays are over. This is a way to cut having to purchase wrapping paper for each gift you purchase and cuts the overall costs in gift purchasing each year.
There are some gifts that are simply unable to be wrapped in traditional wrapping paper. Whether it’s kid’s clothes that didn’t come with a gift box or an ill-shaped gift like a hat or handbag. In these instances, the gift bag with flowing tissue paper is the go-to standard. However, gift bags can be more expensive than an entire roll of wrapping paper and the tissue paper comes separately for an additional cost.
A great tip to cut costs in gift bags is to reuse bags and tissue paper given to you or others in your family. Although this might seem strange at first, a few simple points on reusing gift bags will definitely change even the most skeptical mind. It’s a shame to let a gift bag go to waste after receiving a gift. The used gift bag is usually almost untouched from its’ original form and has virtually no distinguishable markings of being used. Carefully folding up and tucking away these used gift bags and tissue paper can be a great way to save money on wrapping costs for gifts in the future. Your extra supply will become a treasure trove of bags to choose from when the time comes, but it’s important to try and remember where each bag came from so as not to regift the bag to the original owner. Placing a sticky note on each bag is a great reminder for future uses and will save you some embarrassment.
When it comes to cutting corners when buying gifts, there shouldn’t be any diminish in heartfelt feeling or quality of gift to the receiver. However, there are ways to cut corners that won’t diminish the significance of the gift but will greatly diminish the hidden costs to the purchaser. Getting around these little corners can be a great way to budget your money wisely, as well as give yourself a little extra for when you might need it for yourself.
