Cost of Gift wrap - Page 2

[sanguine_speed]

I also find that by and large, the kids share gift bags amongst their friends. They just keep going back and forth and round and round. At Christmas, we use fabric gift bags with vinyl pockets for labels. We use no wrapping paper anymore. But I do have to admit, I LOVE pretty wrapping paper, and even after years of not using any, I still miss it and long for it.

[lunarlady]

I use rubber stamps, markers and crayons to create my own gift wrap. We usually use paper bags, but sometimes we use the kids newsprint. I try to get a free cardboard box when I buy the gift, and color or decorate that (no paper). The gifts are unique and colorful, and I've heard nothing but praise over the years for them. Yes, even for weddings and other adult gifts. I also never throw away gift bags I'm given, or the tissue inside. I just save and reuse them. I think i will have baby gift bags until I die, because I received about 20 of them between DD1 and DD2, and my friends just aren't that fertile!

[Poddi]

Originally Posted by rightkindofme

I wouldn't even know. I got suckered into buying a bunch through a school fundraiser when my nephew was in middle school (he's now 21) and I still have enough for years and years. I hope I finish before he has kids and they get to middle school.

Wow! I hope they were a good deal. Our kids get some gift wrap catalogs for school fund raising every year. They do have very cute papers, but they're like $11 - 14 for each roll, and not very big rolls either. We never bought any. I wonder if any parents here were guilted into buying some?

For Christmas I always buy a pack from Costco. The quality is good and they last a long time. I tried buying cheap stuff from other stores on sale, but the quality wasn't as good and they were much harder to use. For other occasions I buy rolls from local dollar stores. It's usually $2 per roll and each one wraps about 5 or 6 presents. Occasionally I buy some $1 bags that only contain two sheets inside, if they're really cute or appropriate.

I do save gift bags and tissues. It seems people in our area like to stuff gift bags full of tissues. I've never bought any in the last ten years, and I still have lots of them.

Oh and unless it's really perfect, avoid buying those foil gift wraps. They cost a lot more, tear easily, crease easily (so if you folded it the wrong way the first time, it's hard to do it over), and ... well ... conduct electricity. I wrapped some spare batteries in with a toy once, by the time it's opened the batteries were oozing acid all over.

[OkiMom]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has issues with the price of gift wrap! It seems like its a given with a lot of people I know with young kids that you will get the "cute kid type paper" for every birthday and regifting bags are kind of frowned on.. Not that I care about that but I don't have bags to regift since both my girls birthdays were spent in the states last year. Since I usually go to the 100 yen store (like a dollar tree) and get nice gift wrap for cheap it caught me by surprise to see how expensive it is. Gift wrap never goes on sale at the BX over here and isn't very popular it seems out in town (Japanese people seem to have their own way of wrapping and a lot of time use fabric like paper not gift wrap) if I stuck going on base its expensive.
When Im back in the states I get plain paper when it goes on sale, usually I have pink, yellow and blue, then I decorate it with either a picture or stickers. If Im giving to family I will use newspaper or sometimes I don't even bother to wrap it (like Im giving my brother a gift and there is no party or anything involved Ill just give it to him in the store bag). For years we used the same gift bags every year for birthday and Christmas in my family, the person who's birthday it was would open the gifts and then give the gift bag back to the giver who would use it for the next person's birthday. Maybe that is another reason I'm so shocked, most of my gifts have been to family and we are definite re-users. I had one gift bag that made the trip from the states to Iraq and back at least 10 times while i was deployed.
Unfortunately reuseable bags at the commissary are about 2-3 dollars each or they are really ugly (think green bag with the word "Commissary" written in white but thanks for the idea.. They do have reuseable bags out at the 100 yen store that I could stock up on when I see them and use them for birthdays.. That and a ribbon on top, have the girls make a card and I'm set.

[ParisApril]

I refuse to spend good money on something that I can make myself at home.

I reuse brown paper bags cut into gift wrap tied with leftover yarn to make it fancy and I add a small colourful card made out of construction paper from the kids supply.

For baby showers I use gift bags that I have left from gifts I received when I had my babies. Ditto for weddings.

At Christmas we have a supply of gift bags and cloth bags that circulate among the family, we seem to always have enough. I do have cloth (given to me) to make more if I ever need to.

[alicia622]

dollar store and also walmart has good prices on smaller bags.