During these hard economic times, the holidays can be a big burden on our wallets.
This time of year there’s no escape from spending money on food, gifts, and decorations. Here are some creative gift wrapping tips that won’t cost a dime.

For small gifts, some great alternatives to store bought wrapping paper are recycled brown paper bags, old maps, newsprint, full page magazine spreads and colored construction paper.

These common household items make great substitutes to generic, and sometimes expensive, wrapping paper
They also add a personal touch that any recipient would appreciate, without looking reused or recycled.
For garnishing packages use plant material that won’t deteriorate quickly like rosemary or an orchid.

These give an added soft natural look. This is a great way to spruce up brown paper, plus it’s biodegradable.
My family collects ribbons from old gifts and saves them to be used again.

Use an iron on low heat to make an old wrinkled ribbon look like new. No one will know the difference.
If buying new ribbon can’t be avoided, natural Raffia ribbon is an inexpensive alternative that can be used with most other wrapping materials. When tying, double up the stings to add texture.

Any size old box can be decorated with a torn out magazine spread, or wrapped in any of the other paper materials mentioned above.

These are great ways to be green while saving some green for all of those presents!