6 Gift-Wrapping Tips that Would Make MacGyver Weep

Dec 12, 2015
4 min read

Picture this: It’s Christmas Eve, you’ve finally completed your Christmas shopping, and now it’s time to wrap presents, except you have no wrapping supplies and no money left to buy some.

Worry not! Mystique’s got 6 penny-pinching tips for giftwrapping that’ll save you time and money.

Mira —

Put this year’s calendar to use.

With the year coming to a close, calendars will soon get tossed and replaced with a shiny new 2016 Far Side calendar — or with that calendar of shirtless cowboys that caught your eye. So why not put that old 2015 calendar to use? Calendar paper is usually glossy like wrapping paper and the squares are great for wrapping small gifts, like jewelry.

Image provided by shop.horsecollaborative.com.

Warning: Make sure the square you’re using doesn’t have private information penciled on the days of the month on the back.

Wrap with newspaper comics or magazines.

Why ever pay for wrapping paper? Magazine pages and newspapers comics can also substitute for wrapping paper. Magazine pages are great for small gifts, such as gift cards, and newspaper comics can be used for bigger gifts, such as a toaster. To wrap large gifts, comics can be carefully taped together.

Be advised: Newspaper is weaker than wrapping paper, so use care when wrapping to avoid tears in the paper.

Recycle AND Reuse.

Every Christmas (and birthday), save used wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, bows and ribbon. Reusing wrapping supplies saves money and reduces waste.

Fold wrapping paper and tissue paper, and store neatly for next year — lest you play host to Randall The Wrapping Paper Monster.

Image provided by giphy.com.

Jars, such as a red plastic jar that once housed gummy vitamins, can be cleaned and filled with candy canes or hot cocoa mix and marshmallows. Gift jars are great gifts for those neighbors and coworkers who have been nice this year. (Fill jars with coal for those who haven’t.)

Caution: Forgetting to remove an old to-and-from tag from the wrapping’s first life can cause confusion.

Stretch that tape.

Most gifts can be wrapped using only two pieces of tape, one piece for each end. Wrappers should hold the wrap tightly around the gift rather than fasten the wrap to the gift with tape at the start. By using tape sparingly, you can make a roll of tape stretch. If you run out of tape and have no means to get more, you can use the adhesive part of a new envelope or glue dots that often come in junk mail.

Be aware: Not all tape will work. Clear duck tape, packing tape, and blue painter’s tape are acceptable substitutes, if that’s all you have around the house, but electrical tape is not. It will peel. And it’s garish.

No scissors, no problem.

If you’re part of a big family who owns only one pair of scissors — or can only find one pair at any given time — you know what it’s like to bubbling over with anticipation for your turn with the scissors.

Image provided by giphy.com.

If your turn doesn’t come fast enough, you learn to make do.

One way to cut wrap without scissors is 1) fold the wrap in a straight line where you’ve like to cut it, 2) fold the wrap in the opposite direction along the same line, 3) repeat steps one and two, each time running your fingers along the fold to ensure the fold is set in, and 4) unfold the wrap, place one hand on the part of the wrap you want to discard and with the other hand pull the wrap gently, allowing it to tear at the fold. Repeat all steps for each cut.

Step 4 is similar to pulling a page out of a notebook, along the perforated edge. Repeatedly folding the wrap gives it the effect of being perforated.

Note: This cannot be done with tissue paper.

Never buy another box.

There’s no need to buy boxes. Cereal boxes and other food boxes come in handy for gifts such as sweaters, scarfs and gloves. For larger gifts, free boxes are available at local bars and liquor stores. (A trick I learned from having to move on a budget, many times.) Bars and liquor stores have a cornucopia of liquor and beer boxes that they need to toss — bartenders and clerks are happy to give. You’re saving them the work of having to trash them later.

Save face: If you don’t want to mislead your loved one into thinking you’ve bought them an entire case of Crown Royal bottles, you can paint the outside of the box using just about any paint you have around the house. And bonus, painting the box saves you from having to gift-wrap it. Two coats of paint are recommended.