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| Save Money and Use "Green Gift Wrap" for the Holidays! = = = = = = = Dear Casual Gardener, The economy has really touched us this year and my family has been forced to cut back substantially on gifts and other holiday extras. I would like to understand how I can save money at home with tree trimmings and wrapping products. Do you have any ideas? Signed, Cheap Cindy = = = = = = = Dear Cindy, The answer to your dilemma is SO easy you are going to jump for joy – RECYCLE! Every holiday season, my family receives, saves and reuses dozens of greeting cards which come in the mail. Cut off the more decorative part of the card and save it for next year. When the holiday season arrives, use the card “front” as a gift tag for presents and as postcard greetings to send in the mail. Another great money saver is to put aside gift bags which you might have received from last year’s holiday season and reuse them. Finding and saving decorative shopping bags throughout the year is a great idea as well. With a holiday bow, a “greeting card” gift tag, and some ribbon attached, the shopping bags look as beautiful as any traditional gift bag out there and it costs so little to use them. Recycling old gift bags by reusing them is great for the environment. When my family runs out of gift bags, it is time to turn to the saved wrapping paper. Yes, it may sound “cheap” to some, but I say it is smart! Reusing expensive wrapping paper is a huge money saver. It is impossible to save all the wrapping paper, yet if a big hunk of beautiful paper is lying on the ground after the holiday extravaganza, do not roll it into a ball and throw it out. Instead, pick it up, fold it, and place it in with the other wrapping supplies for next year. Newspaper is also a great wrapping paper. All year long we receive Sunday comics from relatives who receive a newspaper and know my children love to read them. When my kids are done with the comics, they fold them back up and save them with the wrapping supplies. Sunday comic wrapping papers looks beautiful if topped with a holiday bow (also saved from last year). One of the most gorgeous holiday trees I have ever seen was covered in all red decorations and had presents topped with giant reusable red ribbons – the presents were all wrapped with black and white newspaper. Remember, when you finish unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, be sure to place the crumpled paper in the recycle bin and keep the rest for your secret money-saving, environmentally- friendly wrapping stash. Happy Wrapping Holidays! Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blog www.gardeningnude.com |
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