Frugal Gift Closet: Part 2

A couple months ago Meredith at Like Merchant Ships made a comment that really has impressed on me. The more frugal the gift, the more careful we are to package it. That does not mean we spend more to wrap it or present it. Just that we want to make sure it isn’t coming across……you know……cheap. Meredith is better with words than I am, clearly. But you get the idea.

Presentation in the culinary world is almost if not as important as taste. I take my cue from there. Less is more. This holiday season my budget could make room for some fancy papers to wrap. But that’s not necessary. I invested in a roll of brown contractor’s paper from Lowe’s. As with all things in my home, it fills more than one need. It is gift wrap, art & craft table cloth and even art paper for the kids. I paid $7.93 for about 300 sq. feet. Yes, you can pay less for one roll of Christmas paper. Maybe if you get a good sale you can get it for $4.99 for the same feet. But there is where you must think out of the box……..it would be JUST for Christmas. My paper will cover all holidays and occasions. Plus, remember I use it for other things as well. So for me this is a better deal than various rolls of wrapping paper to store in my home.

How do we make plain brown paper look……….not cheap? It is really simple. Here I took some leftover pieces of ribbon and $1 stamps and dressed up some Christmas packages for my children. Since I am not very good with making bows, I just cut what my Granny use to call a ‘ducktale’ on the ends of the ribbon instead. Sometimes I tuck in a silk flower from a yard sale find or clearanced floral find. Really perks it up!

Another thing I use to wrap smaller gifts with is my collection of scrapbook paper leftover from a not so frugal phase in my life. I couldn’t part with the tons of it I have even though I do not scrapbook regularly anymore. So it stays and transforms itself into gift wrap or cards. Here is one those infamous Martha Stewart DVD’s from Dollar General ($3) ready for gift giving season dressed in a $.10 sheet of scrapbook paper with more of my leftover ribbon.

Having a gift closet means more than just getting & keeping frugal gifts on hand. You took the time to scout out meaningful gifts with a lot of thought, now time to ‘plate’ it the same way. It shows the person that no detail was overlooked and they were well thought through. Details means something to people, way more than the gift itself does. I know some will say, its the thought that counts not the packaging. And that is where I think the point is lost. If you took the time to think through a thoughtful gift, why would you present it in a way that says, ‘It was the cheapest gift bag I could find to throw it in’? It requires no more money to make someone feel appreciated and special. Most of the time it requires no money at all, just a few more minutes on the details.

It is the thought that counts. Make sure your presentation doesn’t take away from that thought.

God Bless,

Michele