My family makes fun of me for saving wrapping paper. That’s because they don’t wrap things any more: Most of the presents come in fancy bags or boxes. Which, I admit, are easier to re-use.
We were pretty cash poor when I was a child. I remember one Christmas where my two brothers and I shared all the gifts under the tree and they were wrapped in Sunday comic pages from the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper. My parents were cash poor all right, but they would go to great lengths to ensure widely varied reading material in our home. Thanks, folks. I love you.
My daughter wraps with brown paper, or the funnies and saves EVERY bit of tissue paper she can get. Also she has a huge gift bag collection. Just a very frugal person. I will admit to saving a few really nice gift boxes and in some cases I have received the same box 2 or 3 times. It just passes on from one to another and eventually back to me.
My in-laws save every bit of wrapping paper, opening presents carefully – NO TEARING!! The first couple of Christmases with them was agony (but I love them) because where I grew up, the kid who made the biggest messy pile of torn wrapping paper won the day.
My mother made us open our gifts very carefully and saved wrapping paper. She also ironed it. Old habits die hard. I do save wrapping paper….but at least I don’t IRON it. And my daughter saves it too. (I won’t begin to tell you about cutting paper napkins in HALF, re-using aluminum foil and bringing home the paper bags from school lunches). Ah, generations of Depression-Era parents still cling to these habits!
Just sent a boatload of that kind of stuff to a good friend who has grandkids. They use it for arts and crafts and other fun stuff. (Used to be like Opal, but, dang, some of that stuff is just SO pretty. . .)
My gram did. I chalked it to living through the depression of the 30’s. I don’t think this last series of gens could cope with not being wasteful.I kinda liked what she called depression loaf, which was Spam, mustard and cloves, baked.
My (late) Mom in law wrapped presents with the Sunday funnies. That was back in the day and she lived miles from town – no quick popping down to Walgreens if she ran out of proper wrapping paper. And guess what – nobody complained.
Yes, I too have wandered and wondered at this. Being told to carefully open, then watch the paper be lovingly and expertly folded. Later it was only the bows. I remember too the paper stinking and thought it’s toxic. And if they used it to clean the poor critters covered with Exxon Valdez oil they would have immediately died and suffered less.
My Mom put the tinsel back in the box too. I save the bows and re-use them. Small leftover pieces of paper I use for wrapping stocking stuffers. I also buy paper, bows, cards, bags, etc. after Christmas when it is half price.
Templo S.U.D. almost 5 years ago
what an odd habit Opal has there
Concretionist almost 5 years ago
My family makes fun of me for saving wrapping paper. That’s because they don’t wrap things any more: Most of the presents come in fancy bags or boxes. Which, I admit, are easier to re-use.
allen@home almost 5 years ago
I have heard of people saving wrapping paper my mother always did. I have never heard of people ironing it though.
Dirty Dragon almost 5 years ago
I think this puts Opal one up on Jack Benny for cheapness.
KA7DRE Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Earl needs to make a trip downtown and get Opal some new wrapping paper pronto !
Breadboard almost 5 years ago
Earl are you winning ?
jagedlo almost 5 years ago
good thing they mentioned it was wrapping paper, for a second it looked like Opal was ironing someone’s Hawaiian shirt!
jpayne4040 almost 5 years ago
Kind of defeats the purpose of reusing it.
pathfinder almost 5 years ago
We were pretty cash poor when I was a child. I remember one Christmas where my two brothers and I shared all the gifts under the tree and they were wrapped in Sunday comic pages from the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper. My parents were cash poor all right, but they would go to great lengths to ensure widely varied reading material in our home. Thanks, folks. I love you.
Geophyzz almost 5 years ago
I save the coloured Sunday comics from December, when they are full of Christmas stories – great wrapping paper.
jeanie5448 almost 5 years ago
My daughter wraps with brown paper, or the funnies and saves EVERY bit of tissue paper she can get. Also she has a huge gift bag collection. Just a very frugal person. I will admit to saving a few really nice gift boxes and in some cases I have received the same box 2 or 3 times. It just passes on from one to another and eventually back to me.
JamieLee Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Opal is not being frugal as much as she is NOT adding useless trash to our landfills. Thanks Opal!
joedid almost 5 years ago
My in-laws save every bit of wrapping paper, opening presents carefully – NO TEARING!! The first couple of Christmases with them was agony (but I love them) because where I grew up, the kid who made the biggest messy pile of torn wrapping paper won the day.
iggyman almost 5 years ago
In our house it is the smoke detector blaring!
dlkrueger33 almost 5 years ago
My mother made us open our gifts very carefully and saved wrapping paper. She also ironed it. Old habits die hard. I do save wrapping paper….but at least I don’t IRON it. And my daughter saves it too. (I won’t begin to tell you about cutting paper napkins in HALF, re-using aluminum foil and bringing home the paper bags from school lunches). Ah, generations of Depression-Era parents still cling to these habits!
Zebrastripes almost 5 years ago
I save bows and trinkets but not the paper……
1953Baby almost 5 years ago
Just sent a boatload of that kind of stuff to a good friend who has grandkids. They use it for arts and crafts and other fun stuff. (Used to be like Opal, but, dang, some of that stuff is just SO pretty. . .)
syzygy47 almost 5 years ago
My gram did. I chalked it to living through the depression of the 30’s. I don’t think this last series of gens could cope with not being wasteful.I kinda liked what she called depression loaf, which was Spam, mustard and cloves, baked.
rlaker22j almost 5 years ago
gift bags
assrdood almost 5 years ago
My (late) Mom in law wrapped presents with the Sunday funnies. That was back in the day and she lived miles from town – no quick popping down to Walgreens if she ran out of proper wrapping paper. And guess what – nobody complained.
Jan C almost 5 years ago
Paper will burn at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s pretty hot for an iron.
zeexenon almost 5 years ago
Yes, I too have wandered and wondered at this. Being told to carefully open, then watch the paper be lovingly and expertly folded. Later it was only the bows. I remember too the paper stinking and thought it’s toxic. And if they used it to clean the poor critters covered with Exxon Valdez oil they would have immediately died and suffered less.
kdbaughman almost 5 years ago
I always save it and ironing tissue paper works great!
Snolep almost 5 years ago
We had tinsel on the tree when I was a kid, and each year we removed it all to save for the next year. Very labor intensive!
STACEY MARSHALL Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Should’a use a steam iron!
SueMount almost 5 years ago
My Mom put the tinsel back in the box too. I save the bows and re-use them. Small leftover pieces of paper I use for wrapping stocking stuffers. I also buy paper, bows, cards, bags, etc. after Christmas when it is half price.