Have you seen the cost of holiday wrapping paper? Go to any specialty paper or gift store, drug store or even your local chain grocery store and you will pay top dollar for flimsy (albeit festive) wrapping paper that is then torn off the package and thrown away. 

I’ve heard stories of my great-grandmother painstakingly and slowly unwrapping a gift, then folding the paper carefully to be put away in a drawer for use the next year; and the next, and the next…Let’s face it, most of us are probably not going to go to that extent, but there are some ways to save money and even repurpose things along the way. Here are some suggestions:

1.  Buy in Bulk:  Think Costco, BJ’s or any other big wholesale store. I was   in one the other day, and they had huge, and I mean huge, rolls of   wrapping paper ranging from $7 - $12. Granted, you’ll want to select a   pattern you like as ALL your gifts will be wrapped the same, likely for   multiple years. But if that doesn’t bother you, the cost per yard or per   foot of paper is much lower than buying from a specialty store. 
2. Shop in stores where gift-wrapping is included: It's true, this is a dwindling practice; while many department stores used to offer this service, it is hard to find these days. But there are still some that offer it; I love to give a bottle of wine to neighbors, or as a hostess gift at holiday parties and we are lucky enough to have a local wine shop that will gift-wrap the bottle at no extra charge. 
3. Get Creative: When I was young, I could always count on receiving a gift from my grandmother wrapped in wallpaper. Yes. Wallpaper. She loved to change the wallpaper in her old Victorian home frequently, thus she always had samples or leftovers lying around. Instead of wasting it, she used it to wrap our Christmas gifts. I also had a friend whose grandparents owned a grocery store. While they were quite well-off, they were frugal and had lots of grandchildren. At Christmas, every grandchild would get a gift wrapped in old paper grocery bags, with a simple drawing and a special note from their grandmother written on the bag. 

Consider how long it takes to wrap gifts and how quickly they are opened and the paper is discarded. And then consider your wrapping options and you’ll have a little extra to spend on gifts and entertaining this year!