Don't Waste Money on Wrapping Paper—4 Alternatives You Should Use Instead This Year

Feeling overwhelmed by all of the holiday gifts that you're going to need to begin wrapping for friends, family, neighbors, and beyond? There's no need to go out and purchase wrapping paper this season if you'd rather save a bit of cash and use items that you already have on hand at home.

Making use of various materials that may be sitting in your craft closet is an excellent way to cut back on spending and go green. Your gifts will still look beautiful if you adopt any one of these alternative wrapping techniques from the pros.

Read on to learn about four of their favorite creative approaches that don't involve traditional gift wrap.

Make Use of Leftover Wallpaper

If you completed a home design project earlier this year that involved wallpaper, check to see if you have any small remnants left on hand that could be useful for gift wrapping.

"Using leftover materials from a wallpaper project is a unique way to make a gift stand out while also allowing you to use every last bit of wallpaper," Elizabeth Rees, the founder of Chasing Paper, explains.

You can wrap gifts using either traditional or peel-and-stick wallpaper, but the approach you take will vary slightly depending on the material. Rees explains that traditional wallpaper is going to be similar to wrapping paper, though if you're covering gifts with peel-and-stick, you should leave its backing on so as not to affect your presents.

If you have some textured wallpaper left on hand, Rees likes that approach even more.

"This will add a little more depth to the gift wrap overall," she says.

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Use Newspaper or Craft Paper

Newspaper or craft paper can also make for a nice alternative to regular wallpaper. Rather than tossing a newspaper into the recycling bin once you've finished reading it, save it and use it for wrapping instead. If you worry that this approach will look too plain, keep in mind that you can still add some decorative embellishments to jazz things up a bit.

"Add paper embellishments and decorative elements like hand-cut snowflakes, paper ephemera, honeycomb balls, or hand drawn doodles that you can cut out and use some Scotch® gift-wrap tape onto the gift or shipper box," Amber Kemp-Gerstel, Scotch™ brand gift wrapping expert, says.

The design you choose is entirely up to you but will go a long way in livening up a simple paper and making each present look a bit more custom.

Use Gift Baskets

Not all presents are easy to wrap neatly, so opting for a gift basket can make for a more practical solution that still looks festive when dealing with oddly-shaped items.

Kemp-Gerstel recommends wrapping wicker or fabric gift baskets with cellophane. You may have some of these on hand already from past holidays (why not repurpose last year's Easter basket?) or you can source them affordably at your local thrift store. You can even choose to go with a specific theme to make a loved one's present look extra special.

"I recently purchased a cute basket shaped like a dinosaur for my son and I plan on filling it up with dino-themed gifts for him this holiday season," Kemp-Gerstel says. "After the gift giving is over, he can keep the basket to store toys and trinkets."

Use Fabric or Cloth

Rebecca Bobroff, the founder of Rebecca Bobroff Design, admires the traditional Japanese technique of furoshiki, which involves wrapping items using fabric or cloth and has adapted this to her own gift wrapping.

"For a modern riff on this technique, consider wrapping your gift using a festive tea towel or graphic silk scarf and securing it with decorative ribbon, twine, or the ends of the fabric to tie a knot," she says.

Better yet, the designer adds, your recipient can make use of the towel or scarf in their home or closet, making this wrapping technique an environmentally friendly gift that keeps on giving!