I have struggled with the waste for years at Christmas time and especially with the wrapping part. Now don't get me wrong - I absolutely love a well wrapped present. I have an Aunty who wraps presents wonderfully, so much so that I didn't want to open our wedding present but to just go on savouring the elegant bows and spray of orchid on the outside! It was truly a work of art!
Its more the amount of wrap that you can spend a fortune on that usually gets ripped and crushed beyond use in the rush to see whats inside. The wrap that I can save, I do save. This year I decided to try another option. Its free, environmentally friendly, upcycles a common waste problem and kinda funky to boot...
Here's what I did...
I wrapped my family presents in Newspaper!
I actually struggled with this as I wrapped the first one and then unwrapped it and got out the commercial stuff I have got for the people who may not appreciate my view on wrapping paper. Then I decided that of all people, my husband would be able to handle it and in hindsight, appreciate the thought of newspaper wrap - so I unwrapped it again and re wrapped it back in its newspaper.
I made a strip from the commercial paper and turned it into a bow. Attached a very quickly slapped together tag (with cotton string) and popped it under the tree. It doesn't look so bad you know!
I'm sure it will be a talking piece for visitors over the festive season and that works for me too!
On Christmas morning I can scoop the whole lot up and instruct a nearby body to sizz it all through the shredder and; Voila! Christmas flavoured paper for the compost and the worms! (making that the third use for that particular paper!)
Linked into Sustrainable Suburbia and their seasonal celebrations post! Have a look at what others doing.
http://sustainablesuburbia.net/simple-seasonal-goodness-celebrating-advent-with-a-difference/
Score card:
Green-ness: 5/5 for reusing a product in its waste phase!
Frugal-ness: 5/5 for making one $3 roll of paper co-ordinate all my pressies!
Time cost: The usual - less if you count not having to go back to the shops to get more paper - this paper gets delivered free of charge!!!
Skill level: More guts than skill I think (I mean what WILL the neighbours think?)
Fun -ness: It'll be fun to see the reactions I get!
Its more the amount of wrap that you can spend a fortune on that usually gets ripped and crushed beyond use in the rush to see whats inside. The wrap that I can save, I do save. This year I decided to try another option. Its free, environmentally friendly, upcycles a common waste problem and kinda funky to boot...
Here's what I did...
I wrapped my family presents in Newspaper!
I actually struggled with this as I wrapped the first one and then unwrapped it and got out the commercial stuff I have got for the people who may not appreciate my view on wrapping paper. Then I decided that of all people, my husband would be able to handle it and in hindsight, appreciate the thought of newspaper wrap - so I unwrapped it again and re wrapped it back in its newspaper.
I made a strip from the commercial paper and turned it into a bow. Attached a very quickly slapped together tag (with cotton string) and popped it under the tree. It doesn't look so bad you know!
I'm sure it will be a talking piece for visitors over the festive season and that works for me too!
On Christmas morning I can scoop the whole lot up and instruct a nearby body to sizz it all through the shredder and; Voila! Christmas flavoured paper for the compost and the worms! (making that the third use for that particular paper!)
Linked into Sustrainable Suburbia and their seasonal celebrations post! Have a look at what others doing.
http://sustainablesuburbia.net/simple-seasonal-goodness-celebrating-advent-with-a-difference/
Score card:
Green-ness: 5/5 for reusing a product in its waste phase!
Frugal-ness: 5/5 for making one $3 roll of paper co-ordinate all my pressies!
Time cost: The usual - less if you count not having to go back to the shops to get more paper - this paper gets delivered free of charge!!!
Skill level: More guts than skill I think (I mean what WILL the neighbours think?)
Fun -ness: It'll be fun to see the reactions I get!
Comments
I would probably still wrap in newspaper, but we stopped receiving it about 2 years ago. Sometimes I miss having packing and wrapping at the ready.
I have been thinking a bit about vermicomposting... especially since we miss having the local paper.
Merry Christmas and who cares what the neighbors think. ;-)
I love the idea of the strip of coloured paper coordinating them all though. That gives that extra sense of class that my pressies often don't have!
This would be a great post for my Simple Seasonal Goodness linky list over at SustainableSuburbia.net http://sustainablesuburbia.net/simple-seasonal-goodness-celebrating-advent-with-a-difference/ - I'd love you to pop over and add it :)