Wrapping for Less

I'm pleased that this post has been included as an Editor's Pick in the Festival of Frugality #158 hosted by The Well Run Dry. I like the Well's philosophy of simplifying, so have a look once you've messed around here. And please subscribe to my RSS feed if you'd like to read more.

Photo by vespar avenue

It's officially time to start wrapping.

I have three suggestions to keep the cost down:

1. Gift Bags

You saved them from last year, didn't you? Wrap a label around the handles so you can easily remove it for next year. Bags are pretty, easy to store, and will last a really long time. Whatever you do, don't buy them individually. They can cost as much as a frugal gift. You can get good deals on multi-packs at the warehouse stores.

2. Artwork

Face it, if you're a parent, you have too much carp, er, I mean, artwork, that comes home from preschool, school, art class, scouts, and other kid endeavors.

Can't bear to throw it away? Find a big box, throw it in. Now come gift-giving season you have the perfect personalized paper. No cost. No loss. Perfect.

3. Brown Paper

No kids? I got this one from a decluttering TV show. Wrap everything in plain brown wrapping paper (the kind you use for Post Office packages.) Splurge on pretty ribbons and bows. (Or for the truly tight, repurpose the ribbons and bows from last year's presents.) This also solves the problem of where to put all the paper in the off season--there isn't much, and you can use it all year.

Wrap on...

Bah Humbug to Bank Fees

Photo by Ava Harvard.

Bank fees get my goat. I'm not proud of it, but I have bounced my share of checks this year. At 33 buck a pop, that's just plain stupid. Now that I have a steady income, it's easier to avoid those totally unnecessary feas.

There are lots of bank fees I'm become acquainted with: wire transfer fees, the ever-popular late fee, account maintence fee (now there's a way to teach a kid to put her savings under her mattress instead of in the bank).

But the one that really peeves me is the ATM fee. At $1, $1.50, or $2 for a transaction at a machine other than your own bank, those little buggers really add up. Plan ahead. Go to your own bank for cash. Just say no to fees. You'll thank me later.

Now excuse me while I go back to my cold fireplace and count what little money I have left.