Today's blog is an excerpt from Shawna's green and healthy newspaper column, "The Casual Gardener." Enjoy! 
Every holiday season, my family receives, saves and reuses dozens of greeting cards which come in the mail. Cut off the more decorative part of the card and save it for next year. When the holiday season arrives, use the card “front” as a gift tag for presents and as postcard greetings to send in the mail.
Another great money saver is to put aside gift bags which you might have received from last year’s holiday season and reuse them. Finding and saving decorative shopping bags throughout the year is a great idea as well. With a holiday bow, a “greeting card” gift tag, and some ribbon attached, the shopping bags look as beautiful as any traditional gift 
bag out there and it costs so little to use them. Recycling old gift bags by reusing them is great for the environment.
When my family runs out of gift bags, it is time to turn to the saved wrapping paper. Yes, it may sound “cheap” to some, but I say it is smart! Reusing expensive wrapping paper is a huge money saver. It is impossible to save all the wrapping paper, yet if a big hunk of beautiful paper is lying on the ground after the holiday extravaganza, do not roll it into a ball and throw it out. Instead, pick it up, fold it, and place it in with the other wrapping supplies for next year. 
Newspaper is also a great wrapping paper. All year long we receive Sunday comics from relatives who receive a newspaper and know my children love to read them. When my kids are done with the comics, they fold them back up and save them with the wrapping supplies. Sunday comic wrapping papers looks beautiful if topped with a holiday bow (also saved from last year). One of the most gorgeous holiday trees I have ever seen was covered in all red decorations and had presents topped with giant reusable red ribbons – the presents were all wrapped with black and white newspaper.
Even the family mascot, Harry the Pug, can see the difference between a tree that is decorated with recycled wrapping products versus non-recycled - it is tree built with love. We all are proud and happy to see all the wrapping paper we were able to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Remember, when you finish unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, be sure to place the crumpled paper in the recycle bin and keep the rest for your secret money-saving, environmentally-friendly wrapping stash.
Happy Wrapping Holidays!
Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blog www.gardeningnude.com
Today's blog is an excerpt from Shawna's green and healthy newspaper column, "The Casual Gardener." Enjoy!
Every holiday season, my family receives, saves and reuses dozens of greeting cards which come in the mail. Cut off the more decorative part of the card and save it for next year. When the holiday season arrives, use the card “front” as a gift tag for presents and as postcard greetings to send in the mail.
Another great money saver is to put aside gift bags which you might have received from last year’s holiday season and reuse them. Finding and saving decorative shopping bags throughout the year is a great idea as well. With a holiday bow, a “greeting card” gift tag, and some ribbon attached, the shopping bags look as beautiful as any traditional gift
bag out there and it costs so little to use them. Recycling old gift bags by reusing them is great for the environment.
When my family runs out of gift bags, it is time to turn to the saved wrapping paper. Yes, it may sound “cheap” to some, but I say it is smart! Reusing expensive wrapping paper is a huge money saver. It is impossible to save all the wrapping paper, yet if a big hunk of beautiful paper is lying on the ground after the holiday extravaganza, do not roll it into a ball and throw it out. Instead, pick it up, fold it, and place it in with the other wrapping supplies for next year.
Newspaper is also a great wrapping paper. All year long we receive Sunday comics from relatives who receive a newspaper and know my children love to read them. When my kids are done with the comics, they fold them back up and save them with the wrapping supplies. Sunday comic wrapping papers looks beautiful if topped with a holiday bow (also saved from last year). One of the most gorgeous holiday trees I have ever seen was covered in all red decorations and had presents topped with giant reusable red ribbons – the presents were all wrapped with black and white newspaper.
Remember, when you finish unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, be sure to place the crumpled paper in the recycle bin and keep the rest for your secret money-saving, environmentally-friendly wrapping stash.
Happy Wrapping Holidays!
Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blog www.gardeningnude.com