Every year it seems that families spend more and more at Christmas time. Many are looking for ways they can save money. One way to save money is to recycle your wrapping paper rather than merely throwing it away. You’ve already spent the money, oftentimes quite a bit; it almost seems wasteful to toss it out. Here are some ways, now and through-out the coming year, you can recycle your wrapping paper by using it for other things after it’s already wrapped gifts.

Use crumpled wrapping paper to keep fragile ornaments from being damaged. Sure, you can buy ornament keepers, but a sturdy box and some crumpled paper will do the same job. It will also save you money because ornament keepers can be expensive.

Push crumpled-up wrapping paper into formed hats or purses to help them stay the correct shape when they’re stored away for a period of time. This is especially helpful if you don’t have boxes to store them in.

Re-wrap presents next year. Of course, this will be difficult to do if the paper is too wrinkled or torn up. If you had wrapped a large present, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If the wrapping paper is wrinkled, you can turn the paper on the wrong side and iron it on low. You can also cut off parts of the wrapping paper that can be used again to wrap smaller presents in the future.

Did someone wrap a present in wrapping paper that’s not really limited to Christmas? Iron the back of the wrapping paper with an iron set on low. Find a corkboard that will fit into the paper and wrap it up. This is a great craft for children to try because they can tape the wrapping paper on the back and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Hang the corkboard up by a telephone as a message board.

Learn a new craft and recycle your wrapping paper at the same time. You can find books on origami at the library. If your library doesn’t have a book, look online. There are many websites that are dedicated to the art of folding paper. This could result in some original holiday decorations for next year.

Use the ironed paper as drawer or shelf liners. Measure the size of your drawers and shelves before placing the paper in them. This will allow the paper to fit as closely as possible. If you have enough wrapping paper to recycle this way, you may be able to place more than one layer in each drawer. Remove the top layer of paper when it is soiled and you’ll already have another to replace it.

Make a decision this year to try to save as much wrapping paper as possible so that it can be used again in the future. Recycle your wrapping paper. Reuse and re-purpose it to save yourself some money, create some unique decor, and relieve that feeling of it all going to waste.

Now go finish your wrapping!

Before you throw out what appears to be useless ornaments and Christmas cards, think about how they can be reused for another year of celebration. Get the kids involved and turn the quest for recycled materials into a treasure hunt through the house. There are a lot of items, whether originally Christmas-themed or not, that can be reused for creative Holiday decorations this season.

Re-purpose your Christmas cards. We get them and after the holiday is over we throw them away. Instead of throwing them away, use them to make new decorations for the house. Christmas cards, and those photocards we get of family and friends can be used to create a collage. For a wooden coffee table, have a piece of glass cut to match the dimensions of the table top. Underneath the glass, place a piece of thin cardboard the same size and cover it with the fronts of various Christmas cards. Cover with the glass.

Old tree ornaments can be given a new look with some non-toxic paint, or glitter. Instead of throwing older glass ball ornaments away, come up with other ideas to save them by covering with ribbons, colored buttons, or sea shells you may have saved from the summer at the beach.

Used light bulbs can be turned into ornaments. Cover a light bulb with a brown sock or stretchy material. Fashion ears out of felt and use felt pieces for eyes, nose, and mouth and you’ve got a reindeer ornament. Tie a string around the top to secure the brown fabric and make a second loop to hang the ornament on the tree.

Bring the outside in by gathering pine cones, branches, acorns and nuts. The tree branches can be weaved together to form a natural wreath, and garnished with the pine cones. Pieces of discarded wood from household projects can be fashioned into nativity scene figures, crosses, wooden angels, and toys by someone who is skilled in wood working. Cut shapes of wood with a jigsaw and have the kids paint to decorate them.

Gather inspiration from local artisans who use soda cans, bottles, and cardboard boxes to make ornaments for Christmas. Around the holidays, several local artisans will showcase their craft shows around your area. You’d be amazed at the wonderful things they can come up with from items most people have thrown away. Purchase these items to support your local business people, and help the planet at the same time.

We all want our homes to look nice for Christmas. But, we envision that the only way that we can do this is to buy new stuff each year. New items are not the only ones that shine and make an impression on your visitors. Learn how you can create recycled decorations from things lying around the house.