>7. I resist buying wrapping paper whenever possible.

It’s the green combined with the frugal in me. Wrapping paper seems so wasteful. Use it once, then throw it away. It can’t be recycled, it can’t be burned in the fireplace (too many chemicals), so it ends up in a landfill after one use. Does this make sense? Not to me.

My family gives me a hard time about this. I give in at Christmas, and I don’t complain if other family members buy wrapping paper (but it’d better be on sale!). But for birthdays, father’s day, and most other gift-giving occasions, I like to revive the first two Rs: reduce and re-use.

When I open my own presents, I carefully refold the paper for later. Smaller scraps will wrap stocking stuffers or combine with another coordinating wrap. Gift bags and tissue? Multiple uses. Small, attractive shopping bags? Again, multiple reuses. Bows? If possible, I set them aside to be part of another gift. Curling ribbon, well, I admit that’s hard to salvage.

But my favorite of the Green Wrapping techniques is this: last year’s cards become the next year’s tags. After Christmas (sometimes months later), I go through the holiday cards and cut them apart into gift tags. They’re unique and fun, and honestly — I haven’t bought gift tags in twenty years.