Frugality: A Path to Creativity

The following post was written by my wife, Ellen.  A big thanks to her for helping inform my audience about a side of creativity I don't know enough about.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention; I say frugality is the mother of creativity.  During the holiday season, it is so easy to simply buy anything that you might need for the holidays.  The holidays are hectic, life is stressful, and time is short.  However, if you look upon this time of year as an opportunity to give yourself a chance to be creative, you can be more thoughtful with your generosity, spend less, and find some joy amid the scramble.

Gift Wrap – I just don’t buy wrapping paper.  I can’t bring myself to purchase a roll of something that will be discarded almost immediately after it is used.  Here are some creative solutions to your wrapping problems:

• Paper – I use junk paper I find around the house.  Being married to a musician, there’s always a plentiful supply of sheet music that would otherwise be recycled.  You can also use newspapers or junk mail.  If you have paper that is blank on only one side, put the printed side against the present, and use markers to write messages to the recipient, draw, or even write poetry.  (Haiku, anyone?)
• Gift Bags – It’s easy to hold on to gift bags you receive and reuse them.  I’ve also taken foil potato chip bags, turned them inside out, and washed them.  It’s a sparkly bag, as well as something novel for the recipient.  I’ve also purchased the 99-cent reusable cloth shopping bags from various retailers to wrap a person’s gift; that way, the wrapping serves a practical use after its decorative use.
• Ribbon – Aside from the joy my cats receive from it, I see little use in ribbon.  I use scraps of yarn that are too short for knitting, ribbon from presents I receive from other people (I save it all), and even twine when it looks good with the random paper I found lying around the house.

Greeting Cards – Instead of buying a box of cards filled with a message generic enough not to offend anyone, try getting less expensive cards that are blank inside.  You can write your own message that really says who you are (maybe a poem) and print them through your computer.  Cut with fancy scissors, and you can make your generic card a little more creative.  You can also get really creative and make your own cards from scratch.  One year, I bought a set of blank cards in the summer and spent a few days painting simple Christmas trees on the cover.  The cost was less than a dime per card, but I got an overwhelmingly-positive response from the recipients of those hand-painted cards. 

Gifts – Here is where it gets tricky.  I think we believe saving money on gift giving is Scrooge-y.  However, creative gifts do a much better job expressing to the recipient how much they mean to you than a high-priced item ever could.  Can you make something?  Would anyone on your list enjoy a song, poem, or piece of art from you?  Almost anyone can use photography as a means of creating a unique gift. 

Before you rush out the door to make some last-minute holiday purchases, take a look in your heart and around your house to see how you can more creatively (and frugally) fill your needs.  You might be surprised how much it improves your own creativity and holiday spirit!