Eco(nomically/logically) Gifts in Action

A follow up on this post.

Just so you know that I at least try to practice what I preach, this is what the gifts I’m giving this year look like:

*Please don’t blame the poor wrapping skills on the cloths. Blame it on my inability to attractively wrap things.

The breakdown (without telling you what the gifts are):

ONE Recycled Gift (you can see it — the bag is made out of recycled plastic bottles)
FOUR purchases from locally owned businesses
SEVEN used gifts (two of them regifted)

The wrapping was done with festive cloth napkins from Goodwill (approximately $0.69 each, the green ones I got half price), junk mail (free), and bamboo string ($5.00).

I did buy one thing that wasn’t used/recycled/local.

And I’m also giving these:

Cost me nothing. Used old cups and yogurt containers and replanted pieces of my aloe vera, and voila, baby aloe vera plants!

Mini apple pies. One of the jars cost me $0.99 and the rest I got for “free” because I bought local cheesecake that came in those containers. Plus the cost of making the apple pie.

All I’m trying to say is that with a little thought, you can give green gifts without breaking the bank. You’ve got a talent out there that your friends/family can appreciate, whether it’s knitting or baking or gardening or something totally different, so feel free to give that gift for the holiday season. The gifts I love the most are the ones with real thought behind them, not money.