Cereal Boxes As Gift Boxes Or Gift Bags

Instead of paying for boxes to wrap presents in, I save boxes from cereal, oatmeal, crackers, microwave popcorn; just about any kind of box and put my presents in them. They come in all shapes and sizes and it also helps to keeps my family from guessing their present, especially if it's clothing.

My daughter will be surprised to find that the present shaped like an aluminum foil box is actually a shirt! LOL! We will never forget the one year when she was little, she got all excited because she took off the wrapping paper and thought she had gotten a case of Mountain Dew! Too cute! :-)

By Tammy from Bristol, TN

Answers:

Cereal Boxes As Gift Boxes Or Gift Bags

If you will carefully open the glued side of the box by running a butter knife under the overlapped piece you can flatten the box and turn it inside out. The inside is plain cardboard. Now it can be decorated! If you have a foam hair roller and dip the end in paint and sponge it on the box will look like it is covered in Lifesaver candies. Or use other sponge shapes, the kids will love doing this. Leave flat until you need the box for a gift and reglue the side you opened. Makes them easier to store. Have fun!

T. Jo (01/28/2007)

By T. Jo

Cereal Boxes As Gift Boxes Or Gift Bags

I love to decoupage the outside of the box with a "theme" that I know the recipient enjoys. Sports for the guys, Hannah Montana for my grand daughter etc. I use pages from old magazines to do this, sometimes I will make paper flowers from the nice glossy sheets. My family and friends always look forward to my "funky" art work. I make the gift tag the same way. (07/06/2008)

By Rhonda

Cereal Boxes As Gift Boxes Or Gift Bags

Here's another very frugal idea for a gift box- your empty boutique style (as well as rectangular size) Kleenex box! I have used these for years now and they make perfect gift boxes for a number of things! I wrap the exterior with very pretty Christmas, Birthday, Valentine's, etc., paper (that I have bought at after-Christmas sales, etc.), and it is beautiful!

Stop throwing out your empty tissue boxes and recycle them. TRY IT!

P.S.: The tissue boxes also come in a variety of designs; flowers, Disney characters, world monuments, etc., and so I sometimes do not even wrap the outside because they are too cool to cover up! (08/31/2008)

By Robb

Cereal Boxes As Gift Boxes Or Gift Bags

Hi Tammy, your ideas for cereal boxes are so great and all the ideas from everyone really help. I save boxes too and do a lot of things with them. One of my favorites is to take wide ribbon and "weave" a cover for the box out of two different colors or just one color. You add a handle out of covered coat hanger and you have a beautiful basket or gift box. I use covered pizza boxes for storing all kinds of things and you can stack them.

Also you can cover the boxes with left over wallpaper, contact paper, or put a little bit of cotton batting, glued to the outside and cover with light weight material. I use the cereal boxes for storing magazines. Stand them on one end, cut the top off and down a little bit on one side, cover with whatever you want, and you have a keeper. A few of them standing side by side looks really nice. I enjoy reading all the ideas everyone has come up with.(03/26/2009)

By Barbara

Cereal Boxes As Gift Boxes Or Gift Bags

I flatten the cereal boxes and especially the Ritz cracker boxes, trim off the flaps, and use to line my drawers and shelves. They lay flat, and are so colorful! (03/26/2009)

By hopeful