There’s always one. The one family member who refuses to rip into the presents, taking her sweet time unwrapping the paper at each piece of tape, folding the section of giftwrap neatly before moving on to find out what is in the box. It can make for an excruciatingly long wait time for your turn. But she’s also the one who won’t have to buy wrapping paper next year. And she’s keeping unnecessary waste out of the recycling bin or, even worse, the landfill.

We’re here to officially invite you to become that family member! It truly is worth the extra time to conserve paper over the holidays. Here are some simple steps to follow:

• See above. Trust us, you’ll be so happy next year when you have a sweet variety of wrapping paper to choose from, and you won’t have to buy any!
• Wrap your gifts purchased online in the paper from the package. Some merchants cover their items in nice packaging that can be used as the actual wrapping paper later.
• Ask for paper grocery bags. These can be turned facedown and decorated to make the perfect vintage looking presents.
• Save the tissue paper. So much of that stuff is crammed around the actual presents that you should not have to buy any for years.
• Take any still-decent paper that members of your party don’t want and add it to your collection. If they are going to throw it out anyway, you might as well take it.
• Get creative! If there are any baskets, bags, or boxes that you can doctor up and use as your giftwrap, use those instead.

Think of the extra dollars you are putting back into your own pocket. Think of the beautiful wrapping paper you will get to use again next year. Or consider the fact that, according to the 2012 Atlantic article “Wrappers’ Delight: A Brief History of Wrapping Paper,” Americans toss 4 million tons of wrapping paper and shopping bags annually.