That's a wrap on Christmas packages

Here are some ideas for saving on Christmas wrapping paper:

• Use an old map — or a map of a place you plan to visit together, with the planned destinations circled.
• Have kids personalize plain paper using paint and sponges or their handprints.
• Spruce up a plain box or make your own stamped paper using a pear.
• Write a love letter and use that as wrapping paper.
• Use colorful geometric stickers to add a custom touch to a solid-colored gift paper and hold the wrapping in place.
• Copy favorite photographs and incorporate those into wrapping.
• Fabric remnants, dish towels and pieces cut from inexpensive shower curtains.
• Sheet music or copies of sheet music.
• Old pages from calendars and old album covers.
• Newspapers — the comics pages, the sports pages or other sections, depending on the recipient.

— The Hartford Courant

I Love You ... Now Put That Back

Instead of buying an anniversary card for your honey, visit the local card shop together. Select a card for your honey, read it to him or her and don't buy a thing.

— Norma Nicholas, Ashland

To Halve and To Halve Not

One, a person taking prescription pills ought to consider asking the doctor to prescribe the pill at twice the dose, and then cut the pill in half. In most cases, a 50 mg prescription of name-brand prescriptions is actually only a few dollars more than the 25 mg. We pay so much for the research, development, and advertising, rather than the strength of the pill. I'm not sure of the precise dollar amount, but I think my dad would pay about $108 for 30 pills of 30 mg Lipitor. Instead, he pays about $125 for 30 pills of 60 mg Lipitor, then cuts them in half. That represents a 2 month supply of 30 mg rather than one. It saves him about $100 every two months. I do the same with one of my prescriptions, buying 30 pills of 50 mg strength for $5.25 and cutting them in half, rather than paying $4.80 for a month's supply of 25 mg. It saves me just over $4 every other month, but hey, a few bucks is a few bucks. You just have to make sure your doctor is aware of and fully approves this method... some pills can't or shouldn't be cut in half.

— Shonna Zimmermann

Putting the cart before the choice

My major shopping deterrent is when I see something I think I really need, I put it in my cart until I get all my shopping done, and by then, usually I've decided I REALLY don't need it after all. SometimesI go home and think about it and if I go back to get it and it's gone, I figure I didn't need it that much anyway. This really keeps my shopping to a minimum.

— Phyllis Joy, Phoenix

Lather, dilute, repeat

I cut the sides of toothpaste and shampoo containers. There are weeks of product left inside to use. Also take one container of shampoo. Put one-third of it in a container, and add twice as much water. It cleans just as well, and, of course, it lasts longer. A hair stylist told me about that one.

— D.C., Ashland