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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To reuse gift bags?

118 replies

Spookytoast · 21/10/2018 10:59

I was given some presents in really lovely gift bags for my birthday a few months ago. I kept a few because I couldn’t bring myself to put them in the recycling.

Just wrapping a birthday present for MIL now and the wrapping paper I bought goes really well with one of the gift bags.

Is it BU to give someone a gift in a second hand gift bag? I’ve kept it in lovely condition!

OP posts:
Flooffloof · 21/10/2018 12:18

Always reuse gift bags and boxes and on occasion paper, when it's really lovely.
There is a glittery box that I gave for a new born, went to a 30th birthday, then to a wedding anniversary and will probably come back to me for Christmas (fingers crossed) cos I need it for a 50th birthday. It cost £8 but to my knowledge it's done 4 presents. Hoping for way more.
If I ever write on tags I use pencil.
I would deffo judge anyone who threw away these.

fourquenelles · 21/10/2018 12:55

I love getting a gift in a gift bag 1. for the gift itself and 2. for the few seconds of happy thought about how I am going to reuse it.

Talkingfrog · 21/10/2018 21:37

I have just put 2 gift bags given to me in the basket with giftwrap cards etc so they can be reused. My mother in law has given me back Christmas bags before to reuse. I try not to give them back to the person who gave them, but wouldn't worth me if someone returned one to me.

SomethingNastyInTheBallPool · 21/10/2018 22:30

Everyone reuses gift bags, surely?

But AIBU to wrap the presents as well (and slightly judge people who put naked presents into gift bags?

steff13 · 21/10/2018 22:34

My family and my brother's family have been passing the same Superman gift bag back and forth for years now. It's become a funny tradition. Every time one of our kids has a birthday it's trotted out.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 21/10/2018 22:35

I thought that was unwritten law and why nobody writes the name on.

Sassielassie · 21/10/2018 22:38

Are there people who DONT reuse these. ALL of my family and friends keep gift bags tissue paper etc . They just keep going round n round till they get too tatty.

Noodledoodledoo · 21/10/2018 22:43

My family have Christmas bags that are collected at the end of each Christmas to be reused the next year! Don't think my Grandma wrote a new label for the past 10 years!!

3in4years · 21/10/2018 22:47

You would be unreasonable not to.

Angie169 · 21/10/2018 22:58

85 post and everyone agrees with each other ! is this some kind of MN record ?

and yes I reuse them too, ( so make that 86 post ) when it is time to throw them away most can not be recycled because of the foil / shiny coating on the so if you buy new ones go for the paper / card type not the foil type

BarbaraofSevillle · 22/10/2018 06:37

Everyone reuses gift bags, surely

Well I'm not sure anyone's going to admit otherwise on this thread although I'm sure I've seen people on here say that they think reusing is 'tight' or 'skanky'.

Birdsgottafly · 22/10/2018 06:43

"But AIBU to wrap the presents as well (and slightly judge people who put naked presents into gift bags?"

It's fine to put unwrapped presents in, but you should put a cover of tissue paper over the top.

That makes everything reusable, or recyclable.

We should all be getting conscious of waste and the environment.

A lot of bags/wrapping paper aren't recyclable because of the glue/glitter/finish.

justanotherunhappysoul · 22/10/2018 06:46

I thought everyone reused them - you'd be unreasonable not to reuse !

Undercoverbanana · 22/10/2018 07:05

I even use Primark bags as gift bags. I decorate them a bit but by no means disguise them.

My Dad and I have been exchanging the same bag for over a decade. It’s a tradition. The bag has been repaired many times but the familiarity and the knowledge that it is “our thing” is all part of the joy of gift giving.

listsandbudgets · 22/10/2018 07:06

I thought you were supposed to. We've got lots at the moment as both dd and ds had birthdays in last few months. I have a friend who alwaus uses the lovliest wrapping paper - my mums 70th is coming up so I've saved it for that. No idea where she gets it, it must cost a small fortune

Cocobana · 22/10/2018 07:08

I always reuse them unless they look too ‘used.’ If the tag has been filled out I just carefully take it off and sometimes leave without or tie a new tag on with ribbon.

megletthesecond · 22/10/2018 07:10

Yanbu.
I'm re-using one today in fact. And the recipient may read this thread Smile.

Ohheyyy · 22/10/2018 07:12

My friends quite often give giftbags and specifically say they haven't written on the tag in case I want to reuse them. It's just a kind of given rule, they're reused until too tatty.

shaggedthruahedgebackwards · 22/10/2018 07:14

I always do and it's a bit of a joke between friends to keep the same few bags going for as long as possible

Its very rare I buy a new one and I'd hate to thing of the recipient NOT reusing it!

Volant · 22/10/2018 07:18

I purposely don't write on gift bag labels when I give them as a gift so that the recipient can reuse it

I'll reuse even if the label has been written on. It's easy enough to death them and write another, after all, even if it doesn't match.

PiperPublickOccurrences · 22/10/2018 07:19

Always reuse. I wouldn't remember what bags I had given to people either, so wouldn't even notice getting one back.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 22/10/2018 07:21

I always reuse

TroysMammy · 22/10/2018 07:27

I've got a gift bag which is over 10 years old. I put my Dad's present in it and he gives me back the bag. It's repeated every year Grin

Inertia · 22/10/2018 07:32

Someone should invent post-it note style gift labels which could go on the tags of gift bags, so you don’t have to keep re-attaching new gift tags.

Peridot1 · 22/10/2018 07:36

Thinking about it I think dh’s birthday presents have been in the same bags for about the last four or five years!

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