Tips & Tricks Thursday: Uses for Packing Paper

A New Series!

Welcome to Tips and Tricks Thursday! Every Thursday I'll share a little tip or trick that has made my life easier in some way.
Last year my MOPs group had an entire meeting where we took turns sharing little tips and tricks, and it was so incredibly fun and helpful.  As I worked on last week's big goal to clear out my drafts folder, I found a draft full of little tips I had gathered here and there. I originally intended to share them all on the blog in one big post, but I realized they would work well as individual posts.  This will also be a great venue for those little tips and tricks I come across that aren't necessarily "good enough" for their own big blog post.
Most of the Tips and Tricks will fall under parenting and cooking, since my life seems to revolve around those two subjects the most. However, there may also be an occasional cleaning, organizing, or household management tip.
So, without further ado, here is my first Tip/Trick!

 

The Tip: Save that packing paper!

Back when we ordered our Percolator, it came packed in a large sheet of brown butcher paper. Rather than chucking it, I saved it to use as a giant coloring sheet. Kiddo loved having such a giant canvas to work with! I tried tracing his body, but it was hard for him to hold still that long. When we started receiving packages from my online Christmas shopping, we had a much more successful attempt. Kiddo had fun coloring his life-size picture.

 

Why I love it: 

Since I hate being wasteful, I liked that we were able to put this paper to use before we pitched it. Plus, it gave Kiddo something fun and different to do.

 

A Few Other Uses For Packing Paper: 

• wrap delicate items for moving or shipping (in other words, use it for its intended purpose)
• cover a work surface (kids' art projects, spray painting, etc.)
• wrap a present (wrapped in some raffia or ribbon, the wrinkles would just add to the charm)
• make a costume (it doesn't have to be this elaborate to be fun!)

Whatever I do, I try not to hoard things without a purpose. If I haven't found a use for the paper within a few days, into the recycling bin it goes!

Do you ever save packing paper? What other uses can you think of for using it?