Sometimes our kids will crumple up a bunch of new paper, and say that they are toys for their babies. They'll put them in a bag and play with the "toys" for a while. Each sheet is only a few cents, but it bothers me. It's just so wasteful!

That said, say that they crumple up 5 sheets... that's not even 20 cents. And if they painted instead, they definitely use up more than that in paint/paper. If it keeps them occupied and happy for the same amount of time, it shouldn't bother me... right? But, it does! Didn't realize that I have an inner budgeter that can't stop thinking in terms of cost/benefit.

See also: kids drawing one or two lines on a sheet of paper, and then getting a new sheet.

Does it bother you when your kids "waste" paper during arts and crafts?