If you have not yet started budgeting for your Christmas gifts yet, it is not too late to get your gifts on a college budget.
The obvious alternative is to make gifts or bake, but if DIY is not your thing, there are other alternatives to turn to for buying inexpensive gifts for friends and family.
Even if you have not made time to budget in advance, an option is to make a budget for individuals on your list and make sure to not go over that dollar amount for each person. Creating a list of gift ideas for each person will help determine about how much each person will require. This will help you to figure out how much to spend and can also help you to stay on budget by not walking into the store blindly and buying whatever is convenient.
Even after Black Friday, there are still ways to save on retail items. Several stores offer more and more discounts the closer it gets to Christmas as a way to clear the holiday items from the shelves to make room for new items that will come in the first of the year.
Special offers also are usually offered online with better discounts on retail items than in stores. Some stores also offer free or discounted shipping and handling near the holidays.
If you do not feel like searching individually for deals, then sign up for emails from stores with deals and specials they might be offering. Many retailers, including Bath & Body Works, Kohl’s, Maurice’s and Best Buy offer newsletters via email or text messages that help you stay up to date on the latest deals they are offering.
Another alternative, especially if you have a bunch of different friends or a large family, is to do a Secret Santa gift exchange so you do not have to buy a gift for each individual, but everyone still receives something.
And of course, it is never too early to start budgeting for the next year. If you do not want to be caught up in the same situation next year, start by creating a budget or buying gifts early for next year.
