With black Friday behind us and Christmas fast approaching, the pressure is on to find the perfect holiday gifts for your friends, family, and loved ones. However, finding the perfect gift is much harder for the broke college student. We have less time to shop and less money to spend.
The key to holiday shopping on a budget is to think small. Small, meaningful, creative gifts can have the same effect as some of the bigger budget gifts. Here is a holiday gift guide of gifts for friends and family all under 20 dollars.
For friends:
Suggest that you and your group of girlfriends have a Secret Santa for the holidays this year. This way you and your friends can all agree on a budget before you go shopping so no one feels the pressure to buy an expensive gift for everyone. Scarves and costume jewelry are always great gifts for your girlfriends who are really into fashion. Forever 21 has scarves for $8.80, and fashion jewelry for as low as $5.80. For the girl that’s always texting on her iPhone, buy her a new phone case, or buy her these special etip gloves for $5.00 on amazon.com that will allow her to use her touch screen on her iPhone while keeping her hands warm walking across the Drillfield.
For mom:
Moms aren’t necessarily impressed with how much money you spend on a gift. Buy her something sweet, touching and from the heart and she will surely appreciate it. Simple holiday gifts like a candle or bath soaps in her favorite scents are great for moms because they are inexpensive but appreciated. Candle gift sets are available at Yankee Candle for $19.99 and bath gift sets for $15 at Bath and Body Works. Or if your mother is into books, buy her a New York Times best seller or a book from Oprah’s Book club and read it together over winter break. Also, if you are simply stumped at what to get your mother, buy her a comfy pair of slippers so she can put her feet up and relax at the end of her long day.
For dad:
Dads can sometimes be the hardest people to shop for because it always seems like they have everything they need. So instead of buying him yet another tie this year, try to get a little more creative with your gift. Buy your dad the DVD set of his favorite childhood television show. Or, if your dad is into games buy him a tabletop pool table for $19.99 at Kohls.
For your boyfriend:
Boyfriends can also be difficult to shop for, you don’t want to buy an expensive, over-the-top gift especially if you don’t know how serious your relationship is yet. If your relationship is in its beginning stages, make him a cute gift basket filled with his favorite snacks, candy and a movie for you two to watch together. If your boyfriend is really into sports, get him a poster or memorabilia from his favorite team.