If you’re anything like me, you love the holiday season. Whether it’s because of the sparkling lights, never-ending supply of hot chocolate and apple cider, family time or the gifts you get (and give),this can be happiest time of the year. That said, there’s no denying that Christmas can be totally stressful. If you have the money to give gifts this year, you don’t know what to buy. And if you do know what you should buy, you probably don’t have any money to buy it with. Alas, I’m here to help!
I’ve collected some tips, tricks and gift ideas from fellow graduates and people who know a lot more than I do about how to make this Christmas a wonderful and affordable one.
1. Set a budget.
If you’re starting without a budget, you’re making things way more difficult than they need to be. You can’t buy Christmas gifts (or any gift, for that matter) without knowing how much money you have and where the rest of your money is going.
Dave Ramsey even recommends starting your budget as early as October. Halloween, who?
“[I]f you want to have zero stress and a hefty fund of savings to pull from by the time Christmas gets here,” Ramsey said in a blog post on his website. “You have to start early. And by early we don’t mean around Thanksgiving.”
You’ll want to create something Ramsey called a “zero-based budget.” A zero-based budget is making the income you’re receiving and the amount you spend equal zero. To create this budget, you start by writing down your income and then all your expenses (and, yes, that also means the bills I know you don’t want to pay).
Finally, create your Christmas budget plan. How much money are you able to set aside after paying your bills? What are you willing to not spend on yourself? Once you know this, the rest becomes simple! Just keep yourself accountable and know what you want to get for the people in your life.
2. Think handmade.
Maybe you don’t have money to spend. That’s totally fine! We’ve all been there. If you’re strapped for cash this holiday season, look around your house and see what supplies you already have. It’s time to get crafty.
While it may sound cliché, it’s true: handmade gifts are some of the best Christmas (and other celebratory) gifts you can give. I love receiving items that my friends and family put time and thought into making. Sure, a gift card to Target or a new sweater can make fun gifts, but there’s something special about knowing someone you care about took the time to make something that’s just for you and that no one else will have.
Allie Engel, a 2019 graduate from Queens University of Charlotte, recommends painting canvases. “You can usually find canvases and paint in bulk for pretty cheap,” she said. And that’s definitely true.
In addition to painting canvases for those important people in your life, you could also personalize Christmas ornaments and items such as wine glasses and coasters to give as gifts.
The important thing with handmade gifts is just keeping your creativity flowing. Do you have an old band tee that you don’t wear anymore that a friend may love? Try turning it into a shoulder bag! As long as it isn’t too worn out, that t-shirt could have many uses as a bag for someone in your life, such as a grocery bag. With the increased demand for reusable items, this is a fun way to encourage your friends and family to lessen their plastic usage.
Finally, you could make hot chocolate sets to give as gifts. Instead of buying the more expensive ones at the store, you can buy some hot chocolate in bulk, some mason jars and marshmallows and create your own – just make sure you thoroughly clean the mason jar if you’re dumping the mixture right into it. You could even do this with sugar cookie mix as well (minus the egg and liquid ingredients, of course).
3. Ditch technology and gift cards and go for quirky and unexpected.
Everyone and their mother know that technology is way too expensive to be buying it as a recent graduate—even as a gift. And gift cards, while they do make an easy Christmas present for the teens in your life, can get pretty expensive as well. So, to combat that, it’s time to think outside the box.
When I think of getting gifts that are outside of the box, my first thought is to hit up the Target dollar section. You can find some cute items and give them some pizazz yourself. Additionally, you can also create bags of people’s favorite snacks. If you need a gift for your friends, buy their favorite candy in bulk and help them stock up.
If Target dollar sections aren’t your thing, though, you can also look at other stores. Alyssa Pacheco, a political science major at Queens University of Charlotte who is graduating this December, suggests Barnes and Noble for gifts.
“[I] am able to find something totally unique [and] specific to the individual for everyone, and not for very expensive,” she said. And I totally believe it. Whether you’re buying for a bookworm, a budding novelist, a music lover or someone who loves puzzles, Barnes and Noble has so many options for the people in your life. If you budget it right, you could potentially do all your shopping there.
Another fun gift idea for your friends is socks. If you have friends that are anything like me, unique socks are always a win. Whether they’re fuzzy, striped, polka dotted or covered in pizza, they’re cool and practical.
Christmas should be a time of year where we spend time with our loved ones, so try not to stress too much about the gifts and their monetary value. At the end of the day, the people around you know exactly which stage of your life you’re at, and they probably aren’t expecting much. You can always just take time to pick out a thoughtful card and go to Christmas dinner, and they’ll be happy.
