So it’s the greatest time of the year and if you’re like me, your small town is probably glowing with multicolored lights strung across rooftops and beautiful Christmas trees peeking out from behind window curtains. With Christmas right around the corner, spirits are at an all-time high, but for the normal college student, this time normally means money is running low. After giving Starbucks and Pizza Hut half of our life-time savings during finals week, many of us face the Holidays completely broke. While many of our families don’t want anything more than a visit from us during the Holiday season, we still want to return the love they’ve so generously given us during our time away at school. So here are a couple of gift ideas for the broke college student at Christmas! Money might be tight but these are a few ways to make it stretch!

Hot Cocoa Mason Jars

These cute little jars are a sure-fire way to give your friends and family a sweet treat without breaking the bank. You can personalize the ingredients based on who the gift is intended for and the best part is that they’re super easy to make. Just follow a few simple steps. All you need is: Dry milk powder, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, candy (optional) like mints or caramels, and mini-marshmallows. In a Mason jar stack ingredients like so: from the bottom, 1 ¾ cup dry milk, 1 cup cocoa powder, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ½ cup of chocolate chips, and fill the rest with your candy or marshmallows. Seal the top and, Voila! A cute and cozy gift that your friends and family will definitely love!

You can find all these ingredients at Walmart and using one pack of each ingredient, you can make 4-5 jars for 4-5 loved ones. The ingredients and jars together will come out to around 20 bucks, a little more if you added candies. But hey, that’s 4-5 gifts that will only cost you 20 bucks and a little time. These jars are a great idea because you can tell your friends you made them by hand, making them even more appreciated.

The Ultimate Bonfire Kit

Bonfires are a great way to get everyone together during any season and these bonfire kits are sure to be real crowd pleasers. Burn leftover boxes and torn wrapping paper while you and your friends enjoy this quick and easy gift. All you need is: Marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, Hershey’s chocolate mini-bars, cello bags (some even come with Christmas decorations on them), paper, and a box of Swiss Miss hot cocoa (individual bags). For each bag you make, you’re going to include: 1 Large Marshmallow, 1 chocolate mini-bar, 1 full graham cracker sheet (split it in the middle so that it makes two small squares), 1 hot cocoa packet, and a small slip of paper that prompts your loved one to share a funny story. For example, you can put one in that says, “An embarrassing moment,” and each of your friends can share their most embarrassing moment around the bonfire. Not only, do your friends get to enjoy s’mores and hot cocoa, but your gift will bring an opportunity for everyone to bond and wind down after the hectic Christmas day. After your ingredients are in the cello bags, you can either tie them shut or buy cute Christmas ribbon to seal them.

You can find these ingredients at Walmart. You can make at least 12 if you buy a pack of each ingredient and the best part, it only costs you around 13 bucks!

Love Coupons

Okay, it may be cheesy but hey, it works. This little gift is for your significant other and no doubt will land you a spot on Santa’s Naughty List. You can do them by hand or you can print them out. These gifts always come out better if you know your partner really well as you can design each coupon around his/her likes. You can make them as naughty or nice as you’re comfortable with. Here’s how to do it: If you’re working on a computer, type up some coupon options like, “One Free Massage,” “Breakfast in Bed,” or “One Foot Rub (if you’re into that).” Some websites even have ready-made printables you can use to make your book. Do the same if you’re doing these by hand. Once you have a pretty good amount of coupons you can staple them together of hole punch them and ties them together with a ribbon. This way makes it easier to tear them off after each use. You can give them to your significant other along with a bottle of wine (I would recommend Barefoot’s Sweet Red Blend) and/or flowers and teddy. Prepare for a long Christmas night because these Love Coupons will definitely get you into the “Christmas Spirit.”

All you’ll need is paper, colored pencils (if by hand) and a stapler or hole punch. You can visit a library and use their printers for free or for a small fee, like 10 cents per page. The wine will cost around 6 or 8 dollars and the flowers and teddy can run for as low as 5-7 dollars together.

Back to School Kit

As college students we know that after Christmas break, its back to school time so why not give your friends or family a head start by stocking them up on a few Back-to-School essentials. These kits are for the student in all of us. Best part? They require no skill whatsoever! Just buy these items and wrap em up! If you really wanna personal it, add a motivational note inside that will help your loved one get through the Back-to-School blues. You can make the kit with whatever supplies you’d like but here is a suggestion, you’ll need: Notebooks, pencils, pens, a planner (optional), Post-Its, Folders, and wrapping paper. Visit your local Dollar General and go crazy. Pick out a few colorful notebooks, folders and pencils. Add in some sticky notes and if you’re in the mood to splurge a bit, add a planner too! Put in 2 notebooks, 2 folders, a pack of pencils, a pack of pens, and the sticky notes then add your motivational message and wrap it all up. Everyone knows that the start of the semester, having school supplies makes it easier to stay organized throughout the year and your friends will surely thank you for it!

You can make as many kits as you want, and if you go to Dollar General each kit will only cost about 7 bucks (more if you add the planner). Not bad!

Spa Kit

Christmas is stressful. Put together this kit for that friend who’s constantly on the move. All you need is: a large cello bag, a face mask, bubble bath, bath salts, a candle, and body lotion. You can’t go wrong with this make-shift Bath and Body Works gift set. Put all the items in a large cello bag and seal it with a ribbon or bow. Done!

You can find all kinds of individually wrapped face masks at your local Walmart for only $1.29 a mask. Also, Walmart has an entire section dedicated to bath and body so there’s a lot to choose from. You can buy bubble bath for just $2, scented bath salts for about $2.50, body lotion for around $2-4 bucks and a scented candle for just $3.50. Including the cello paper, each kit will only cost you about 13 bucks. Eat your heart out Bath and Body Works!

Wooden Letter

These wooden letters are a great way to spice up a boring dorm room or add more character to your home. While these take a while to make, they’re totally worth it! All you need are: A large wooden letter (I.e. If it’s for your friend Angela, you’ll get a large “A”), Mod podge (I prefer to use matte finish) and a few printed photographs of the gift recipient. Layout all your items and place the photographs on the wooden letters to figure out where you need to cut each photo so that the best part of the picture remains intact. Once that’s done, use mod podge to glue the part of the photo you want to use on the letter and cut the excess off (X-Acto knives work best for this). Once it’s done, you should have a letter covered in a collage of photos. You can wrap it or just gift it as-is with a bow on top. Either way your friends will appreciate the time and effort you put into creating this beautiful room decoration.

P.S: If you’re making this for mom and dad, you can use the first letter of your family’s last name and include pictures of the whole family.

These are just a few ideas for this Holiday season if you’re money’s a little tight. Good Luck and Happy Holidays!