So the semester is winding down and in addition to all of the final exams, projects and papers on your mind, you begin to realize that the holidays are days away and all that’s left in your wallet is 2 singles, the local coffee shops points card, and if your lucky a penny. And so you’re presented with the question what the hell kind of presents am I going to be able to get with this, and the evaluation begins

1. Black Friday

You rationalize that if you go out on Black Friday you’ll find some killer deals and although your bank account might be whimpering due to a single digit dollar amount that now occupies it, you’ll have gathered up some great gifts for the family.

2. The College Store

Well, Black Friday didn’t go as planned. You found those killer deals alright, and you left satisfied with three new tops and a great new pair of shoes, all with gift tags addressed to yourself. So you resort to your college bookstore. Who wouldn’t love a college sweatshirt or bumper sticker?

3. Five Below

The college bookstore sounded like a great idea, until you began to look around and saw that one sweatshirt was worth half of your tuition and the most reasonably priced items in the whole store were a mousepad and a pencil. So you resort to Five Below, not necessarily as cheap as the dollar store but close enough that you can get some quality items at a low price.

4. Activity Coupons

Sure Five Below will work for your five year old cousin who can be entertained for hours with some knockoff board game and a kickball, or your thirteen year old sister who will gladly expect any kind of makeup they can get their hands, even if it is blue eyeshadow and bright red lip gloss. But you begin to realize mom and dad wouldn’t be appreciative of these types of treasures, and they would most definitely appreciate some extra help. A coupon to do the dishes, or laundry, drive your younger siblings around, and the yardwork will be sure to put a smile on their faces

5. Love

You begin to reevaluate your coupon choice and realize that it was cute in kindergarten, maybe first grade, but if you’re a decent human being, by this age you’ll do all those things without your parents needing to hand in a coupon. So at your wits end you come to the conclusion that you’re just going to have to hope that your family can accept your love for them as enough and promise to get them something really good next year.