The rat race of holiday shopping has approached as stores have already released their catalogues and festive decorations. But in college, gift giving is usually reliant on humorous cards, Pinterest DIYs, secret Santas, and that awkward White Elephant in the room. However, if you’re anything like me, you love seeing your friends’ and family’s faces light up after spending time finding them the perfect gift. Sure, the holidays aren’t about gifts, but if you want to do a bit of shopping, I’ve crafted the guide to doing that without sacrificing your budget.

Let me make the disclaimer though,

you don’t have to do any of this! The holidays are about happiness, and gifts/commercialism are not the most important thing. Personally, I love shopping for people. Feel free to celebrate the festive season how you want, with or without spending money.

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Set a budget for yourself...and stick to it.

This. Is. The. Most. Important. Step.

If you’re planning on getting gifts for a lot of people, make sure to budget yourself. Sit down, grab a cup of tea, open your bank account, set aside a set amount of money to spend on gifts, and don’t touch it until you’re ready to purchase. By budgeting yourself, you’re ensuring you only purchase what you need, rather than spending frivolously. Also, make a list of how much money you wish to spend on each person. This will ensure you stay on track (but if you’re anything like me, sometimes you go a bit overboard...try to avoid this...sorry, friends).

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH.

I'm sure the last thing you want to deal with is the ridiculous "Hunger Games" battle on Black Friday like the picture above. Let’s say you’ve set your budget to a max of $100. During the holidays, it’s easy t blow through that in one shopping trip, especially if you’re shopping for more than a few close people. My best advice is to keep an eye out. Scour the Black Thursday and Black Friday deals, but watch out for advertisements closer to Christmas when stores drop prices to clear out inventory.

Plan your shopping around each specific person.

I’ve found the most success when shopping if there’s a sale at a particular store selling a gift I want to purchase. Most of my friends are into makeup, and Sephora often emails me coupons to use on top of their sales. Sometimes the best sales aren’t on Black Friday, so sign up for emails from your favorite stores for insider deals.

If you shop online often, sign up for websites such as Ebates to receive cash back.

I personally have had nothing but a positive experience with Ebates. But, just be aware you’re not going to get as much back as the commercials suggest. The best part about the Ebates service, though, is on certain occasions stores may offer double cash back to increase your savings. I’ve received as much as $30 cash back from various hauls for the holiday season. Also, when you sign up, you get a free $10 gift card to a store of your choice. My advice is to choose a store you shop at often to help save you money.

Sign up for email alerts, loyalty cards, and other best customer bonuses.

Surely your wallet is already stuffed to capacity with those loyalty cards you signed up for and never used. You probably already have a “junk email” from your online shopping addiction. But, during the holidays, crack both of those open to see what sales are happening. Some may be online exclusives with free shipping, extra percentage off, etc., which helps if you’re living in the dorms with no access to malls.

Buy bulk presents and split them up.

If you're the kind of person who can't narrow down your shopping to a select few friends, buy special holiday gift sets and split them up. It's like buying in bulk at the grocery store. Generally the products are travel sized, but some are full size. Stores such as Bath and Body Works, Sephora, Target, and similar have either gift sets or sales (like Bath and Body Works has their "buy three, get three free" sales) to purchase in bulk.