The holidays are near and hopefully everyone is having a good holiday season thus far. As you grow up the holiday season becomes more and more stressful. It's not just because you're forced to hang out with your weird relatives rather than your friends or because you have to struggle to find someone to kiss on New Years, it's coming down to all the different gifts you have to get for those you love. I know this season is about love and sharing, but it's also about giving. Once you're at an age where you start making money on your own and aren't asking mom and dad for cash, it gets a whole lot harder, especially us broke college kids.

First, you have to get gifts for your family, usually just parents and siblings but sometimes that includes other relatives as well. Your siblings are hopefully fun and easy to shop for, especially if they're really little or have the same taste as you do. I usually go with a certain toy, DVD, book, or merchandise from their favorite movie or TV show. Parents on the other hand are hard to shop for because they have everything they need and what they don't have they can usually get for themselves. Parents also have a tendency to tell you they don't want anything and while this is probably true surprising them with a thoughtful gift or a hand made gift is always a good way to show them you care.

Friends are a whole different game. First, you have to go through your friend list and decide all your friends you're closest to and are giving a gift to this year. That is a lot harder than it sounds, especially because if you're short on cash, it's really hard to choose who gets a gift. And whether we like to admit it or not, it also depends on who you think is getting you a gift as well because no one likes to be left out. Personal and thoughtful gifts are always the best, but a good homemade gift or card can be great too. When it comes to making a decision about your friends, the first step is to establish with all your friends whether or not you're all getting each other gifts this year. This is important! Make it known right up front whether you're doing gifts or not this year. Once that is decided you can move forward, and don't be afraid to say that you're really tight on cash and won't be doing a gift exchange this year. Regardless, be prepared for that one thoughtful friend who gets you something anyway and you forever feel in debt to them around the holidays. My best suggestion is to do a Secret Santa or White Elephant type of gift exchange, most likely with a dollar limit, five to twenty dollars let's say, therefore everyone gets to give and receive a gift around the holidays and it's a surprise.

This holiday season, if you're tight on cash, make sure to check out cool thoughtful gift ideas which stores like Five Below or Target's dollar section, and for some creative homemade gifts, create a Pinterest board so you can give everyone a gift to remember.