Secret Santa is your Best Friend

Between home friends, family, and new college friends, you have way too many loved ones than you can afford on the measly income from your part-time job, and unfortunately,Target does not accept Dining Dollars. Rather than trying to divide up your gift budget among everyone in your friend group, set up a Secret Santa exchange. There are even websites like drawnames.com or secretsantaorganizer.com that coordinate the whole exchange online. In other words, Secret Santa involves minimum effort with maximum reward. Now you can focus on putting together one, amazing, thoughtful, tear-inducing gift, and can use the money you saved on presents for things you actually need, like coffee and Chipotle

DIY, Don't Buy

Handmade gifts are always a hit. Not only do they allow you to create something totally personalized and unique, you can capitalize on your own talents and interests in the process. If you’re handy in the kitchen, bake something delicious for your starving college friends. Make jewelry, knit a scarf, or decorate a picture frame. Put together a scrapbook or photo album of all your favorite memories with someone. The options are practically endless, even for the artistically stunted. Thanks to the endless voids that are Youtube and Pinterest, an infinite supply of crafty tutorials are available at your fingertips. The recipient and your bank account will be forever grateful.

Actually Make a Plan

If you’re anything like me, organization is not your strong suit; however, desperate times call for desperate measures, and that means planning ahead. Make a list of all the people for whom you’re buying gifts and what you want to buy them. More often than not, going into a store and blindly searching for a suitable gift can have you wasting precious time and money. By thinking about your end goal ahead of time, you can set limits on spending and ultimately find a more meaningful gift than the scented candle you snagged from the clearance section at Bath and Body Works two hours before the holiday party.

Is Black Friday Really Worth It?

With Black Friday coming up, you might be tempted to knock out all your holiday shopping with this infamously inexpensive annual tradition. However, even when the markdowns are as worthwhile as they seem, the appeal of saving 20% off selected merchandise at Forever 21 suddenly dims in the face of hundreds of frenzied shoppers camped out in front of the mall hoping to snatch those adorable ankle boots before you do. Unless you plan to skip out on Thanksgiving dinner or start your Friday before the crack of dawn, most of the really discounted, doorbuster merchandise will be out of stock by the time you’ve brushed your teeth. Fortunately, Cyber Monday can be everything that Black Friday isn’t: affordable, convenient, and accessible from the comfort of your bed. Don’t take free shipping for granted, people. Skip out on the Black Friday madness, spend the weekend letting your stomach recover from Thursday night, binge watch the Gilmore Girls revival, and focus on what really matters during this Thanksgiving Break: family time and sleep.

It's the Thought that Counts

Honestly, a heartfelt, meaningful gift will always be more special than an expensive one. Think hard about your relationship with a person, why you love them, and the unique happiness they bring into your life, and come up with a gift that encapsulates those feelings. Is there something this person has wanted for a while? Are there any memories or inside jokes you can reference? Everyone love sentimental presents because even as sappy and corny as they can be, they make us feel loved. In all the holiday madness, remember that a good gift doesn’t have to be extravagant, it just has to make your loved one happy.