A Guide to Gift Giving on a Budget

Many college students, whether working or not, often struggle financially. With the holiday season now upon us, students are often stressed to find affordable gift ideas.

While buying gifts is not the point of Christmas, it is still nice to show that you care, and there are many feasible options.

Crafts are a unique and inexpensive gift to show people you care. Some ideas are making a scrapbook for the person (there is lots of inspiration online) or a photo album, a jar filled with papers that say things you love about them, or even making a playlist of songs they like or songs that remind you of them.

John Altomare, a senior CDM major said that he has made a playlist in the past for someone. This can be done on pretty much any streaming service, just make sure you know which one the person uses.

For someone a bit more old school, you can burn a cd instead. That’s what Nancy Davidson, a student at Rowan University, is doing this year.

‘Open When…’ letters/bags are a good gift to control how much money you are spending (you can spend as little or as much as you want). Just come up with a few ideas such as open when you have a bad day, open when you are bored, open when you need a snack, and so on. Then decide if you want to write a letter, give them a candy bar, a coffee gift card, some stickers, or anything else they would like.

Think about what kind of talents you have for gift ideas as well. Can you make an art piece? Play an instrument? Something else? Playing a song or drawing/painting a piece for someone is a good way to utilize your talents and will be more personal than just hiring someone else to do that.

Creating something is better than buying something because it “shows that you think about the person and their interests.” It will “keep you from getting them the same gift as someone else,” said Davidson.

Another option is chores; helping someone clear their room during a busy time is always helpful. Doing yard work for someone will always be appreciated especially if you are giving this to someone a bit older.

Preparing food as a gift is thoughtful and a simple idea that can be repeated multiple times throughout the season. Making dinner or baking cookies for some neighbors is an easy way to connect with those around you.

When all else fails, spending time together is a great fallback. Do an activity with the person (maybe let them choose). Have a picnic together, go to the movies, take a day trip somewhere.

Christmas may have inspired these ideas, but they work for any type of gift whether that be for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even a birthday.

Regardless of what you are celebrating, happy holidays!