christmas presents on a budget!

So it's a rough time for everyone- especially us college kids. So Christmastime is always stressful- you want to buy the perfect presents for the perfect people. Here are some suggestions for a money little Christmas.

*Make your presents. Knit, crochet, draw- whatever! People will appreciate this.
*Buy local/small business. Support your local economy. It'll help you in the long run.
*Buy books! Books are cheaper than video games or movies, and they last longer.
*Make your own wrapping paper. I did this in Tucson when I was too poor to buy my own wrapping paper and couldn't borrow my parents.

What you'll need:
*Computer paper. As a college kid, I have an abundance.
*A pen. Pencils work well too, but the lead will smudge onto your fingers and your recipients.
*Scotch tape. I need a LOT of this because I'm terrible at wrapping presents!
*Now you draw. I like to write lists on them. For my roommates, I wrote the 10 reasons why I loved them. For the person for this present, I wrote the ten reasons she will be a great mother, as well as a timeline of our friendship. Her present was a somewhat larger book, so I used three sheets of computer paper. Here are the ones I did for my roommates:
*Then you wrap! It is more difficult than normal wrapping paper because it's firmer, but with enough tape, anything is possible.


Naturally, they look a little... rougher than a "real" wrapped gift, but I like this a lot. I like that gives them something else besides a present + trash!

What do you do to save during this season?