As winter break rolls around, the holiday season is starting. This means you will have to buy gifts and presents for your friends and family members. Buying presents can be difficult to do especially on a high schooler’s budget so I have put together a list of tips and stores to shop at that won’t break the bank. 

1: Barnes and Noble Barracks Road

Even if you are not a fan of books and reading, your parents probably are. B&N has a great selection of not only books, but also a great selection of games and movies that the whole family can enjoy. They usually have great holiday saving options so you can get a decent gift for $10-$15.

2: Nike Factory Store Barracks Road

If you have family members that play sports or would like to, the Nike Factory Store has good quality apparel for a good price. They usually have a big clearance section and most of the products have already been marked down. Here you can find high-quality items here for about $20-$30

3:  Online shopping

This is the way to go if you can’t make it to the store in time for the holidays. Honey is a great app on your web browser that you can find great discount codes for a wide variety of sites and can save you a few dollars here and there. Also getting a 30 day free trial for Amazon Prime will also get you free, express shipping in a pinch as well as some holiday discounts; just remember to cancel your subscription because it will charge you after 30 days. Remember, anything you find on one site can probably found for a cheaper on a different site, just keep looking. 

4: Lindt Chocolate Barracks Road

If you can’t find anything that you think your family members will like, chocolate is a good go-to. For one, most people won’t turn down a big bag of chocolate truffles; also, Lindt has festive packaging that makes it look like you put more thought into it than you actually did. You can get a lot of chocolate for a good price here, it will probably cost around $15-$20 depending on what you get. 

5. Make something!!

Let’s say you are completely and utterly broke which is a fairly common circumstance for high school students. Holidays are usually a very high-stress time for people with no money so here are some ideas to get you out of a bad situation. You could give them an art project that you made at school or go old fashioned with a heartfelt card. These are classic and will definitely get a good reaction and they also cost exactly $0. 

6. Last Case Scenario

Let’s say you are completely broke but you’re getting paid soon. You have put no thought into what you are going to get them for the holidays and they are right around the corner. Here is what to do: say that you ordered something online but it hasn’t come yet. This is a way to get the pressure off your back in a pinch and your family will forgive you as long as the gift shows up at some point. Disclaimer: you have to actually get the gift at some point. 

I hope this will help you keep your wallet intact over the break, but remember, the biggest gift of all is family, so enjoy your time with them and have a happy holiday!