The perfect decorations. The perfect meal. The perfect gifts.

The holidays can be such a headache for people trying to find the perfect gift or having the money for the perfect gift.  Creative gifters think outside the box with their Christmas gifts, whether it’s homemade gifts or finding the right gift just under their budget. 

 “I love making memory boxes,” senior Zhoe Martinez said. “I love printing out pictures of memorable moments we had together and just decorating them and putting stuff that is significant to our friendship.” 

It is not hard to find the right gift for person. Sometimes all that is needed is to find a gift that ties in with their personality.

“The best thing I do to stay in budget instead of buying an expensive gift, I DIY my gift,” freshman Ivanna Valdovinos said. “For example, I crochet a scarf of the person’s favorite color, or make something small but very meaningful.” 

DIY gifts are a great idea. It’s a great way to get creative and think of how easy it is to make a thoughtful gift for friends and family. 

 “I think the best way to gift somebody while on a budget is to find something meaningful,” sophomore Jocelynn Mendez said. “Make something out of it, like with paper, maybe like a box with a sentimental letter or pictures.”  

Sometimes, making homemade gifts is the way to go, It represents how much they know their friends and value the memories they have together or going to a budget-friendly store and getting super cool gifts. 

“Five Below is my go-to budget-friendly store,” said junior Yajira Tapia. “They have a lot of options that are adorable for all ages and have great dupes.” 

Finding dupes at Five Below for way less is such a steal, but there are many more stores people have discovered to save money.

“I would go to Walmart for a budget-friendly gift,” senior Jacquelin Cervantes said. “It’s not expensive and has a lot of like clearance sales on a variety of cute Christmas options.”