The Student's Way to do Christmas

This week, I've been super busy, what with the last week of uni and with all the Christmas shopping I needed to do. As a student, its very hard to afford lots of nice and unique presents for everyone however, I've had to become more inventive and saver savvy to help me not overspend. I'm going to share some of my best top tips and ways to avoid the Christmas splurge that leaves you broke for New Years.

1. Home-made Gifts:

I'm not a very creative person but if, unlike me, you are a dab hand in the kitchen or with the sewing machine, its always a good idea to make a personalized gift. Its also nice for the recipient to receive something that hasn't been purchased from a shop. Last year, I brought a glass jar and lots of sweets to fill the jar - I brought the person's favourite sweets to make it more personal and special and they were thrilled. Whether it be homemade cookies in a jar, a hand-made card or a cushion, the person who receives it will be thrilled that you spent time (not lots of money) on it.

2. Online Shopping

Websites like Ebay and Amazon are great place to look in the run up to Christmas to find some good deals. Some more expensive make up such as Benefit and Mac can be found cheaper, even if it means buying lots of separate items and arranging them into a gift box - it makes the present feel more individual and you usually end up spending less than if you brought a gift set. I like to do this because I'd rather buy lots of individual items that I know the person will use rather than a set where they probably won't use everything in it. A word of warning though - its easy to get caught up in buzz of shopping online and online auctions. My mantra is: it's only a good deal if i would have considered buying it if it was still full price - there's no point buying something just for the sake of it or because its on offer.

3. Write a List

It sounds simple but write a shopping list of what you aim to buy for each person and for how much and stick to it! If you go shopping without any idea of how much you plan to spend, you end up going crazy and overspending on unwanted items that you normally end up keeping for yourself.

4. Make Use of Vouchers, Offers and Student Discount

I currently use the VoucherCloud app on my phone to find local shopping deals. Today I went to The Works to get some gifts. The shop sells books and various other items at great prices - I managed to get a £12.99 book for £4.99. In addition, I managed to find some great children's books and DVD's. I also used my voucher cloud offer: get 10% off when you spend over £10. Even though its only 10%, I was planning on spending over £10 anyway so it helped me to save a few pounds. Another great shop is Topshop for their accessories. They currently have a sale on some of their jewelry so I brought some nice little earrings and bracelets as some cute little presents for my sister. Topshop is the only store I know that lets you use your student discount on top of the sale price, making the total spent even less so its sometimes worth checking it out because you can end up spending a similar price to what you would have in Primark - yet end up with better quality products.

Don't get me wrong though, I love Primark - perfect for those stocking fillers such as socks, knickers, boxers, slippers, tights, make up bags, purses, small argan oil products and make up for little girls :) For lovely gift sets, Boots and Superdrug are great for bath products, make up sets and perfumes and normally have offers such as 3 for 2 so its worth checking out but some products are pricey so its important to stay focused and not accidentally overspend, even with the offers. Lastly, cheap £1 shops such as Poundland are my go to for any sweets and chocolate based presents. These places are great for more stocking fillers like chocolate coins and Malteaser boxes, you can't go wrong!

I hope this provides some help for those of you out there who have yet to buy your christmas presents.

Han xx