Tis' the Season to be Saving!

Yup, that time of year! The time where giving is more appropriate than just taking. But when your a broke college student that seems almost impossible. You may have even skipped uncle Bobby's gift the last two years, and you may have been making your mother cheesy Christmas cards for as long as you can remember, and as for your siblings and friends, well they understand your situation. But tis' the year to change those habits. Keep on reading to learn how you can give everyone wonderful gifts for almost nothing! Even if you have a job and the money to buy gifts, these tips will help you save a fortune.

As a student with an 18 credit overload, working a part time job is just completely out of the picture for me. Also, ever since I have been in college I have not worked during the school years. Skipping gifts for some people, and thinking "its okay, ill be rich one day and they will forgive me" has gotten old. With the little bit of allowance my mother has given me each month, I was able to save enough to where I could live off of more than half of the money, and still buy great gifts for my loved ones!

Over black Friday, which most already know, there are so many great sales and opportunities to purchase great gifts for people. However, if you are not an early bird and are a picky shopper like myself, then it will just not be enough for you!

However, I discovered the store "Ross" which I had been to plenty of times, to buy clothes, but never looked at their home decor items. They are amazing and cheap! They have nice pictures, candle holders, vases, gift packages, kitchen dishes, and so much more. I found a great gift for Mom, a cute set of Ice Cream sundae glasses, that came with 4 individual glasses for $4.00. Of course im not going to only spend $4.00 on my mother, and that's the great thing! I still have money to buy her more gifts. If you don't have a Ross near you, look for stores such as TJ max, Five and Below, Gabriel Brothers, Burlington.

Its also okay to make gifts, as long as its more creative than a cheesy Christmas card. Homemade crafted gifts are great for giving to friends, teachers, and can be used for stocking stuffers! There are many options out there that you can choose from such as: ornaments, pillows, fleece blankets, gift baskets, air fresheners, candles, photos with frames, jewelry, and more. There are plenty of websites out there with great ideas, but a few I stumbled upon and enjoyed were:

http://www.momswhothink.com/christmas/homemade-christmas-gifts/5.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Christmas-Gifts

I hope you take these tips into consideration, and have a happy holiday!!

Impulsive Shopping: A Serious Disease

Many college students start off the year with a lot of money, and end up "broke" before midterms. For instance, what is the first thing that comes to mind once you deposit or cash that refund check? Those shoes you’ve always wanted? Updating your fall fashion ensemble? What you’re going to do with it the upcoming weekend? Or are you going to save it and plan out exactly how you are going to spend it?

Before learning tips on how to save yourself some dollars, you have to determine whether you are an impulsive buyer or a "Get-and-Go" shopper. This is quite simple. When you go to the store to buy the things you need, do you leave with more than you were suppose to get? Or do you quickly get what you need and go? The goal is to be able to get what you need and go. When shopping, it is important to avoid some of the things that trigger impulsive buying.

Loren Brown, a college junior at Frostburg State says, “Being hungry, and thinking you need something is a quick way to spend money.” She also states “going to a store with a lot of money” is another way she buys more then she needs.

Frostburg freshman, Anecia Peirce says, “If there’s a sale and if I sorta need it, I will buy it,”

When it comes to impulsive buying, these college students get sucked into the temptation, but whether or not they give in is what counts. Brown says "I come to my senses after adding up the prices in my head, and then I put stuff back." But Pierce admits "when my mom and I are in Wal-Mart, we always get things we don’t plan on buying.”

Senior, Courtney Dickerson admits she is a impulsive shopper, "especially when it comes to shoes." She always buys more then she needs when she goes the store.

So, next time you are in the checkout line at the store, look at the items you have in your cart. Re-evaluate each item before buying it. Is it what you came to the store for? Do you really need it? Will you regret buying it? Do you have to have it now? Always shop on a full stomach to avoid buying much more food then you need. And most importantly, avoid browsing around the store and don't touch items you don't plan on buying. Just get what you need and go.

Not sure if you are an impulsive shopper? Take this quiz

http://www.funquizcards.com/quiz/shopping/are-you-a-compulsive-shopper.php

Money Saving Tips

Greetings! I'm Shana Knight, and the focus of my blog will be money saving tips. Who doesn't enjoy saving money? My goal is to find some very interesting ways that college students go easy on their pockets and share them with you. I plan on talking to students who live on and off campus. I also will be doing some investigating myself on the where all of the good deals are.

Like most people, I enjoy bargains and I know where to find them. But i also enjoy the finer things in life too! Find out how you can have both while being a "broke college student." Some of the things i will be covering are cheap and fun date tips, ways to save on groceries and toiletries, bad habits that are costing you a lot of money, and ways to talk yourself out of buying things you don't need. If there are any request for topics you would like to see, or any questions you would like answered, feel free to contact me. I will be looking forward to your feedback.