With 3 siblings all in grad school or college, we made a $10 limit pact this year for the holidays. To make things fun, I used kitschy personalized themes for each gift: a Winter Survival Kit with chapstick, hot cocoa, a gingerbread cookie cutter, and designer sample size lotion for my sister in Buffalo. A Girl-Getting Bar Set for my newly single brother included margarita mix, crystallized sugar, mini bottle of tequila, and drink umbrellas. They loved it and my poor med student bank account did, too!

Hey:

I agree with the idea from factinista, I made donations to charity for everyone in my family. I have some other suggestions on doing it-

Look up the charities on Charity Navigator prior to donating so you can make sure you are donating to a charity who will use a small amount of money wisely. You don't want to give ten bucks and have nine of them go towards fundraising and advertising.

Find personalized charities for everyone in your family: for example, my dad is a bike rider, so I donated to the East Coast Greenway. My brother does art for kids, so I donated to a small charity called Kids With Cameras. I think donating to small charities is best because they really appreciate even small donations like the kind I can afford...
:-)

During the year I try and set aside about 25 dollars a month in a fund for gifts. If I "pay the gift fund first" every month, I don't even seem to miss the 25 bucks. Then when I get to Christmas, I have saved enough to get everyone on my list at least a little something that they want.

Instead of buying people more stuff that they don't need, I like to make donations to groups like Heifer International in the names of family and friends (you don't have to buy different animals for each person). Most people really appreciate it! You're helping people in resource-poor nations, and the gift recipient is able to feel a part of that giving experience. So that I give people something tangible, I'll often make mixed CDs for people as well.

I plan on giving away coupons of chores I'm willing to do for my friends and family that they can redeem. They range from preparing a loving home-cooked meal to using some old-fashioned elbow grease to clean out a little grime. Most people love them, and sometimes they even end up forgetting to redeem them =P

My wife and I sold textbooks, CDs we didn't want anymore, and old DVDs online to generate a little income. We used that money to fund our Christmas gifts. Aside from extra income (which isn't available for everyone), we found a gift budget to be a huge help! We knew about what we had per person and, though it was hard when we saw that expensive "perfect" gift, we have managed to buy or make meaningful gifts for every person on our list!

Shop at antique stores or flea markets for cheap little stuff that might make innovative gifts...also donations to charity in people's names can be made, and you don't have to say the amount...maybe this is too sneaky but I think it's ok

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A478127

Here are some great ideas for homemade gifts. I am always trying to come up with homemade gifts not only because they are cheap but also because they go over really well!

Personal gifts never fail. Look for discount priced (and sturdy looking) pictures frames, then print pictures of you and the special person at snapfish.com or walgreens. every family member or close friend will appreciate it.

Since my friends and I are all in college and broke, we have an agreement not to buy gifts for each other, but I still like to do something little for them.

This year I'm taking cone shaped plastic bags, filling them with hot chocolate mix 1/2 full, putting a layer of marshmallows and then brown and white sprinkles on top, each in their own bag. It's very inexpensive to buy the materials, and it's a nice gift because what college student doesn't like to have a nice warm hot chocolate when they're walking to class on a cold morning? Plus, it looks like an ice cream cone when it's finished!

Another holiday season has arrived and, as usual, I'm broke. In the interest of preserving my pitiful bank account I am getting creative, and the gifts I am fabricating for my best of friends and siblings are cheap, thoughtful and hilarious.

I purchased these red and white-snowflake adorned boxes and I plan to fill them with inside jokes or anything that reminds me of that person. I plan to fill them with photos, freebies we received from store promotions, a fragrance sample that both reminds us of a specific experience--practically anything that reminds you of that person. The boxes are a good size, they're not that large, but once they see and laugh at all the stuff you collected they'll hardly realize that basically no money was spent and chances are, they'll appreciate this gift so much more.

One less-expensive gift I'm giving this year is an art book signed by the artist. Getting the signature required only a little standing in line, yet it greatly increases the value and thoughtfullness of the gift.

Especially for the person on your list who likes unique gifts, try going to a used book store and picking up an antique book. For a really personalized touch, consider buying something at a GoodWill store and then fixing it up or adding personal details. Something like a jewelry box may make a great gift if you repaint it or add some new velvet to the inside. That is inexpensive, personal and helps a good cause.

I love coqui729's idea. It's like giving coupons and asking the recipient to actively redeem it. I recommend hugs instead of gifts, everybody appreciates a hug.

I think the best gifts are the ones you make. Honestly, who needs another DVD? Plus, the media bombards us to buy, buy, buy, especially for high end electronic goods most of us dont need, or as college students, we probably shouldnt be buying for someone else. One great gift idea is buying iron on tshirt print transfers (which you print out from your computer. You can buy a tshirt a target, even a fairly nice one, and print out a picture and iron it on. I did this for my girlfriend, and she really appreciated it. But making your own gift goes with anything i.e. making dinner instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, visiting the musuem on free or discounted days, making an effot to see the matinee movie or renting a movie instead. People may say Im cheap, but I say Im practical, and at least try make sure my gifts have meaning and/or involve spendiing quality time with someone... Peace, -Mohan

I'm putting cookie mix in heremitically sealed jars with an attached recipe instructing the recipent to add the additional wet ingredients.

They will be wrapped in cellophane and my include additional goodies.