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12 Personalized Christmas Gift Ideas For Under $12

Christmas doesn't have to break the bank.

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12 Personalized Christmas Gift Ideas For Under $12

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It's that time of year, friends. No, not the happiest time of the year, but the time when everyone starts counting their change, picking up extra hours at work, and calculating how on Earth they can possibly afford to give anyone Christmas gifts. So if you're anything like me, a very very broke college student, here are some cheap but meaningful gift ideas for your brother, your best friend, your dad, your mom, even your dog.

First, as we all know, homemade gifts are not only a way to personalize an item for someone and show you really care, but also a way to save money. But whether you are super crafty or not, here are some cheap DIY and purchased gifts!

Personalized Mugs: less than $2 per mug

All you need are a few Sharpies ($5 at Walmart for four colors) and a couple of mugs from the Dollar Tree. The great thing about this gift is that it can be SUPER personalized and given to EVERYONE. Just write on the mug and bake it for 30 minutes on 350 degrees.

Personalized Ornaments: less than $2 per ornament

All you need are Sharpies and ornaments of your choosing (you can find bulbs of various colors and sizes at the Dollar Tree). If you're feeling even more crafty, you can add glitter and ribbon.

Salt Dough Ornaments

These are cheap and SUPER easy to make. After they are done baking, you can paint them however you like. You can find the recipe here.

Emergency Stress Putty

Making playdough is not only cheap, it's also fun! Give the gift of some stress relieving putty this Christmas by making playdough infused with Eucalyptus or Lavender essential oil. Or, simply make some playdough for that little kid in your life. After you're done, put it in a small container that you can find at the Dollar Tree and slap a bow on top. You can find the recipe here.

5. Picture Candles

This makes a great gift for mom or grandma, and it's super easy. All you need is some Scotch packing tape, Dollar Tree candles, and a printer. Keep in mind, if you don't have a printer, it is super cheap to print these small pictures at your local Staples or FedEx. Find instructions here.

Wall Decorations

If you're crafty, these are super easy to make. You can find frames of all shapes, sizes, and colors at the Dollar Tree. Then all you need is the paper of your choosing and a design. Simply draw or paint your design and frame it!

Personalized Wine and Glass

This does require you to be 21 or older, but its a super cute (and cheap) way to make your wine-friends happy. Simply purchase some labels (or packing tape and paper) and create your own logo for the bottle. Simply tape over or remove the current artwork. You can buy a plain wine glass at the Dollar Tree and decorate it using a Sharpie and cooking it in the oven for 30 minutes! (If you want to save even more money, opt for the $2.97 Oak Leaf wine at Walmart).

Mint Sugar Scrub

Last Christmas I got some of this as gift and let me tell you... it was a game changer. This stuff is amazing! It smooths your skin and leaves you feeling awake and refreshed. Find the recipe here.

Goodwill Glassware

Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but every Goodwill I've ever been to has had CRAZY amounts of cool wine glasses, coffee mugs, bowls, you name it. All of them are usually under $1. Last week, I bought six wine glasses with various vineyard logos on them for $3!

Goodwill Sweaters

Goodwills sells AMAZING sweaters for only $4. If your loved one doesn't mind thrifting, you can find some amazingly comfortable sweaters at Goodwill.

Redbubble Stickers

Stickers are a great way to show someone you know them because Redbubble offers stickers for literally every show, movie, band, artist, literally everything you can think of. And the best part is, if you buy 10, you get 50% off your order. So though you may end up paying more than $15, you can get 10 stickers for the price of 5!

Dollar Tree Bin

If you're in a pinch, go to the Dollar Tree and buy a collection of socks, candles, nail polish, candy, and more and just put them in a cute bin with a bow!

Don't spend the most wonderful time of the year worrying about money!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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1. When you look at your finals schedule and become immediately overwhelmed:

2. When your professor says that the final is only going to be short answer questions:

3. When you text your parents to tell them that you're going to have a mental breakdown and drop out of college and they're just like:

4. When you're trying to study with friends, but then you realize that you haven't gotten anything done:

5. Then you just end up going on your phone.

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10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant

There's always chaos in the restaurant business.

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10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant
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Working in the restaurant industry is possibly the most fundamentally challenging occupation I have ever experienced when it comes to hospitality and customer service. When you go to a five-star restaurant you expect the time of your life, a two hour getaway, a walk through another time period (rustic Italy, France, Spain, etc), or simply a honeymoon undergo. What you don't see are the behind the scenes scut work: carrying trays, polishing glassware and silverware, kitchen chaos, the list is endless. Now, I'm not saying being a host, server, or bartender is the worst thing in the whole wide world, there are definitely worse things. But the fact of the matter is that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows. In the two years that I have spent in restaurant and customer service, I have spoken my share of expletives, yelled at kitchen staff, and dealt with not-so-happy guests. It isn't easy to keep a bright and shiny smile on your face when all you want to do is choke every person who walks near you. Anyone who has spent even two weeks working in a restaurant understands the rigor and stress that comes with it. Restaurant culture is a tiny world in and of itself that operates on its own principles and creates its own society. It even has its own language. The sayings "runner", "corner", and "on a bus" wouldn't make sense to anyone otherwise. My mother and I both work in a restaurant and the best advice I can give someone going out to eat is to treat us like people. Yes...believe it or not we are people, people. Say "please" and "thank you", or stack your cleared plates before a busser gets to the table. Trust me, the gesture goes a lot farther than you may think.

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