Seasonal savings: How to save money for the upcoming holidays.

Anthony Arenas, Reporter

Have a budget or low on money? No income, or just feeling broke?
When having a budget to get gifts for friends or family members, many take the month of November as an advantage of getting things on sale. There are days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the month of November to buy things on sale while on budget.
Here at Benson many students have many different ideas of planning for their holiday season in terms of money.
“I plan on giving my money to my mom and having her keep it safe,” sophomore Myonna McWilliams said. “So I don’t spend all of it at once.”
Many students find themselves spending the majority of their paychecks on junk food or an article of clothing that they will only wear once.
In other words, Target trips are the bane of this generations existence.
“I’m planning to save as much money as I can,” senior Ni Thaw said. “And to stop spending my money on food and unnecessary things.”
For those who are set on getting a specific item for a friend or family member, keep in mind that stores vary their prices.
Some stores even accept coupons.
“I plan on looking out for the best price and for the best value when shopping,” freshman David Hardeman said. “I’m going to look at the ads and compare the prices from different stores and see which store has the best price.”
Looking at different stores websites is a more time effective way of price checking items. Buying items online may also save time, but not money.
Spending the extra money on shipping costs wastes money that could be spent on other items.
Some families get together shortly after the holidays, giving families plenty of time to take advantage of post-holiday sales.
Keep an eye out for those brightly colored clearance signs for gift sets and significant markdown prices on that flat-screen television grandma wants.
Everybody has a different way of planning or spending the holiday season. Many students here in Benson don’t have enough money to spend during the holiday season.
“If I didn’t have money for this holiday season, I would just spend it with my family because that is what it’s really about,” junior Hannah Manzer said.
While not having money to spend to give a gift, there are other options such as making a gift. Be sure to keep away from the over priced craft stores.
The dollar store tends to have similar craft items to places such as Hobby Lobby for a fraction of the cost.
Be smart while shopping or be creative during this holiday season. It’s all about having fun.