By: Rosie Brown

With holidays on their way, retailers tempt shoppers with sales and deals, but what they really want is for you to spend as much money as possible.

This festive time of year is celebrated in many ways, and most celebrations involve gift giving.

While teenagers don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on gifts, here are a few tips to stay within your budget during the holidays:

• Start saving early in the year, putting aside $5 to $10 each week from your job or allowance.
• Make a list of all the people you’d like to gift along with the dollar amount you’d like to spend for each.
• Handmade gifts are better and more original than anything you can buy in a store. Even if you are not particularly creative, you can find some great, inexpensive projects online. Dollarstorecrafts.com is a great source, as well as pinterest.com.
• Be a smart shopper. Make sure to compare prices in store with online prices. Many retailers offer free shipping for online purchases during the holidays.
• Black Friday is not the best day to shop despite all the hype. Stores are most likely to offer better prices the closer it gets to the holidays.
• If you have several friends on your list, home-baked cookies and holiday candies are a tasty, inexpensive idea.
• Small holiday themed gifts like candles or ornaments are economical and suitable for men or women.
• If your funds are extremely limited and you don’t have enough money for everyone on your list, give a gift of time. Offer a free babysitting evening, a car wash and cleanup, or another thoughtful task.
• For dating couples, a sincere, sweet note about why you love them, a photo of you together (frames are cheap at The Dollar Tree), and a single flower or candy bar will mean much more than a store bought gift.