If you’re like most students, you probably don’t have much money for the holidays and may be wondering how you will be able to exchange gifts with friends and family. The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) offers some timely tips to help college students save money during the holiday season.

 Create a holiday spending plan A holiday gift budget will help you focus and prioritize before you go shopping. Make your recipient list and decide how much you plan to spend on each one. One of the biggest culprits on holiday overspending is spontaneous shopping, so bring your list before you leave for the mall. Avoid using a credit card to make purchases unless you know you can pay for your gifts within a month or two – don’t fall into the trap of paying for last Christmas into next July.

 Conscious consumerism Think outside the gift box this year and still have a meaningful holiday season. Here are some alternative gift-giving ideas that require little or no cash:

• Make gifts Pool your talents and your resources with friends to purchase craft supplies and have a craft party. You’ll have an afternoon of fun with your friends and have personalized crafts to give as gifts. You can find ideas for inexpensive projects online or at a craft store.

• The gift of your time Make coupons to give to your loved-ones that offer your services for childcare, a car wash (that you will do), a lunch date with an elderly relative or friend, a dinner cooked by you, lawn care, dog walking or anything you can do for someone else. Your time is valuable…the gift of your time can be priceless.

• Print a digital picture Select a photo of yourself, a special family occasion or vacation memory and print it on the highest quality available on your printer for a friend or loved-one. You‘ll find inexpensive picture frames at dollar stores.

• Use your creative talents Do you write poetry, draw, paint or sing? A friend or family member would enjoy having a personalized poem or a specially drawn picture in a hand-made frame. Your musical talent would be cherished by your mom or “special-someone” by using your computer to digitally record yourself singing her favorite song or playing your instrument to music you composed.

 If you must spend… Consider buying gently used. Thrift stores, consignment shops and flea markets are great places to find unusual, one-of-a-kind gifts that you might never see in a big-box store and are a good source for collectables, vintage and “shabby chic.” You might even find unused, gift-worthy items still in their original packaging.

 Giving a nice gift doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money. Armed with a plan to make or buy low-cost gifts for holiday giving will empower you to stay in control of your spending and keep some extra “green” in your pocket.

 About HESC: HESC is New York State’s student financial aid agency that helps people pay for college and a national leader in providing need based grant and scholarship award money to college-going students. At HESC’s core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2012-13, HESC helped more than 342,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing more than $979.4 million in grants, scholarships and loan forgiveness benefits, including $931 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).