It’s my belief that dads are the most impossible group of people for whom to buy holiday gifts. What do they want, anyway? Year after year, I dread the rolling around of his birthday and Christmas because I have absolutely no idea what to get for my dad.

Not this year!

Inevitably, there will always be people on your holiday-gift list who stump you (especially now that you waited until the last minute!). Maybe you haven’t seen Great-Aunt Ruby since you were ten, but you have to get her something this year because she just sent you a ton of cash for your birthday. Or maybe you just made a new friend, but you aren’t sure of this person’s likes and dislikes yet.

Charity to the rescue!

If the people you know are nice, they’d probably really appreciate a charitable gift. Not the kind of charity where you give them money—the kind of charity where you give others money in the name or honor of those you’re gifting.

Here are some great places to start.

Heifer International – This organization has a gift catalog link from their home page, which will lead you to a menagerie of offerings to give in the name of friends or family members. You can give a flock of chicks or ducks for as little as $20. Heifer is all about providing livestock to people who need it to become self-reliant, and it’s a great cause. Read More »

[College kids are notorious for being poor. And why shouldn’t we be? We take out student loans to pay for private universities, can barely balance a part-time job with our full-time courseload, and the only “balance” we’re familiar with refers to the number of points left on our dining hall cards. Oh, did I mention many of us tend to splurge every extra penny on PBR’s at the campus bar?

If you disagree with everything I just said, you probably don’t need this column. But if you’re nodding along because you’re officially an adult and still don’t know how to manage your money, then you might want to pay attention every week, because I’m going to (try to) get you through this, and make you a successful saver and a wise spender.]

Oh, crap. You just spent your holiday gift budget getting a little too happy at happy hour. You have less than three weeks to select, purchase, and wrap presents for your entire family and close circle of friends. Here are some ideas to keep you out of credit card debt (at least until March).

1. Photos

Classy portraits of yourself are a great, cheap gift for your family members, while buying cheap frames at the dollar store and stuffing them with the most memorable bar nights (that you obviously don’t remember) are great for friends.

If you’re going in the portrait-direction, see if you can hire a photography student to snap your photo for a small fee, and develop the pics in black and white for extra elegance. If you have siblings, go in on the cost of professional photography, and do family portraits. Sure, you’ll cringe every time you see the pics on your mother’s mantle, but on Christmas day, this sentimental gift is a guaranteed tear-jerker. Read More »