If you are like any college student I know, you have about a hundred people to get presents for (alright that may be a slight exaggeration) and little income to get the job done. Luckily you only live miles away from stores that can offer you a great selection and a low price for the holiday season.

First tip, this one is going to be obvious, if you aren’t working you need to be shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I know it may be inconvenient and a hassle, but you can get items that you want for up to 60 percent off at almost every major store like Fred Meyer, Sears, Old Navy, etc.

It isn’t just a day, day-after-Thanksgiving-day shopping is a marathon of traffic, walking, swiping and dodging stray bags as over-eager shoppers will not hesitate to take you out in order to quicken their pace. Just remember to wear your walking shoes, try to drive as little as possible because it will add an hour onto your shopping time, and try to eat lunch sometime around one.

Some stores offer their greatest deals when the doors open and they don’t always last all day, so find out which stores you want to go to the most and go there first.

For something more conventional and practical, your all-purpose mega-stores will probably be your best bet, including places like Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart, Target, ShopKo, Kmart, etc.

If a pet is something you are looking into, Pet Co. and Pet Smart are the best places to go, they may not be the cheapest but they are usually more knowledgeable.