The holiday season has a tricky way of draining pocketbooks faster than you can say, “”Pass the pie.”” Most people don’t realize that gifts don’t have to be brand-spanking-new to be fabulous. There are tons of recyclable things in your possession that will keep your money in your wallet and make friends and family happy with their gifts.

One major rule for holiday occasions is that it is never necessary to purchase a card. Spending $3.50 for a Hallmark card is not only expensive for mass-produced sentiment, but it also adds up very quickly depending on how many cards you are buying.

Sure, you could buy a package of 15 greeting cards, but that won’t fly if you’re spending the holidays with your family and everyone gets the same exact card. Instead, recycle materials that you would otherwise throw away, like random holiday fliers or junk mail. This time of year, advertisements have many holiday-themed pictures that can be cut out and pasted on to any sort of folded paper to create a one-of-a-kind homemade greeting card. Markers, stickers and anything else you can find are all great ways to jazz up your card. Use your imagination to tell recipients that they are special to you – so special that you made them cards from scratch!

If you took an art class during the semester (or are simply artistically inclined), random art projects that you don’t necessarily want to clutter your dorm room, such as clay pots and sketches (which you can put in a simple frame), make great gifts. This is especially effective for blood relatives who can’t help but say “”Aww!”” at your creativity and progress in school.

Duct tape wallets are popular among adolescents, and these days duct tape comes in cool colors, so mix it up and make it beautiful. These wallets are simple to construct, and tutorials can easily be found online. Duct tape is cheap and accessible, and with one roll you can make a multitude of gifts.

Guitar picks are about 10 cents each (or if you’re lucky you’ll find one on the ground at a concert), and you can easily put a hole through them with a safety pin. Simply use an old chain or buy one (craft stores sell chains for around $7) and you’ll have a guitar pick necklace, which isn’t gender-specific.

Mix tapes are classic, but mix CDs are what’s “”in.”” You really have to put some thought into the songs and why you chose them for that person because it’s obvious what a cheap gift these are. Couple them with another present and your gift sentiment will increase threefold.

Sock monkeys are cute and easy to make as long as you have a clean pair of knee-length or higher socks that you are willing to part with. Instructions for making sock monkeys are available online, and it’s really simple. All you need is a needle, thread, scissors and some scrap fabric or cotton balls for stuffing.

When it comes time to wrap your gifts, don’t waste money on wrapping paper. Pages from magazines, newspaper, notebook paper and printer paper can all serve the purpose of packaging gifts. You can use plain white printer paper for wrapping gifts and even draw all over the paper in whatever design you please for special personalized gift wrap.

If any of these options fail, you can always use the classic tactic of re-gifting. Look around your living quarters, and if you see something that looks cute and semi-new that you don’t really need, wrap it up to spread the love! Just make sure that the recipient didn’t originally give you the item.