With the holidays approaching, most of us are probably struggling with finding the right gifts for our friends, especially since many of us are on a tight budget.

Don’t fret, though. There are plenty of gifts out there that will be just the right find for your friend, family member or significant other. I have created a list of just a few possible gifts that fit within each of our budgets.

1. Boring but useful items

This includes anything from umbrellas to notebooks. Some of these items, such as notebooks, get used on a daily basis. Give a gift to someone that can be of use when they need it, rather than some silly gag gift. Whenever I have gotten gifts in the past that were useful, I was always grateful for that gift, especially when the time came that I needed it.

2. Entertainment

This could be anything from movies to books written by your friend’s favorite author. Of course, when it comes to buying movies, always get the movies that your friends won’t ever get sick of watching. That way, you know the movie will be viewed over and over.

Giving entertainment to college students might seem counterintuitive, given that students are often too busy to relax and enjoy themselves. But during the weekend, there’s plenty of time to enjoy a movie or a good book, and that’s when these gifts can come in handy.

3. Food

This is one of those gifts that every college student greatly appreciates. Whether it’s a home-cooked meal, some kind of dessert, or buying your friend’s groceries, I guarantee you that your friends will be very grateful. We all need food to keep our minds and bodies going throughout the busy day, so this is one of those gifts that I highly recommend, especially with finals around the corner.

4. Gift Cards

Who doesn’t like gift cards? That’s a rhetorical question, because I have yet to meet someone who can’t stand these flexible gifts. As college students, we all could use gift cards, whether it’s for a department store or our favorite clothing boutique. And getting a gift card for your friends means you don’t have to worry about buying them something specific. Instead, they will have the chance to buy something they want from wherever the gift card is for.

If this is something you decide to get for your friends, get a gift card to somewhere they absolutely love or where they shop a lot. You can also buy them a grocery store or restaurant gift card.

5. Money

Like gift cards, money allows your friends to buy something from a store they like to shop at. But money gives them more freedom to go wherever they want to buy something that they could use. Your friends will be quite grateful for this gift, I guarantee it.

These are just a few ideas that can help you get the right gift for each one of your friends. Each one of these ideas will bring joy to friends who brighten your life every day.

Tara Miller can be reached at [email protected] or @chicojournalist on Twitter.