By Jeanine Budd and Eric Allen

With the economy sliding, consumers may turn to creativity by making gifts on their own and bargain hunting this holiday shopping season.

Emily Moray, a sophomore nursing major, said she and her friends don’t plan on doing much Christmas shopping or receiving many presents due to tight budgets.

“There’s going to be a downsize this year,” Moray said. “I know I’ll probably only get one big gift.”

Oscar Brookins, an associate professor of economics, said that with retail sales down 35 percent throughout the country, it seems that stores are being forced to lower their prices. In some cases, lowering the price of goods below the price of what it costs to make them.

Brookins also said students trying to budget their holiday gifts might want to be minimalists when deciding what to purchase.

Micaela Carroll, a third-year pharmacy major, said she is finding more creative, inexpensive ways to enjoy gift-giving.

“There is this website where you can custom make T-shirts,” she said. “I’m making one for my brother.”

Customink.com allows users to create T-shirts, hoodies and other products with their own pictures and text.

“I put a picture of [my brother] swimming with his time for the event,” Carroll said. “It was $27 for a long-sleeve tee and shipping is free.”

Online sales during the Thanksgiving holiday went up one percent from last year, according to a report in the Washington Business Journal Dec. 3, which may show that consumers are taking advantage of large discounts offered by retailers online.

Lauren Kelly, a sophomore journalism major, said that while the economic crisis hasn’t curbed her spending yet, she knows it probably should. Kelly said she uses the Internet to find cheaper products.

“If you buy a lot, you get free shipping,” she said. “You can find stuff cheaper on sites like Amazon.”

For some brick-and-mortar stores, the squeeze is evident in the amount of nationwide closures. According to local media reports, businesses like Starbucks, Linens n’ Things and Circuit City are being forced to close stores in the New England area, so they will be selling their products at a cheaper price.

Brookins said he recommended shoppers focus on practical gifts that will be well used by the people receiving them.

“We still should all be aware of the financial difficulty our friends and relatives are feeling as well,” he said. “We should feel free to not extend ourselves too much.”