10 places for gifts $15 and under

Marilyn Ramirez, Copy Editor/Co-Editor-in-Chief

December 21, 2012

During the month of December, stores begin to throw sales for the upcoming holiday rush. Some items that can be purchased for only $10 include: scarfs, hats, pencils, CDs, and a guitar tuner.

With the hype of the holiday season, students are finding their pockets a bit lighter after shopping for the best gifts to share. Luckily, stores like Old Navy, Forever 21, and Target offer present-worthy merchandise that will suffice your budget.

Target: Give your holiday party some childhood flare with classic games Sorry!, Would You Rather…?, Operation, Connect4, Scrabble, and Hedbanz for only $8. And for guys who aren’t into games, give them a Rolling Stones or Captain America t-shirt for $10. They’ll appreciate the masculine gesture.

Forever 21: For only $4.99, this store offers a variety of different patterned fleece blankets, including polka dots or stripes. For him and her, at $5.99, you can find black and straw-colored fedoras. Scarves aren’t scarce either for the sale price of $7.

Guitar Center: For the rest of December, since those beginning musicians need something to help them keep their guitars in tune, $9 tuners are available for them. Aspiring DJs also need a pick-me-up, which is why the Numark Dual-Cup DJ headphones for $14.99 will have them getting their records ready.

Walmart: Take a look at Catchphrase, the ultimate electronic guessing game, for only $15. After stressing yourself out from guessing words like “finance” and “telephone,” give your friend some R&R with multi-colored lava lamps from $12.97.

iTunes: Music lovers who support their artists, and actually pay for their music, will appreciate the extra cash from an iTunes gift card. Simple, yet beneficial.

JCPenney: Secret Santa gifts that no one could hate are fuzzy slippers and socks. Whether your gift receiver likes blue with bows or black with red stripes, you can’t beat comfort for $10. For the same price, brand name Arizona has many fashionable tees, warm pajama pants, and flannels.

Staples: High school students everywhere are notorious for having at least one friend who appreciates nothing other than school supplies: Cassette-shaped Stickies for $7.99, a multi-colored dozen pack of Bic Pencils for $4.99, or a black dry erase board for $9.99 that writes neon with a 5-pack of dry erase markers.

Big Lots: Someone obsessed with his or her car? This store offers car fresheners and funky wheel covers for just under $10.

Miniinthebox.com: Get caught looking at the time at a watch with personality. For $8.49, this site full of inexpensive gifts even offers a watch that looks like it was made out of Legos. A perk: it’ll ship within 24 hours.

Still not worth reaching into your pocket? The best gifts are known to be from the heart, so go ahead and make something you think your friends will like. A mix CD, photo collage, back-and-forth notebook, or even batches of cookies will suffice. This holiday season, don’t fret about your budget; with all these stores offering bang-for-your-buck deals, there’s something for everyone to shop for.

About the Contributors

Marilyn Ramirez, Copy Editor/Co-Editor-in-Chief

For senior Marilyn Ramirez, newspaper is not only a class. No, for this young journalist, The Downey Legend is her inner voice, her happy, her passion, her future. Ramirez sets out to improve her writing ability with every new story, setting new goals for herself with the start of every deadline. She is currently the Copy Editor and Co-Editor-in-Chief on staff. She joined the online publication in order to gain experience in journalism; after studying at either UC Berkley or San Francisco State University, she is certain she will write for Time Magazine and develop a career in photojournalism. Ramirez plans on hiking through war-zones, or the jungles of Borneo in order to capture the beauty she wishes to documents. This journalist has no space in her agenda for anything less than extraordinary. When she is not writing stories or improving her photo and web layout skills, Ramirez enjoys spending time with her better half, Kyle Hudspeth. Like many others, she adores Disneyland and shopping . She might be found at her favorite drinks chain, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, reading a book or making awkward conversation with strangers. She has an unbelievable amount of positive energy, which she utilizes in a myriad of activities from school work, to staff bonding, however, it is not so obnoxious, because it is balanced out with the right amount of sarcasm. Ramirez is a fast-paced, modern girl of sorts with a dedicated disposition; she is undoubtedly heading toward great heights.

Mileena Sosa, Photographer

Mileena Sosa is 17 years old and is a photographer for The Downey Legend. Although she is now a senior, her photographic interest began in her eighth grade year. She would like to continue her path with photography with the hopes of attending an art school that will guide her towards her dream job as a catalog photographer. “I like to take pictures of nature and I also like to take pictures of people to capture their expressions,” Sosa said. Getting a shot that exceeds her audience’s expectations is Sosa’s goal because of her dedication to photography. “One of my biggest worries is that I won’t be able to capture the right moment on camera,” Sosa said. The root of her inspiration primarily originates from versatile forms of artwork that catch her eye. She enjoys running and video game and another spunky perk about her is her fascination for zombies. The art of music is very important to her, as she is a former percussionist. Her favorite music genres vary from heavy metal to indie folk. Balancing her schoolwork is a main priority to her because it is the foundation of her desired future, and she has high expectations for herself and works efficiently to reach her goals. Newspaper is more than happy to supply her with the proper foundation for her future success in photography.