By Marissa Burd

Editor-in-Chief

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It’s easy to stress around the holidays when there’s a budget to maintain. Expectations for gifts have gotten higher because predecessors of electronics are released new at a more expensive price than the previous year.

A couple Christmas gifts that have stayed popular on wishlists through the past few years are smart phones and game consoles.

Forbes magazine states that the iPhone 5, which came out in fall of 2012, was sold for approximately $199. The newest generation of iPhone, called the iPhone Xs, is currently being sold for $999, which is shown on the Apple website.

At the technology store Best Buy, popular game consoles, like the PlayStation 4, sell anywhere from $299 to $399.

Americans are ultimately spending anywhere from $300 to $1000 on the hottest gadgets.

A simple solution to cutting the price down of the holiday expenses is searching for sales online.

Many online websites hold Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

Purchasing refurbished items is a cheaper alternative as well.

Best Buy sells refurbished items, which are items that were pre-owned. These items may also be returned to the manufacturer for a reason as simple as the package containing it was mistakenly broken opened during the process of delivery.

The items are renewed and sold for a lower price, but work as if they are brand new.

Refurbished items can be anything from iPhones to kitchen appliances.

Large chain stores along with Best Buy such as Walmart and Target sell refurbished products.

Similar to technology nowadays, certain clothing trends are expensive.

Off-price department stores are an alternative for smart shopping.

Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and Ross are all known as off-price department stores. Popular designer brands can be found here for a fraction of their original cost.

It may even be surprising what off-price department stores sell.

Shopping at off-price stores is a smart way to save up to half of the holiday expenses.