Most college students' budgets only allow for the necessities: books, booze and the occasional late-night order of Pokey sticks. Unfortunately, the holidays can put stress on students to extend their spending and embrace the season of giving, even on a limited budget.

Buying the appropriate gift for a roommate, boyfriend, girlfriend or parent can be extremely stressful for the typical college student with a lack of time and even bigger shortage of funds.

Students have often taken advantage of the expanse of stores in downtown State College, but this year many have decided to foster frugal values.

"I've been looking to see if something is on sale or if I could find something for cheaper that is similar," Kathy Schulberg (freshman-criminal justice) said.

Schulberg added she may have to shorten her gift list altogether.

"I was debating whether or not to buy a present for my grandma," she said. "I know I will have to get a job after Christmas break because I will be broke."

Even students unaffected by the economy are still feeling the effects of "starving college student syndrome," making it hard to afford top-notch gifts.

Kent Bare (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said this was his case as he gripped two "Penn State parent" coffee mugs inside of The Family Clothesline, 352 E. College Ave.

"I'm just looking for things that are cheaper now that I am a college student," Bare said.

As for some local stores, Billie Jo Bardell, assistant manager of Eddie Bauer, 131 S. Allen St., said sales this holiday season have been about the same as years past at Eddie Bauer.

"We've had no extensive downturn in sales because of the economy," she said.

Bardell said students will often come into Eddie Bauer shopping for their parents, and they're always looking for the best deals and browsing through the clearance racks.

"After Thanksgiving, we do a series of sales, marking everything in the store 25 percent off. The closer it is to Christmas, the bigger the sale," she said.

Bardell added they create a special area in the store for affordable gifts and gadgets that many students can buy.

Frank Timm, Penn State graduate and manager of Abercrombie & Fitch, 134 S. Allen Street., said clearance sales have been a big part of their profits this season.

"Black Friday clearance sales made about 15 million dollars in just one day," he said.

Despite this statistic, Timm said he knows sales have gone down as a whole to about 20 percent for the company and about 50 percent for the State College store alone.

"The company is doing things to combat a downturn in sales, like raising prices and cutting back employee hours," he said.

Timm added that A&F ran into business troubles before but raising prices did not change brand loyalities.

"Raising prices will still appeal to people who buy for the brand," he said, "but for the people who don't have as much money there is well-distributed clearance throughout the store."