With Christmas now just a few days away, many locals are scrambling to find last-minute gifts that won't break the bank.

And this season, the recession has your friends and neighbors resorting to creativity in order to give gifts to everyone on their list.

There are literally dozens of websites dedicated to this very type of thing, but we set out to see how locals are making it work, despite the recession.

Three sisters we spoke with say the way they keep Christmas presents inexpensive, is simply by setting limits.

"We had a $10 gift limit. Rummage sale, garage sale or thrift store," said Janet Sesak of Pollock Pines near Lake Tahoe.

They and hundreds of other locals have set out to find recycled gifts at thrift stores. The sisters head out to the Goodwill on South Virginia Street.

"And it's a lot of fun. It's so much cheaper. You find awesome stuff for a fraction of what you'd buy in a regular store. To me it's more about the spirit of Christmas than how much things cost," said Elaine Guzman.

And what you can find is pretty incredible. Christmas decorations, many of which still have the original price tags on them, run for less than half the price they would if you bought them new. And Elaine Guzman says if you're buying for young people, just call it 'vintage' and they'll automatically think it's cool.

"My sons are 22 and 28, and they love it," said Guzman.

We asked father of two Ray Obispo if his kids mind getting used presents for Christmas. He says not only do they appreciate whatever they get, but he doubts they know the difference.

"Some people donate things that are still in really good shape, and the kids don't care," said Obispo.

And all you have to do is get creative. A suitcase filled with dress-up clothes will run you about $15 bucks. Or kids books--which look barely used, cost less than $1.00 each. Even a basket, filled to the brim with stuffed animals, adds up to a meager $10.00 or so.

"I have a lot of parents coming in for stocking suffers, all sorts of things," said Evea Wilcoxson, Goodwill cashier.

"Yesterday I spent $50 for a leather jacket for my brother-in-law, clothes for myself. Today, I spent about$10. All from here," said Sesak.

And for those who want to cut costs even further, many thrift stores also sell arts and craft supplies, such as paint, fabric, and yarn. To help you out, here are instructions and patterns for these projects and more.

Gifts that cost little or close-to-nothing
Easy & Inexpensive Gifts to Make:

Cute Little Hand-Stiched Birds

Pattern
Instructions

Beautiful, Homemade Chiffon Flowers