Tips for finding gifts for gamers under $50

Having a husband who is an avid gamer can be a bit of a challenge, especially when you have a family. My husband loves his video games and when Christmas or his birthday roll around, buying him the perfect game can be somewhat difficult.

Games, especially new ones, can range anywhere from $39.99 to $59.99. Sure, when it was just the two of us and we both had jobs, buying video games was like second nature. We didn't have a budget to worry about or about any other mouths to feed besides our own. Now, however, we have a growing family. We have one daughter and another on the way. Buying video games has since stopped, unless, of course, a special occassion such as a birthday or Christmas rolls around. That is when the bargain shopper in me comes out with full force.

Here are a few tips as well as places you can go to get the best deals on video games as well as gamer products:

1) E-bay! I cannot say enough about this site. E-bay offers an array of games as well as gamer products. Some can be extremely expensive, but if you look carefully, you can always find that hidden gem. I have a seller whom I often purchase games from. For example, I bought a brand new "Gears of War" for X-box 360 at the price of $15.99. It was unused, unopened and it cost about $40 less than the original price. Talk about a steal!

2) Another place I have found to be a great place to buy games are video game stores! I purchased a game from "Gamestop". It was used, but they allowed me to view the game and to check out it's condition before I purchased it. They even vaccume sealed the box and removed the price tag for me and it looked as though it were brand new! The game was $9.99. It's original retail price was $39.99.

3) Now I don't know if all malls have a place similar to this one, but in the malls around where I am from, there are small booths set up where you can trade used video games for new ones, as well as receive money. I have received top dollar for my games at these booths and I have been able to purchase many other things, not just games, but game accessories as well with the money I received. It's something to look into if you have a huge lot of video games that you've already completed and don't plan on playing again.

4) The flea market! We have a HUGE flea market where I live and that is the absolute best place to go when you want to purchase games as well as game accessories. They often sell games at a much lower cost and they don't tax you.

Last but not least...

5) Craigslist! There are many people on Craiglist.com who have games or accessories they no longer use or have gotten as gifts, but they already have it. I have done many transactions through Craigslist, and just like e-bay, you have to be patient and eventually, you will find that gem. The great thing about this too is the people are often willing to bargain with you.

These are just a few places that I turn to when I need to buy the perfect gaming gift for my husband. He has hundreds of games and most of them cost us less than $50 by using the places I described above. Grant it, not all of these places will work for everyone, but they're worth a try. Good Luck and Happy Gaming to you all!