Shopping on a shoestring is something we have all become accustomed to over the past year or so.

The recession has impacted on most people’s pockets, and with Christmas around the corner, now is the time to start looking for bargains.

‘Make do and mend’ has become a familiar phrase, as many of us return to the old-fashioned ways adopted by previous generations.

Personalising items you have made is a perfect way of passing on a sentimental gift. Thought speaks far more than value.

Shopping around is something we should all be doing to bag the biggest bargains, but the idea of online shopping still fills me with trepidation.

So I decide to bite the bullet and go where everybody else in the world seems to have gone…on the internet marketplace, eBay.

I’d been told you can buy and sell just about anything online, but I’m daunted by it. The problem is I like to see and, to some extent, inspect what I buy.

For me, online shopping is delving into the unknown. You’re less likely to meet the seller, but the transaction is carried out through what I understand is a safe online payment scheme; it’s all so easy and convenient, but it also sounds too good to be true. Maybe I’m missing out on the money that can be made and the bargains that can be bought.

There’s no doubt that online shopping is convenient and easy, but I prefer scouring actual shops, as quite often you find other bargains which add to the buzz. The downside is that you can spend more in a shop.

I wouldn’t want to embark on virtual shopping without guidance so, for me, Bradford’s Forster Community College presents the perfect opportunity – it is running courses to help people learn about using eBay this Christmas and buying and selling safely online.

Course tutor Annie Cowling, the college’s digital creative media tutor, has plenty of knowledge and experience to help me navigate the net. Annie has previously purchased Christmas presents online, with great success.

She loves the fact that she can source unusual items, such as the Nineties Sega games console she found for her brother. “He likes vintage stuff. It was in very good nick and it wasn’t something I could have got elsewhere,” says Annie.

Surfing our way through the site, I notice there are already plenty of Christmas deals. Celebrity-endorsed perfumes are perfect stocking fillers for less than the retail price and you can buy the latest computer games at a reduced cost too.

Comparing high street against internet prices is advisable before you buy. It’s a common-sense way of checking what savings you are making and whether, when you add on postage and packaging, it really is a bargain.

Brand name watches and jewellery are popular purchases for Christmas and you’ll find them here in abundance. Buying new or second-hand, you’re bound to snap up a bargain, although with anything second-hand you take a risk and you have to put your trust in the seller and any research you can do yourself.

Annie explains that feedback enables you to check the reliability of those you are buying from. Positive or negative comments are posted by those who’ve had previous dealings with the seller.

So what else can I buy? You name it, it’s on here. It’s like the Generation Game with more than one cuddly toy!

My daughter would love the Baby Annabel pram I spot – it’s a good saving too, so maybe when I’ve increased my confidence, I might just dabble with some internet shopping. Although, considering I won’t even bank online, I think I may resort to the old-fashioned way and leave it to Father Christmas!

However, for all those other first-time surfers out there, this is a fantastic insight into online shopping and a great way to seek out those all-important savings while the recession continues to bite.

The college is also offering people the chance to learn about personalising poetry, creating Christmas cards and inventive gift-wrapping through its Homemade Christmas courses.

I have a dabble at gift wrapping on a budget, and while mine is a poor attempt, the course shows how you can recycle wrapping.

Take a piece of card, measure out the folds you want to make and fold it in. Punch some holes at the top of the folds, thread some pretty string through, gather and you have a lovely little gift bag. Or what about reusing your empty shampoo bottles to protect precious gifts? There are many more tips to pick up, so why not book yourself on a course?

“We recognise there has been a recession, and while the Government is trying to tell us it is over, for people we work with or people who have been made redundant the reality is it is not over,” says Anne Griffin, the college’s new business officer.

“We are trying to help people to economise on their Christmas budget. If somebody has put some love and care into making a personal gift, they have put some time and thought and effort into it.”

If you want to learn how to personalise cushions, poetry, or create your own Christmas cards or even learn some photography techniques to make your festive snaps more professional, contact Forster Community College at Captain Street, Bradford, or ring (01274) 308707 or 07907 890307.