Cash as a gift?

Split off from another thread: what do you think of giving cash for wedding/birthday/whatever presents?
My vote: lame, but I'll weigh in in more detail later

It depends on whether or not you know the person so as to get them an adequate gift that they'll appreciate. 9 times out of 10 I'd rather have received money to use however I want as opposed to some crappy gift that I never wanted in the first place.

I would propose that it's both lame and I'm fine with that XD

It's just too much to expect that everyone in your extended family will know you enough to get you a thoughtful and relevant gift. If you have a wish list whipped up and making the rounds, then money-as-a-gift shouldn't really be happening (unless you're greedy and your wish list is full of expensive shit ), but there have been many years where I couldn't think of anything I needed/wanted for Christmas... so money was totally fine by me. It came in handy later, too, because I'm poor and need it for things like gas/clothes.

I'm a yuppy and I just buy whatever I want when I want it, so when holiday time rolls on in I don't really want anything because I have what I want and need already. I'm also not really that materialistic and don't really need anymore crap as it is, especially since I'll be moving to a smaller place in a few months. So just give me cash so I can put it towards rent or something and use it when I want or need it for something.

I voted lame, but it's not totally true XD!

I mean I really prefer to buy present even if the person just ask me to buy a certain thing, i prefer to buy it myself than tell this person 'okay buy it and I'll give you the cash'.

In my familly we don't really do surprise gift anymore because we're not so young anymore (XD) and we just tell eachother what we would like and if it's too expensive then it's okay for us to give the cash as a participation of the exact present the person wanted.

And I really prefer to have actual present to open then just cash. I mean it's king of strange to answer yeah I got xx€ from y and xxx€ from p, no? XD

I can't bring myself to give cash, though of course it's always the easy way out. I could give my sister cash that she could use to buy what she likes for her kids, but I don't because she always buys serious presents and I like giving kids kids' presents. I can't think why children should not be allowed to be children and have children's tastes.

On a more general level, I think cash sounds vulgar and thoughtless, but then it's very much a matter of which culture you belong to, and of how you personally feel about money and how you should use it.

It is an easy option, but I think it depends on the relationship as well as how much the person needs cash.

I voted it's fine with me, because personally I need money a lot more than I need thoughtful gifts.

As far as weddings are concerned, don't people usually make a list of what they want, and say whether they want money or not?

I don't mind getting money as a present from people I barely know, but my dad's been giving me cash for as long as I can remember... -.-'

I used to hate cash as a gift because it's thoughtless and doesn't mean anything (to me). My parents usually just give me a red packet of $100 for my birthday.

I changed my mind after my mom bought me this awful looking white gold / platinum ring for me for my 21st birthday. It cost her 800 bucks but it looks like a normal stainless steel ring from a roadstall vendor to me which could sell for 5$.

I really appreciate the sentiment, but i really felt bad because she spent so much on something that i cannot justify spending on.

^ I don't like platinum or white gold for that same reason XD


I remember my best friend only got gift cards and money for Christmas and she really hated it. I don't think there is much thought put into cash gifts. Yes, there is the freedom you now have of buying what you like, but I personally prefer the person to try to find something they'd think I like.

I think it's the thought that counts, even if the gift isn't something you end up loving, you know the person tried for you.

Maybe it's just me, but I put a ton of thought into gifts for people and it's really something I love to do. I don't care if people do the same for me or not because I'm so much like my dad XD (who doesn't even want gifts)

In the past I've been lucky since so many of my friends have gotten me presents that they knew I'd love Amazing how people know you so well XD

My grandmother normally gives me cash and I think it's kind of weird. It's either that or clothes she doesn't like, so I'm not sure which is worse. I haven't even used the money she gave me last time for my birthday. She was making a big deal last week about how she can't send a gift this year, but it really doesn't matter to me XD I'm not materialistic really and our conversations mean more than cash or gifts. I think the same could be said for those closest to me.

Just give me money. 90% of the gifts I've received as an adult have been useless crap.

Generally, I think it's lame to give cash as a gift. It happened that I received cash but I was a little deceived. I had a little the impression to be bought XD and more, I like to open the presents. For me, the paper is as important than the gift itself XD I like that people buy me the gift especially for me, thinking about my own nature and I do the same for them.
It even happens that I prefer to give a personal thing as a gift. When I really love the person to whom I make a gift, I give to him/her one of my own personnal possessions that I really like, something from which I can't be separated easily. More funny is that the thing I liked the more and that I gave to someone was a silver quarter dollar XD I hope that person didn't have the impression to be bought XD

But this year, for Christmas, it will be different. I'd like to buy a musical instrument that is too expensive for me and so my closed friends and family proposed to me to give me cash as gift to be able to buy it.

So I voted lame but sometimes it can be fine ^^

Iskanderia wrote:

Just give me money. 90% of the gifts I've received as an adult have been useless crap.

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Isn't that the fun of it though? XD Last year I got my sister a pair of toy drumsticks that make drumming noises when you shake them
Though I do generally also try to get at least one thing that isn't junk XD

To me, cash was a good gift to receive when I was a kid who never got to buy anything, but as an adult I and most everyone I give presents to already have our own cash. So it would be just like trading around identical dollar bills - what's the point?

Mikal wrote:

As far as weddings are concerned, don't people usually make a list of what they want, and say whether they want money or not?

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Going back to the wedding that sparked the conversation in the first place: my sister just asked for money to pay for her honeymoon, but I thought that was, you know, lame. I'll find her something really spectacular one of these days, no doubt about it.

I voted fine with me, but I'm an undergrad living on my own, paying my own way (who recently quit his job lolol what a mistake).

flowersofnight wrote:

Iskanderia wrote:

Just give me money. 90% of the gifts I've received as an adult have been useless crap.

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Isn't that the fun of it though? XD Last year I got my sister a pair of toy drumsticks that make drumming noises when you shake them
Though I do generally also try to get at least one thing that isn't junk XD

To me, cash was a good gift to receive when I was a kid who never got to buy anything, but as an adult I and most everyone I give presents to already have our own cash. So it would be just like trading around identical dollar bills - what's the point?

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Not that I don't see your point, but most of the time I get stuff from my in laws like some horrific piece of costume jewelry 20 years out of style or knickknacks that have never been in style and they just take up space in storage (because I don't have the heart to get rid of them), never being used. It's a waste of money and I feel bad about it.

Why my MIL is incapable of being aware enough to see that the things she picks out in no way fit into our style (home or personal) is beyond me. Also, she never seems to notice that we never wear/display anything she's ever bought for us.

Iskanderia wrote:

Why my MIL is incapable of being aware enough to see that the things she picks out in no way fit into our style (home or personal) is beyond me. Also, she never seems to notice that we never wear/display anything she's ever bought for us.

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My grandmother is the exact same way! Honestly it's kind of weird that she gives me these things that are really... different from what I wear XD She never notices that I don't wear a thing she gives me either. I think it's funny and all, but my parents get annoyed because I'm her only granddaughter and she's giving me used and cheap stuff that doesn't take into account any of my personal tastes. *shrugs*


Although I really like the thought behind gifts, I guess if the person really doesn't know what you want then they could give you money. Maybe the point is to be grateful for whatever you get rather than criticize it? ::kisaki::

For Christmas and birthday I prefer to give children toys or clothes instead of cash. For adults it’s depends on if I can find them something that I think they would really like. As for wedding it’s gotta be cash / cheque. I’ve lost counts how many crappy gifts I’ve gotten over the years, but when it’s X-mas time I still like to receive a few gifts instead of all cash. Even though I’d use the money to splurge on something I like, I still miss the excitement of opening up a gift.

For weddings it's always been cash or a check.

As for birthdays, Christmas, and other such events, it depends. One thing I find redundant and pointless is gift cards. Like, why limit their options when you could have just given them some cash. XD

My roommates and friends from undergrad developed a system that worked pretty well. We'd ask for something specific and everyone would pitch in for it, or we'd pick a day to go shopping and basically pay for something they wanted, spur of the moment or not, once we came across it. They could have bought that item on their own, sure, but it was nice having the whole group together since our schedules were all over the place and we rarely got to see each other and hang out Junior and Senior years.

Also, I didn't care much for birthday cards before since the ones I usually received (and gave) were kind of lacking ("Happy Birthday! Wish you the best. Love, [whoever]), but I learned to write longer, genuinely heartfelt and encouraging messages from the aforementioned group of friends since that was originally their thing.

I guess at the end of the day, time + thought > money but when that can't happen, cash works too.

a-amanitin wrote:

a system

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My system lately: put together a wish list with way more things than anyone's likely to buy, and then just saying "Pick something and surprise me". That way it's still half a surprise.

^^Yeah that's what I'm doing. It's mostly a list of books.