Most people are unwilling to give cash as a gift to someone because they don't know how the recipient would take it. Worst case scenario is having your cash sent back to you with a small note attached: "Thanks but, no thanks." Anyway for teens, that's probably the best gift you could get them. But how much is enough? Would $5 make a good gift for a 13 yr old?
I haven't really heard of the kind of people that you describe here, as I have never had any cash sent back to me or not accepted by friends or family. Personally, I don't know what the big fuss is about money gifts. I think it all depends how you present it to a person. Give it with heart and a big smile. With every gift, it's the intention behind it that really matters.
I like to buy gifts but with teen's it is so hard that I have found it is just easier to give them the cash. I don't get the gift back it is just not used and that is a waste, I know money is never not used. Much it easier to get a card and add money. Adults a little different so I do try to give something they like.
I have never had someone reject a cash gift or felt the need to reject one from someone else. Personally, I prefer to give and get gift cards. Its a little more personal to me. It shows that the person pays attention to the kind of stores I like to shop at and/or the products I like to use. This might sound weird but I also like gift cards because they force me to spend money on myself. If I get cash, I'm more likely to spend it on food for a meal that I am going to cook or on clothes for my son. However, if I receive a gift card to Victoria's Secret then that shows that the person knows I like to shop there and I can't exactly buy anything for my son from there! Cash might be good for teens but for moms, I think gift cards are a great option!
I was thinking this myself;who on earth is rude enough, and stupid enough, to just throw away money like that? All giving money signifies really is, 'I'm sorry but I don't feel confident enough that I could get you something that you would really love, and wouldn't just be a useless present, so I'm letting you buy something which you will actually want.'
I think it depends on what the occasion is and who you are giving it to. My dad once made the faux pas of giving my mum money on Valentines Day! :O If it is children, teenager and young adults then I think money is OK as they can get what they want, anyone over 30 and I think they would appreciate the present.
Never had money returned by anyone. But I personally prefer to give gifts instead because I believe people hold on to the gifts for a longer time.
It depends, really. As a teen, I would have given my thanks to any sort of gift, but in the back of my mind I would have wanted more than $5. That's the way I was raised, though, since I got pretty much everything I wanted. (I admit I was spoiled, but luckily I have learned differently as an adult.) Nowadays, $5 would be make me very grateful since that's 20% of my week's food money right there. Any little bit helps.
I think most people appreciate money because they can spend it on absolutely anything, and if that includes something for their home, children or someone else I am just happy that maybe I was able to take a little bit of stress and worry out of there day by giving them money as a gift. Depending how close I am to them and how old they are I generally keep my lowest cash gift at $20 and my highest at $100. If I want to give something more than $100 I tend to not do all cash--unless I know they need it--and also get them a little trinket or something.
Things are more expensive nowadays. If a 13 year old wants to buy a DVD or the latest volume of the Naruto manga or a discounted XBox 360 game that has had a price drop, they'll need $10-$20. $20 is a decent gift for a 13 year old. $5 will only buy them candy. There's nothing wrong with money as a gift. I remember being a hungry college student and someone gave me an ugly $50 sweater from a department store. I would rather have had the $50 to buy food than an ugly $50 sweater. Here's another example. an acquaintance gave my daughter some really slutty and revealing clothes for her birthday from a somewhat expensive women's store. My daughter would have preferred money or a gift card to pick out her own clothes instead of receiving an open back shirt with the word "twerk" spelled out in rhinestones across the chest. Money is a fine gift. Just enclose it in a heartfelt card.
I like giving cash to my Grandchildren, since they know better what they like than I do. I would probably pick something lame, then they wouldn't tell me so they wouldn't hurt my feelings, then they would put it in the back of the closet. So cash is king in this case!
I've never heard of anyone returning a cash gift, but as for the right amount to give a 13 year old, my personal opinion is that $20 would be a better amount. The kids in my family usually get $10 but they are all below 10 years old wand even then it's already very easy for them to burn through that amount since even just one paid app game could already cost half that or even use it in full.
Cash is the best gift for a teen. If you can afford it give $20, if not $10. I feel $5 is too little. I used to get cash for my birthdays from my relatives and I liked it. Some got my clothes that were never the right size, some got me lipgloss but I already had lots of those, so cash was nice because I could get what I really wanted or save it all for a big gift instead of lots of smaller gifts.
It really depends on the person you're giving it to. For example, if we're talking about a close friend, cash would probably be the worst thing to give them because the chances of them just giving it back to you either instantly or later on are just too high. Plus, since you're a close friend you should know what the other friend wants. That leads to say that you should use that money to buy something for them that they'd actually like, because you know their personality so you should make decisions accordingly. If it was a teenager, it's a completely different scenario. If you're a parent, you probably know what your child wants to get so you can see if you can afford to straight-up buy the item. If not, you can just give them the amount of cash you can afford and they'll figure out what to buy on their own!
I don't know of anyone that will return a cash gift. I like the idea of giving and receiving cash as a gift. Cash is something that everyone has a need for. Giving cash allows someone to purchase something that they really want instead of you trying to figure that out. I also think that gift cards also make really nice gifts. As far as deciding how much to give someone, I really think that all depends on what you can afford and what you feel comfortable giving. Whatever amount you decide to give someone, I think they should be appreciative. It is the thought that counts.
It's not nice to give cash as a gift to people you don't know very well. But for family, I think it's okay. My grandmothers, my mom, and some of my aunts like to give cash as a gift because then we get to pick whatever we want. I think it's great, but if someone I only know would give me cash as a gift it would definitely be awkward.
When I was 13 in the late 90's when things weren't that expensive and high tech, $5 already seems a bit low to me. I was used to being given around $12 by my uncles, aunts, and relatives, so I guess now in this high-tech age $5 will seem petty to a teen. But I think if that's what you can afford to give, then go ahead and do so, since it's the thought that counts anyway.
LOL $5 is not enough for anyone. I'd say if you were going to give cash as a gift, make it at least a $20. But if $5 is all you can afford, then that's fine. And I think that cash is fine as a gift, especially if you know the person needs it. Or if you have no idea what to get someone. My big thing is, never give someone a gift card. I would ALWAYS rather have cash than a gift card. It's just like cash, except you are forcing them to spend it at a particular business.
Graduations, weddings, and birthdays are the times I give cash. There is generally no argument given about color, size, or the right type of gift. Everybody likes cash. I give the envelope to the parents of teenagers instead of giving it directly to them.
I honestly don't know who would send back cash especially with that kind of note. If someone wants to send me cash I would gladly accept! I think many people like the idea of cash because they can get exactly what they want without worrying that whatever you get may not fit or you may not like.
