As Autumn leaves begin to pile up in the yard and the wind suddenly begins to blow cold, many people are beginning to think about preparing for the upcoming holidays and all the gatherings that are usually planned.
Every year, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays and other holiday events are great opportunities for anyone to be creative and generous. Now is the time to prepare by making plans for your gift giving.
Whether you are attending a winter wedding, a birthday party, an office holiday or retirement party, or just getting ready for Christmas, here are 14 helpful ideas for fun ways to give cash:
1. Money tree
In recent years money trees have become very popular on the receiving tables at weddings or by the door at fundraisers. This is because they can be created just about any size and made out of a variety of materials. For a wedding, the tree can be decorated with the wedding colors by using ribbons, for instance. Some trees are quite large, while others are small enough to fit on a table. Guests are invited to roll up their bills and tie them to the tree. These trees are a simple and beautiful way to receive money.
photo credit: Shari’s Berries
2. Balloon money
If you are planning a birthday party for your child, one idea is to roll up and slip dollar bills (or larger bills) inside of balloons before you inflate them. The money is often hidden until the child discovers it, so it can be a fun surprise. This idea would work for adult parties as well.
3. Money jar
Giving a money jar is a traditional way to give a combination of coins and bills in a large jar. Just fill the jar with whatever amount you want. Tons of pennies make a fun gift. After you fill the jar you can decorate it by topping it off with colorful ribbons, beads, or yarn. It is a creative, yet simple way to give a combination of cash and coins.
4. Money cake
Here is an original idea that requires a little bit of time to put together. Just roll the bills and attach them individually to the center portion in a circular pattern. This would be really nice present for a birthday or graduation gift. Or, it could even be a clever wedding gift.
5. Money angels
You could make simple holiday angels out of folded money. The angel’s head can be made of an easter egg, or a foam ball. These angels can make perfect ornament gifts for anyone and they would look nice when hung on the tree.
6. Candy money
If you are a grandparent who wants to give money, here is a great idea. Take your rolled coins and wrap them in Christmas paper and twist and tie both ends with ribbon. This makes them look like giant candy rolls and they would be great gifts for grandkids to enjoy. You could also put them inside of Christmas stockings.
7. Money box
If you want to take a little time, you can cover a small box with money and then have a roll of money inside the box. This idea would work for dollar bills or larger ones. Covering the box makes the gift look very neat and attractive.
8. Pizza money
This idea could work well for a kid’s birthday party or even Christmas bonuses at work. Just spread the money in a circular pattern inside the pizza box and use a few coins to place on top. The pizza money could be a fun surprise at your party.
9. Money ornaments
If you are a creative person, you can find ways to place money inside just about any object. For example, if you give an ornament of a toy train engine, you can stuff a bill inside of it. You can also use the money itself as the gift by folding the bills and putting them inside a tiny box that looks like it holds chocolates, or simply fold the bills into star or tree shapes.
10. Money tree lot
If you are giving money to a group of people, here is another idea. Create a miniature Christmas tree lot in a box and fold up the bills (whatever amount you decide) so they stand up in the box. You might have to wrap them around cardboard so they stand up. Then you can decorate your large box, so that each little tree is a money gift. This would be a very original gift!
11. Money crayons
When you want to give money to a toddler or preschool child, you could just wrap the dollar bills around each crayon and tie with tape. This is a simple and neat way to please any kid.
12. Money card
Christmas cards or any other occasion cards are a good chance to use your creativity to come up with great ideas. If you make a card that shows a school bus, you could stuff a few bills inside the windows. It really depends on the object on your card. Money cards would work for any birthday, graduation, or special occasion.
13. Money plant
For this idea, you simply buy a small pot and after attaching the money in the center portion, you curl each bill so is looks like the shape of a leaf. The overall effects looks like a pretty green plant and makes a lovely gift.
Photo credit: Melanoma PA
14. Giant check
Every once in awhile an opportunity to give a large sum of money may come up. If the money gift is intended to be donated to a school or other organization, you could order a large check to be printed and have photos take with the recipient during the presentation.
If you want to make a large summed graduation gift, you could also have a large check printed and send it to the graduate inside a poster carton.
Or, if you are giving a wedding couple the money for the down payment on a house, or the honeymoon cruise, you could have a giant check printed up and carry it into the wedding reception, or roll it up in a poster carton to hand over to them personally.
Giving cash for presents is an easy way to solve your holiday or last minute gift shopping problems. Try to use some of the above ideas to make the occasion fun and exciting for those on the receiving end, and you’ve got your gift obligation covered!
Featured photo credit: Steven Depolo on flickr via flickr.com
