Presents (Poll)

Cash as a present?

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 66.7%

  • No

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • Only for that one impossible to buy for person...

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    12
Yes.

- Wedding gifts.
- Birthday and Christmas to my nephew.
- As "thank yous" to people who have helped me, but who don't expect anything in return (I give them Visa gift cards).

Lee
 
Gift giving is a highly ineffective means of distributing wealth and I avoid it at all costs. I hate receiving gifts because it establishes a reciprocal obligation, and if I really want something, I buy it. And I hate giving someone something that they may or may not want. Cash, then, is the only real option.

My wife disagrees, though, so we compromise. If it's up to me, I give cash, otherwise she deals with it.
 
I give cash gifts a lot. Like vyapti, I hate giving gifts that the person may or may not want. Money is always the right size!

However, I love giving regular gifts to close friends and family members. Things I've made or things I've stumbled across that I think will delight them.
 
vyapti said:
I hate receiving gifts because it establishes a reciprocal obligation,
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Oh, me, too! I have established a low-maintenance relationship with all of my friends and what little family I have beyond my kids. No Christmas/birthday/whatever day gift exchanges. We get together or call each other but that's it.
 
I give most of my grand kids cash as gifts for birthday, Christmas etc. It is easier for use as with 17 I can't keep up with what they want. Now the adult grand kids and my own kids I send them gift cards for a store they like. As for myself Dawn and I really don't exchange gifts with each other even on birthdays and anniversary as we tend to buy what we want as we need something. This also makes us hard to buy for so I tell my kids send nothing though one always sends us a gift card.
 
I just went to Target today and got a gift card for a wedding that we aren't going to attend. I figure that I can pick something off of the gift registry and pay the shipping charges, which can add up quickly, or mail a gift card for the price of the gift + the shipping charges, and they can go get what they want and have a little more money to spend.

I don't like to do cash or gift cards for gifts at Christmas or birthdays when I'm going to actually see the person. I do sometimes though :mrgreen: because I'm out-voted.
 
vyapti said:
Gift giving is a highly ineffective means of distributing wealth and I avoid it at all costs. I hate receiving gifts because it establishes a reciprocal obligation, and if I really want something, I buy it. And I hate giving someone something that they may or may not want. Cash, then, is the only real option.
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i see you'ver never hung out in an irish pub. everyone is constantly buying everyone their next round setting up the obligation to buy another one back. god forbid a bunch of friends show up one by one; you end up sh1t faced whether you like it or not. i would have loved to say to someone that tried to buy me a round when i couldn't satnd up straight, "no thanks, but i'll just take the 6 bucks, thank you very much." lol.

yes, i've given cash, at weddings, funerals, and such. for birthdays, i've gotten in the habit of sending $20 or $30 worth of scratch off lottery tickets instead of a gift card or cash. that way it's something to do, and gives the giftee a dream if just for a second, of big bucks to follow.
 
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