If you want to give someone money as a gift, but want it to stand out as something memorable or special, there are many creative ways to give money as gifts. Whether it’s the holidays, a birthday, or some other special occasion, when you put some thought into how you give money, it becomes a lot more personal and special than it would if you just tossed a couple of bucks into a card. Many people especially like to find creative ways to present money as a gift in settings where many people chip in together to give them something, such as students for a teacher or coworkers for someone they work with.
The first thing to do is to consider what the occasion may be. For example, if you are attending a baby shower, and not really interested in buying anything from the baby gift registry, then one idea would be to take a diaper, place the money inside the diaper, attach a note to it that says “Baby diapers are full of surprises” and then wrap or give it to the person, that is a cute and fun way to give the gift. Obviously this would not work for say a grad student or a Christmas present however, so that’s why we’ve decided to come up with a few other ideas and tips that will help get your creativity moving.
The Money Tree: This is one of the best gifts I ever got – and it’s simple to do! All you need is a miniature tree (or you can even just use a tree branch in a flower pot) and then tie bills and coins onto it with ribbons. If it is near the holidays, you can usually find inexpensive small Christmas trees.
Clothesline: Just about any craft store offers little mini clothespins, so all you need is a package of those, a small basket, and a piece of rope. Then, all you do is attach the money to the rope with the pins and then fold it up to go into the basket.
Small Bills: If you want to give someone a unique gift, consider using smaller bills, such as single dollars, and then stuff them into a decorative jar or place them in a mini book.
Animals With Backpacks: It’s not too hard to find small stuffed animals with backpacks, so another creative thing to do is find one of these and then place the money into the backpack.
A Wallet: If you ever give someone a wallet as a gift, it’s an unspoken rule that it’s really extra nice to place a little money in it, too! You could also do this with a small purse.
In a Book: If you have a favorite book you think the person will like, you can always tape the money into one of the pages inside.
Calendar: A calendar is another good alternative for a card to give cash – just tape the bills or coins to the different pages.
In a Bar of Soap: If you’re someone who likes to make soap, you can place coins in the silicone soap molds and then make them a few bars of soap!
Origami: If you are good with origami or paper folding, another fun thing to do is shape the dollar bills into different things and then place them into a box and wrap the box. You can make rings, bracelets, animals, cars, etc. etc. – the possibilities really are endless for this one!
Miniatures: Maybe the person you are giving the gift to is saving up to buy a house or a car or maybe even a new computer. If this is the case, simply buy a miniature of this item, such as a toy car or a key and affix the money to that with a small personal note.
Clue Hunt: If you have the ability to do this, it can be fun to send someone on a hunt for the money! You can either do it like a treasure hunt with a treasure map and a treasure chest, or do it something like an Easter egg hunt. Either way it can be a lot of fun to finally find it!
Cold Hard Cash: All you need is a container, a waterproof plastic bag, and a freezer to wrap the money in the bag and then fill it and the container with water and freeze it!
Self Counting Piggy Bank: Anyone who’s ever had a lot of loose change can know what a pain it is to count all of it! You can get an Electronic Money Jar
Favorite Food: If the person you are shopping for has a favorite food, you can wrap $1 or $5 bills around each of the items as well, which makes it an extra sweet treat!
These are just a few ideas, but I’m sure they’ll help get your creativity flowing for different ways to give money as a gift! Have any ideas you’d like to share? Tell us about them in the comments below!