Giving money as presents

pollys

I never give the adults in the family money. The youngters at high school/uni we give money, the younger children we get a present. All the family do the same.

itzmee

I'd much rather have money than some useless gift I don't like, want or need!! At least that way I can buy something that I do like want and need or if it's a nice amount (like the £50 MIL usually gives me) then I can treat myself to a nice hairdo or clothes from the sales without feeling guilty about spending money on myself.

Mercenary

I actually prefer to receive money as I cannot bear the idea of getting some of the trashy 'gift' tat that appear in the shops at this time of year :eek: . It only gets recycled to Ebay or a doorstep charity bag. My MIL usually resorts to giving me something along these lines although I've given enough hints that she should maybe give only to the grandchildren :rolleyes: .

If I need basic toiletry stuff, I've usually already bought it along with the weekly shopping so I certainly don't want that.
I also don't want useless 'gifts' of perfume (there's only so much you can use in a year and scent is a very personal choice anyway) or any food items and I do NOT drink alcohol. I have enough makeup and jewellery for the moment and I don't need any more.

I'm a tall girl and have big feet so I have to carefully select clothes and shoes that actually fit from certain shops....so money comes in very useful in the Jan sales.
I can also buy my PC games online for myself using any money I've been given :cool: so I don't need to worry that I'm spending out of the household money.

Ally

I never give adults money ... unless they ask for vouchers or something ... which I also don't like doing ... simply because they asked for it ..... A gift is something that should be given and not asked for in my opinion:D

I also HATE it when people keep asking what I want for a gift:rolleyes: It annoys me 'cos I take time to get to know the person and what they would like and get a little cheesed off when they ask what I want and don;t think for themselves ,,, just my personal opinion. The best gifts I have got have been cheap simple things that I know a lot of thought has been put into.

I do however give money to kids as a little extra gift;)

*Joanne*

I prefer to give money as a gift - simply because then at least I know that our hard earned money is being spent on something they want and (most importantly!!) I don't have to race round the shops like a crazed women without a clue what to get!!

I would, of course, be more than happy to accept money myself this year as I really(!!) need a haircut, leg wax, eyebrow shape........etc and am determined that any money I receive will be be spent on making me look and feel more human and not on household expenses, petrol,the kids etc!

misfire

I don't give money - if i have no other option then i get a gift voucher for a shop i know they shop in - this also works well for older kids. You know that way they will buy something - i find if i get money its gone before i know it on normal life stuff. But 99% of the time i buy a gift - i spend alot of time thinking about what to get people the sourcing it at the best price!

It is also hard when you are buyin for multiple kids - my friend has 3 kids and 1 step daughter - they spend £10 on my son or have in the past given me the £10 for him but if i was to do the same it would cost me £40 quid - they get £10 worth of stuff each but that i have bought in sales over the year making it more cost effective i couldnt do it if i was giving money.

straws

My parents always give me money - not because they're thoughtless, but because I'm 30 something and they're 60 something, so their idea of a 'nice top' is guaranteed not to be the same as mine! They also live in the middle of nowhere and have no decent shops anyway and certainly don't have a computer.
I'm really grateful to receive money and always treat myself to things I couldn't normally justify buying, like a lovely coat or pair of shoes.
I don't think people should be annoyed at being given money. Often the giver thinks you will prefer it because they don't want to buy you something you don't want, or maybe they have so many people to buy for that it's easier for them to give you money. Not everyone has the time to spend weeks scouring the shops for that perfect present, or the skills to make something handmade. Christmas is stressful enough for lots of people anyway, so why add to it?

maow425

straws wrote:

My parents always give me money - not because they're thoughtless, but because I'm 30 something and they're 60 something, so their idea of a 'nice top' is guaranteed not to be the same as mine!...I'm really grateful to receive money and always treat myself to things I couldn't normally justify buying

I quite agree.I have ended up with so many rubbish presents made up of the "nice tops" and "thought this was just right for you"-skirts. I hardly ever wear skirts, so I find myself asking (myself) "were they buying for me or did they buy this so I could become what they want me to be"?

It may sound ungrateful, and ever since I was little I had the phrase "it's the thought that counts" drilled into my head, but doesn't this also work for gift vouchers and cash? At least with cash I can spend the money on something I really want. The only thing that bugs me with gift vouchers, is that more often than not, they come from shops I wouldn't even dream of going in.

This year, I don't have to worry about any of this - my dh's sister decided that this year the grown-ups aren't going to buy presents for eachother, only the kids. I was a bit put out by this at first, but then thought 'hang on, that means I have only one person's present(s) to buy - apart from my own kids - as they have one, and we have three (es 6, ys 2 and one due in 5 weeks)! How money-saving is that!:rotfl:

maow425

I know this is not what the thread is about, but Leni, where did you get your name (apart from your parents lol). I only ask, becasue I have the same name and I always get the question "what's that short for then?"

leni

maow425 wrote:

I know this is not what the thread is about, but Leni, where did you get your name (apart from your parents lol). I only ask, becasue I have the same name and I always get the question "what's that short for then?"

It's not my real name, but a name given to me at my saturday job by my greek bosses, apprently lenetta is the nearest translation in greek to my real name and I also put the lottery on every saturday and the sun newspaper was running a gimic of "Lenny Lottery" so Leni stuck. Which I prefer and have been called it for the past 10 years. Even my mam calls me Leni now

Though looking into it, it is an adaption of Helen which is also what my real name is an adaption of. Leni is a German Name though.