Fun Ways to Give Cash as a Gift

There are times when giving money instead of a present is more practical. For example, many people choose to give money as a graduation present so the recipient can buy things she needs later in a new life situation. Giving cash as a gift doesn't have to be as boring as throwing a check in a card. There are some things you can do to make giving money a little more fun.

You can put your cash gift in a big block of ice. The recipient will have to chip his way to the cash or wait for the ice to thaw. The important thing to remember when doing this is to place the cash inside a plastic zipper bag. To get the money in the middle of the block of ice, you must first freeze half a bowl of ice. Then place the zipper bag on top of that ice and add the other half of a bowl of water and freeze again. You can also be creative and get silver dollars from the bank. Freeze these inside some Kool-Aid. You will need a bowl or container that will fit in the freezer. Place one layer of Kool-Aid at a time with some silver dollars in it in the freezer. Keep adding new layers to get the coins in different places. This is sure to make the recipient laugh.

Hide the money with a bunch of other items so that the recipient has to hunt for it. For example, you could shred a bunch of green paper and put it in a shoe box. Hide the money among the pieces of shredded paper so that it isn't seen right away. The receiver will wonder what is going on until you tell her to look more closely. It will be fun for the other guests as they watch the honoree dig through all that paper. You can also place your money at the bottom of a tissue box. Place a bunch of tissues on top so that the recipient thinks you gave him a box of tissues. Tell him to look more closely and watch his face as he has to pull all of the tissues out of the box to get to the money.

If you are looking for a way to make your money pop, a jack-in-the-box is the way to go. Buy a jack-in-the-box and open it up by turning the crank. Begin stuffing your bills in the jack-in-the-box. You may want to roll them or fold them to get more in. Then carefully close the lid and wrap the jack-in-the-box in wrapping paper. Give the gift to your friend or family member and watch for the puzzled look on her face when she opens the gift. Encourage him to open the jack-in-the-box, and make sure you are ready to snap a picture when all of the money comes flying out.