Should You Give Children Cash For Christmas?
One of our readers, TStrump, left this comment:
My nephew is 12-yrs old and he is already asking for cash as gifts – Christmas, birthdays – all the time. I’m concerned he is learning the wrong things about money, already.
Not sure how to deal with this … basically, when he asks, I just say NO.
I thought that was such a wonderful comment. What do you do when a child asks you for money as a present?
Do you think it’s a reflection of greed? As in “Nothing you could me would be what I want, and at least if you give me money I can what I really want?”
It takes all the thought that went into your gift and throws it right out the window. At least from my point of view. Still, I know some people do not mind and are happy to give cash to adults and children.
Personally, I don’t because I always end up spending far more than I normally would if I give a person cash. When I shop for normal items I take my time, and usually try to get them on clearance, or at least with a discount. With cash, the person suddenly knows how much the gift cost, and that can be judged very quickly.
I don’t give gift cards for that reason either. I would rather put my time and caring into picking out a gift that I hope the person will love! Still though. Ever Christmas my grandmother gives me an envelope with cash, and I always look forward to it! So it’s a double edged issue for me.
What do you think? Would you rather receive cash as a gift for Christmas? Do you give cash presents to others? Tell me about it below? I would love to know what you think!
There were some excellent articles this week around the blog-o-sphere, and I wanted to share the best ones with you. I hope you find a few here that you enjoy!
‘Tis The Season:
- Being Frugal came up with 50 Frugal Christmas Ideas! This gets my pick of the day – don’t miss it!
- Prime Time Money has 5 Gifts That Will Bring Your Family Together This Christmas. I loved these ideas!
- Money Ning has Frugal Activities for the Christmas Holiday Month of December
- The Simple Dollar talks about The Expensive Ups and Downs of Christmas.
- Get Rich Slowly has their Personal-Finance Gift Guide for 2008 up. Lost of great pf books on this list!
Economic Musings:
- Four Pillars has some musings on The Great American Car Company Bailout
- Five Cent Nickel has a wonderful article on the Income Tax Breaks in the Bailout Bill
- Money Smart Life has an article on how to Save Money at Restaurants – Tips for Spending Less When Eating Out.
- The Financial Philosopher has an article on the state of investments next year called “Nary Quite Contrary… 2009” I’ve you’ve never given Kent’s blog a visit, be sure to check it out!
- The Smart Spending Blog says yes, Wal-Mart really is that huge
Assorted Sundries and Deals:
- Money Saving Methods has several can’t miss deals like the NEW $50 Sharebuilder Bonus and how to get a free Entertainment book.
- Gather Little by Little wonders, “What’s the Dillyeo?” Dillyeo is a new deal linker where you can find some great bargains!
- Taking Charge gives us the lowdown on a new service in “Give Real unveils drinking 2.0“. This isn’t a freebie so much as a neat way to your long-distance friends and family a drink!
Carnivals, Festivals, and Celebrations:
- Carnival of Personal Finance #182 – Don’t Go Broke Over The Holidays Edition @ Free From Broke
- 42nd money hacks carnival: laid-off and freelancing edition @ The Financial Wellness Project
- Festival of Frugality #155: The Chic-Tacky Christmas Edition @ Greener Pastures
- Carnival of Money Stories Edition No. 88 @ The Dough Roller
- Carnival of Debt Reduction #169 @ Four Pillars
That’s it for this weekend’s link roundup! If you’re new here we’d like to invite you to pick up our RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by!
