Page 2 | Money instead of gift

Jackster11 · 2022-12-20T14:55:12+00:00

What is your view on giving money instead of having a present to actually unwrap on Christmas Day? I have a godson who is 14 and he has an older brother who is 16 the mother has suggested that cash is better than presents how much cash should I put in a card?

Oblomov22 · 20/12/2022 18:10

All Dh's family do cash in a card, or a chq. My boys love it!

Sugarfree23 · 20/12/2022 19:33

I'd give cash rather than voucher. A huge percentage of vouchers are never used

mondaytosunday · 20/12/2022 21:06

No vouchers! Cash is king! My son would be totally happy with cash. He can save it or spend it on what HE wants, and that isn't anything from Costa/Wilko (Iceland? How weird).

jocktamsonsbairn · 20/12/2022 22:22

caringcarer · 20/12/2022 15:05

Whatever you do don't give vouchers. My child given love to shop vouchers but they are useless to him and he does not use any of the shops they can be spent in and neither do we. He has £60 vouchers just expired as could not use. He would use Amazon vouchers but for some reason he always get given these useless love to shop. We have told sender he can't use them. We have asked they stop sending them but I see he has received another £10 in a Xmas card. I would send a cheque and let them choose what to spend it on or put money directly into their bank account.

Yup! My XH has sent DC love to shop vouchers the last few years. I have had to buy them off them as they don't want anything in places like Iceland... It was the paper vouchers too so couldn't use them online for shops they might have used (none in to near us). Strongly suspect they were bonus vouchers from his work given out to employees. He earns a bloody fortune too!!
So yep cash is King! £20 and a selection box will make them happy!

BarbaraofSeville · 21/12/2022 07:00

I find it hard to believe that, unless you live somewhere very remote, that people cannot manage to shop in (from Love 2 Shop website):

'Argos, Boots, Matalan, River Island, TK Maxx, Peacocks, New Look, Schuh, Heron Foods, HMV, Go Outdoors, Waterstones, H Samuel, WH Smith, Pizza Express, The Perfume Shop, Halfords, Iceland, Wilko, Home Sense, Foot Locker, iFLY, Ernest Jones, The Works, American Golf and The Food Warehouse'

Surely you'd just buy food from Heron or Iceland/Food Warehouse, or cleaning products/toiletries etc from Wilko rather than let the money go to waste? Then use the money freed up to buy an actual gift from anywhere?

But I would caution against giving vouchers for individual shops/restaurant chains, because if they go bust, you've lost the money. A lot of the chain restaurants have been propped up for years by cheap debt and it's going to be a rocky time ahead for the likes of Pizza Express facing the perfect storm of increased interest rates, increased cost of utilities/NMW/ingredients in a climate when people are having to cut back on eating out due to reduced disposable incomes.

I've given my teenage nephews and nieces £20 in a card, along with a box of nice biscuits for the family. They're all already mentally spending the money over the Christmas holidays that they'll receive from me and other relatives.

theswoot · 21/12/2022 07:03

I have given teen nephew £30, which was our budget for him. I would love to give him something to open, particularly as his brother (who is much younger) has a wrapped gift, but at the same time I would rather he be able to have exactly what he wants. I’m not going to impose my attempt at “cool” choices on him!

Lampzade · 21/12/2022 07:06

Cash along with some sweets, chocolates etc

GiltEdges · 21/12/2022 07:09

caringcarer · 20/12/2022 15:05

Whatever you do don't give vouchers. My child given love to shop vouchers but they are useless to him and he does not use any of the shops they can be spent in and neither do we. He has £60 vouchers just expired as could not use. He would use Amazon vouchers but for some reason he always get given these useless love to shop. We have told sender he can't use them. We have asked they stop sending them but I see he has received another £10 in a Xmas card. I would send a cheque and let them choose what to spend it on or put money directly into their bank account.

That’s just ridiculously wasteful. Of course you could have found something to buy with them.

lightisnotwhite · 21/12/2022 07:39

I find it hard to believe that, unless you live somewhere very remote, that people cannot manage to shop in (from Love 2 Shop website):

'Argos, Boots, Matalan, River Island, TK Maxx, Peacocks, New Look, Schuh, Heron Foods, HMV, Go Outdoors, Waterstones, H Samuel, WH Smith, Pizza Express, The Perfume Shop, Halfords, Iceland, Wilko, Home Sense, Foot Locker, iFLY, Ernest Jones, The Works, American Golf and The Food Warehouse'

I live in a bustling market town an hour from London and we only have Pizza Express from that list!
I could go to the nearest city but the it’s time money and effort just for the sake of using a voucher. £20 isn’t enough for most big items and smaller items like a couple of books, means there is always a few quid left unused. Who has the energy to remember £1.60 left on a card.
I’ve told the person that sends them that it’s tricky but she still insists everyone uses Argos ( despite you needing to order and pay online requiring the value to be less than the voucher as they don’t accept two payment methods).
Thanks to this site I now use them to buy a stores own gift voucher which are more user friendly. And give the money to the teen instead.

MamaSharkington · 21/12/2022 07:42

I find this so weird. Cash literally is a voucher. The ultimate voucher. It's not a "good", it's a promissory note - a voucher....

In other cultures, cash literally is the thing to give, not gifts (see e.g. fitrana given at eid ul fitr). I actually think it's better.

Loving the calls for a selection box or bar of Choc alongside.

ChristmasGifts2022 · 21/12/2022 07:47

My dad gives Universal Vouchers and the grandkids are always grateful

Universal Vouchers are also known as Sterling GBP notes aka cash!

mam0918 · 21/12/2022 11:42

caringcarer · 20/12/2022 15:05

Whatever you do don't give vouchers. My child given love to shop vouchers but they are useless to him and he does not use any of the shops they can be spent in and neither do we. He has £60 vouchers just expired as could not use. He would use Amazon vouchers but for some reason he always get given these useless love to shop. We have told sender he can't use them. We have asked they stop sending them but I see he has received another £10 in a Xmas card. I would send a cheque and let them choose what to spend it on or put money directly into their bank account.

I dont like vouchers in general as a gift but Im genuinely baffled by your proclaimation that you do not use ANY of the love to shop retailers (theres over 100 in all different types from theme parks to resteraunts to sports shops to supermarkets to school suplies to fashion clothes etc...) and could NOT use them at all.

I mean most big name retailers are listed as love to shop voucher affiliates, could you really never use Argos, Boots, WHSmith, Iceland, New look, Wilko, Matalan, River Island, Clarks, Schuh, Pizza express, HMV, The works, TK maxx, Waterstones etc...

mam0918 · 21/12/2022 11:48

lightisnotwhite · 21/12/2022 07:39

I find it hard to believe that, unless you live somewhere very remote, that people cannot manage to shop in (from Love 2 Shop website):

'Argos, Boots, Matalan, River Island, TK Maxx, Peacocks, New Look, Schuh, Heron Foods, HMV, Go Outdoors, Waterstones, H Samuel, WH Smith, Pizza Express, The Perfume Shop, Halfords, Iceland, Wilko, Home Sense, Foot Locker, iFLY, Ernest Jones, The Works, American Golf and The Food Warehouse'

I live in a bustling market town an hour from London and we only have Pizza Express from that list!
I could go to the nearest city but the it’s time money and effort just for the sake of using a voucher. £20 isn’t enough for most big items and smaller items like a couple of books, means there is always a few quid left unused. Who has the energy to remember £1.60 left on a card.
I’ve told the person that sends them that it’s tricky but she still insists everyone uses Argos ( despite you needing to order and pay online requiring the value to be less than the voucher as they don’t accept two payment methods).
Thanks to this site I now use them to buy a stores own gift voucher which are more user friendly. And give the money to the teen instead.

eh, I live pretty rurally in the North in the bloody mountains and could get to 90% of that list within a 30 minute drive which is pretty easy and local.

What your basically saying is you would rather waste £60 than put in any effort but the confusion is that you MUST require some of these stores at some point so its not really effort... so what your saying is you 'forget' which I agree is the shitty thing about vouchers (I forget too) but its not that you CAN'T use them.

Fairyliz · 21/12/2022 12:56

My loved cash as teenagers. They then went out after Christmas and spent it all in the sales.