Giving Money as a Gift Can be Less Awkward

Contributed by Tina Relampagos

There are only a few times we get money as gifts – when the aunt hands us a few bucks to make up for the time she didn’t spend with us, and when the boss gives you a bonus even if you thought the company didn’t have money. It isn’t really comfortable to give money as a gift. It’s not an everyday thing to go, “Oh Happy Birthday Karl, here’s PhP200, have a good one!” It just seems too passive for a gift, when giving gifts is a very personal and selfless gesture. But the thing is, we’ve got it all wrong the whole time. There are loads of reasons why money is a preferable gift to give.

TIME magazine quotes economist Joel Waldfogel, author of Scroogenomics. He explains that we buy things for ourselves that are “worth more to us (or at least equal) than the dollar figure on the price tag.” But on gift giving season, like Christmas or any other occasion, this changes. Most of the time, we have to guess what people would like to receive. We’re lucky if we have a good clue on what they want. So an item that costs us PhP1,000 doesn’t have the same value to them, if they have a value to them at all. Money solves this – it gives the recipient the opportunity to get something, trivial or otherwise, that has more value to him. You might say, “well what’s PhP200 or PhP100, it’s the thought that counts anyway.” I think it’s better to think that no matter what the gift cost you, it served a meaningful purpose to the recipient.

In fact, Millennials prefer cash as wedding gifts. New York Times spoke to several wedding planners and specialists in different cities, and they noticed that guests have substituted registry gifts with envelopes of cash. Some couples openly indicate in their printed and digital invites that they would rather gifts in cash. Couples usually pool the money for a honeymoon they really wanted, and could not have gone to on their own finances, or use it to top up on a home they always dreamed of. Jason Dorsey at the Center for Generational Kinetics in Austin, Texas put it simply that this generation are inclined towards experiences than material possessions. While there are several varying opinions on the etiquette of giving money as gifts, it helps if the couple are honest about how they want to receive the gift of money.

We, at Gifted.PH, are strong believers that the best gift is the gift of choice, so it came naturally for us to offer the gift of money in our website. We envisioned it as a way of being part of someone’s goals. Everyone has a milestone they’re or preparing for. Everyone has a type of success trophy in mind. Some of us painstakingly save every spare peso for it, while others lock their eyes on that big break. Giving money as a gift is a way for anyone to be part of that. It is a way to encourage them to keep going. It is our way of turning your thoughtfulness into someone’s dream. It could be a little add-on so the bride-to-be can get her ideal wedding gown. It could be as precious as the fresh graduate’s pocket money to his summer trip to Japan. A modest reward that she can spend however she wants because she finally bagged that promotion. A small contribution to the birthday boy’s dream car. Even a sweet gesture to cover her allowance for the day because she’s been such a good student.

Being part of someone’s day and dreams starts with a click of a button.

Select the amount you had in mind and click Send as Gift. Choose a thoughtful greeting card, personalize a message and say what you thought they could use the gift of money for. Go ahead and checkout to secure the gift and you’re done!

You don’t have to bother asking about their bank details, because that really spoils the fun. They will receive the gift through email or mailing address. This will instruct them to go to Redeem a Gift link where they enter their bank details themselves. Gifted.PH will take care of depositing your gift to their bank account. Just imagine getting one yourself. It is the type of treat that tickles you in the inside.

Money as gift is not taboo, it is a meaningful way to be thoughtful that the recipient can make use to things and experiences that are and will be valuable to them. Don’t have second thoughts about it, give it a go! We promise you, it will be the best gift that will give them a smile.