How Much Cash Should I Give For An Anniversary Gift?

An invitation to an anniversary party does not imply than an anniversary gift is expected, but people generally give a gift unless the couple explicitly states they do not want gifts. Anniversaries have traditional gifts based on the number of years the couple has been married. For example, paper is the traditional 1st anniversary gift and silver is the 25th anniversary gift.

If you are unsure of what to give or don’t want to follow the traditional gift guidelines, it is okay to give cash for an anniversary gift unless the gift is to your spouse. If you do decide to give cash for an anniversary gift, here are some tips on gifting cash.

How much cash should I give?

Deciding how much cash to give as a gift is difficult. You want to give a nice gift that is within your budget, but not appear stingy. The good news is that an anniversary party is not like a wedding, where the amount of your gift is expected to correlate with the amount of your salary.

If you are attending an anniversary party at a fancy reception hall or you are close to the family celebrating, $100 is an appropriate amount for a gift. Otherwise $50 is a good general guideline for a cash gift. But don’t feel that you can only give $50 or $100. There are no strict rules on how much to give for cash gifts. Give what you want to give and can afford to give.

Cash or a Gift Card

Gift cards are popular.  One question that often comes up is if it is better to give cash or to give a gift card. Logically, cash is better than a gift card because the gift card limits where you can spend it unless you give then a Visa or Mastercard gift card.  These kinds of gift card are accepted anywhere Visa or Mastercard are accepted.  They often have a ton of nice anniversary designs to choose from. 

Psychologically, a gift card is a better gift than cash. It gives us an excuse to splurge. We often feel guilty about splurging on items for ourselves. If you receive a gift card from a specialty store, you have no choice but to use that card to buy something for yourself so the gift card is not wasted.

Creative Ways to Give Cash

Putting cash in an envelope with a card is not the only way to make a cash gift. There are many creative ways to give a gift of cash. You can fold the bills into leaves and make a money tree. You can create an origami rose using bills instead of paper. And, 50 silver coins wrapped in gold foil make a great 50th anniversary gift.

Etiquette For Receiving Cash

Receiving cash as a gift requires the same etiquette as receiving any other gift. You should send a handwritten thank you note for the gift. It’s easier to send an email or text, but that is too impersonal. A handwritten note is the best way to express gratitude for a gift.

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