The graduation month(s) is fast approaching. What graduation gifts(s) your kids have enjoyed/liked the most for HS/undergrad/graduate schools?
My oldest asked for $$, my youngest doesn’t have a preference. And, we always give gifts to their friends too.
Money. Because that can be used for anything and anywhere. When we give a cash gift like this, we usually put it in a small wallet or coin purse thing. Makes a nice gift.
Money.
You can use it anywhere, and if one wants a larger priced item, can pool the graduation monies received to purchase it.
I personally dislike gift cards, and know many who feel the same. Whereas, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t pleased with a cash gift.
My D graduated in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and it was too overwhelming to think of something super special in the midst of all the tragedy. So I gave her cash and a token gift of cute but cheap earrings from the pharmacy. She still wears them.
My son is graduating this weekend and gets the same: money and a token gift. Not exciting, but I don’t want to make his graduation into a huge deal when she got almost nothing. He is having a graduation party though.
For their respective undergraduate graduations, my wife and I gave each of our children the automobile that we had provided to them for use during the last two years of their undergrad schooling. We transferred the titles to them right after they got their respective diplomas: for one child, we also paid for the first 6 months of auto insurance; the other child ended up taking a job in a larger urban area where an automobile would not be needed, so we helped get the car sold, and this provided some “seed money” for starting life in the Big City.
I agree 100% with the money. Checks are definitely better than gift cards.
I can’t remember exactly what we gave my 2020 grad. But we didn’t do much at the time for obvious reasons. I think H got him a watch, and then some cash, and then we helped him set up his apartment. Paid for 1/2 his bedroom furniture, and gave him his almost new mattress, our old kitchen table/chairs, and my in-laws’ TV stand. And then a few Target runs for bathroom stuff… oh and a toolbox (with tools)! Very useful. His school had a graduation event 18 months after the fact. For that, we just bought a cookie cake and met my parents about 1/2 hour away in a park…
2023 graduates this week. He doesn’t have a carry-on suitcase, so we got him a pretty nice one (for us Walmart shoppers). But, he isn’t moving into an apartment for awhile. He’s starting off living with GF’s family until they know better what kind of funds she’ll have. So, I just made a pretty card with an “IOU” for an amount roughly equivalent to his brother. When it comes time to get stuff, I’ll just have him charge it to my card where he’s an authorized user.
Now for the party… since we are doing it with GF’s family, it’s much more involved now. 17 people! They are taking care of the food (thank god. Nobody wants me to cook), but I am making a cake & cupcakes. And bought the decorations, plates & stuff, and chips/drinks.
We seeded a Roth IRA
I gave my daughter and her BF checks to pay for TSA Pre check. She got hers right away but he waited a couple of years - until one too many trips where she said “I’ll meet you at the gate” as she zipped through security.
Or they could have gotten Global Entry for $15 more (they don’t travel internationally that much).
That, a suitcase, some other travel accessories if you want a ‘theme’ gift.
I’d have to ask my kids
A while ago my daughter asked for a graduation present - a totally analog wind up wristwatch with a classic leather band, and I discovered that timex has reissued their classic 1961 analog watch. I am also pulling together a classic set of “college ready” gifts: hardback Roget’s and a hardback Webster’s (family tradition), a set of excellent notebooks, a high quality mechanical pencil for note-taking, and some good brass scientific drawing templates. And there is … tuition.
We gave both of our kids the gift of paying off any Direct Loans they took out in undergrad school. That was a gift that certainly helped them both. The cost of paying off those loans was a drop in the bucket compared to undergrad college costs.
DD asked to take the train from CA to the east coast. That was her actual graduation “present”. A sleeper car for the trip. She had a great time.
DS wanted cash and that’s what he got.