For child of close friend? Northeast?
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We have good friends who gave my kid $300 ( Kid told us amount. I think that’s too much). Most friends and family gave about $100-250. I honestly didn’t ask about amounts, but I think it can be any amount. For me, it’s should be based more on what someone can afford and feels comfortable doing.
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I don’t know if it matters if it’s the northeast or not but I typically give $100.00
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Thank you! I didn’t know if region mattered because I found it varied a lot when it came to asking around about gifting at weddings in past. I was thinking $100 as well. Two kids so $100 each. Just wanted to get a sanity check! Thank you both!
When I graduated (years ago!) someone gave me $50 and it was considered exorbitant at the time. Most people gave $10-20 at the time.
I think $50-100 nowadays sounds about right.
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Mine just graduated in May. She got $40, $50, $60, $100 from friends. From relatives she got more. She was happy for all of it and didn’t look at the $40 as being too little. The $100 was very generous. Only one friend who is so close they are almost like relatives gave that much. We are in North Carolina.
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I do $50-$75 depending on how close we are.
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$100 for a child of a close friend.
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$100 is typical here in New Jersey.
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We gave our niece $200. She drives a 1967 truck and our gas prices are ridiculous! We figured she’d use that up in gas with one tank.
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I usually find gift cards for popular student restaurants in the college town where they will be living. For a non family member, I usually give a couple of $25 GC.
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$0 for my kids. We didn’t promote their graduations, so no friends sent anything. They got cards from their grandparents and a dinner from us.
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We gave a $100 gift card for the gas station up the corner from where the graduate lives. Kid is our friend’s kid, and it was more a token than a “gift” we did the same for our nephews when they graduated, but it was $200, and then, that went a long way. Either way it was an appreciated gift.
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I typically do $100 for high school, $150 for college, but approximately $50 to $100 more if it’s a niece/nephew. This is for close friends’ kids. For less close kids, $50. Graduations seem to run me almost $2000 a year at these rates. We have a lot of relatives and a lot of close friends in these age brackets ;-).
That seemed like what my kids received, so I thought it was appropriate. But my son just received $500 for college graduation from a good friend, which freaked me out. Too much! I don’t want to get into doing that much, but now I feel funny. Am I too cheap? And do I need to reciprocate with that friend’s kids? But why give more to that family than to other families who we love just as much? So complicated, it gives me a headache.
Overall, of course I believe you should give what you can afford and that you have pleasure in giving, knowing the kid will really appreciate your gift!
Mine didn’t get anything either, we didn’t invite anyone. Just a nice dinner to celebrate the graduation. Not sure if we gave them any money either.
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I usually give $50 or $100 for high school graduation depending on how close I am to the family or graduate. I recently spent $150 on an actual gift for a dear friend’s son.
We did send high school graduation announcements. We did NOT send announcements for college commencement.
I have one friend with three children who sent for high school, college, and grad school for all of her children. Two of the three went to grad school, so we received eight announcements over the years. I finally shifted to only giving cards for the grad school graduations. I think it’s fine to share your joy, but it starts feeling like a gift grab to me.
I’m an only and I have an only. When you have people that have three or four kids who send announcements for all, and you only have one, it really can start to feel a bit unfair over the years. My mom had felt this way, but I didn’t really get it until I also had an only. Same for weddings. The differential on what one expends over the years to families with multiple kids compared to what a family of an only receives over the years can really add up. I always felt like my mom was kind of petty about that until I also wound up the parent of an only and was on the other side of that equation. I’m sure I’m going to get flamed for feeling this was and viewing gift-giving as transactional.
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Interesting, I thought this was for a graduation party. Most do not send graduation announcements here, it wouldn’t even occur to me to send a check just because I received one (and I live in the middle of cover your plate territory). High school graduation is not a huge accomplishment for most.
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There is no obligation to send a gift for an announcement. I only give a gift if I am invited to a party.
I send announcements to the same people on my Xmas card list. I don’t expect a Xmas gift from anyone that gets a card from me.
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My kids would have been horrified to have a graduation party where adults were invited, though of the three one of them might have endured it if we told them people would likely bring cash. The other two probably still wouldn’t have.
I can’t recall hearing others doing that either around here, though I’m sure there must be exceptions.
My daughter just graduated and (as far as I know) did not receive any money. She certainly didn’t get anything from me. Her grandparents took her out to dinner to celebrate.
When I was a teacher at an independent school, I’d give a book to my advisees or every once in awhile a $50-75 gift card to an advisee who was on significant financial aid and I knew could desperately use the money for dorm furnishings or other startup expenses. But other than gifts to advisees, I have never given anything, I don’t think.
On the other hand, I haven’t been invited to any parties and until reading this thread, I didn’t know graduation announcements were a thing. I don’t recall receiving any announcement from family friends.
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