graduation-what is the goint rate?

[luckyboy]

What is the going rate for a graduation gift of money. We have 2- one for
a family member (neice) and one for a friend of the family. In Ohio.

 

[maddiesmom0116]

What is the going rate for a graduation gift of money. We have 2- one for
a family member (neice) and one for a friend of the family. In Ohio.

My niece just graduated (Central IN) and I gave her $150 and I am furnishing her dorm room with essentials, but we are very close and her other aunts/uncles gave her $100. Most family friends did either $50 or $25 depends on how good of friends they were. I hope this helps.

 

[luckyboy]

Thanks-it does-just want to be sure we are giving the right amount.
It has been awhile since we went to a graduation!

 

[dislal]

I just went to a graduation party on Saturday for a boy who I'm not very close to (I graduated high school with his mom and we still talk every few months) and I gave him $25. So I guess it would depend on how close I was with the person. I am in PA very very close to OH.

 

[Melynny]

Glad we were right in line too, we just had 2 great neices graduate, and both of them got 25.00 gift cards to Walmart.. cute little graduation gift cards too. I was really struggling with the amount.. or even if we should just send a card, since both of these are distant and one we have not seen in a couple of years. Thanks for the posts!

 

[kldmom2000]

I have 2 high school graduations this weekend.... I'm giving my godson $100 and my best friend's DD $50.

 

[Swimalie]

This is a good thread for me to read. My husband's niece graduated HS about 3 weeks ago. I bought a card for him to send and he hasn't sent anything yet. He'll probably send cash but I wouldn't know how much to advise him to send. We're not close. He only talks to his sister once every 3 or 4 years, when we drive 13 hours to see his mom. So I'm thinking $25.

 

[Darcy03231]

Friends, depending on how close - $25-$50
Family, depending on how close - $50-$100

 

[rockiesfan]

I'm glad to see these numbers, too. I just sent $50 to my cousin's daughter who we see every few years.

My friend whose twins graduated a few years ago goes to a ton of graduation parties, many for kids who she barely knows (neighborhood kids, kids of work friends, etc). This year she is giving $20.10 because it's 2010, last year gave $20.09, etc. It's a way to make the amount fun but keep it reasonable. I adopted this idea last year when we were invited to two parties for kids I'd never even met, but we knew their parents.

 

[tink774]

I just graduated from college last month, and the average monetary gift was $25. That's a great amount to me and any gift is very generous!

 

[Princess Nancy]

I just graduated from college last month, and the average monetary gift was $25. That's a great amount to me and any gift is very generous!

What a nice young adult you are! your parents must be proud!!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I usually give $50 - $100 savings bonds. They take time to mature, but so does a high school graduate

 

[mickeylove2]

My younger cousin just graduated and we are really close. I got her a $30 Glass Baron piece, an $8 Spiritual Guidance for Young Women book, a $2 card, 4 movie theatre vouchers that I paid $7 a piece for, various $5 and $10 GCs to Walmart, Sunoco, Royal Farms, Wawa, McDonalds, Subway, B & N, Amazon, Old Navy/Gap, BK, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Target, KMart, NY and Co., a $50 GC to the college she will be attending, and a $50 Visa GC. I will be putting them in a nice Vera Bradley Wallet. So all in all I will have spent about $325 on her. I have been picking up the GCs here and there so it's not a large chunck all at once. Give what you feel comfortable giving.

 

[RadioFanatic]

So I have one for you - I have four second cousins with their party together the same day. I am lucky if I see them once a year if at all. How much would you give each?

 

[Kika]

Friends, depending on how close - $25-$50
Family, depending on how close - $50-$100

I think this sounds like a good rule of thumb.

 

[TheRatPack]

I think it kind of depends on situations surrounding the graduate too. We have had some friends/family graduate and immediately get married, have babies...etc. If the graduate is getting married within weeks of the graduation I try and take that in to account when giving monetary gifts for graduation, knowing that I'll soon be also asked for gifts for a shower, wedding, baby shower, house warming...etc.

We usually give 50.00 to 100.00 for graduates, usually 50.00 when I know other life events for the graduate are coming up.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

DD just graduated a few weeks ago and she received:

Over $100.00 from Grandparent/Godparents
$50.00 - $100.00 from family; Aunts, Uncles, etc.
$25.00 - $50.00 from friends and friends of family

We did not do a party, just a dinner after her ceremony if that makes a difference.

 

[lori123]

Hmmm - we have two graduates to send cards too - I was sending them $20 each - now I feel cheap!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Hmmm - we have two graduates to send cards too - I was sending them $20 each - now I feel cheap!

that's the amount I was thinking of for my four second cousins.

 

[Darcy03231]

Hmmm - we have two graduates to send cards too - I was sending them $20 each - now I feel cheap!

Don't feel cheap. Give what you can afford. My children have been very appreciative of whatever someone gave them.

While I posted that we give $25-$50 for friends and $50-$100 for family, there was one year that we had 11 graduates among family and friends. I cut back to $20 for the friends and $30 for the family that year.