HS Graduation Gift opinion needed

[Maddie2]

We have a little debate going on at our house. We have a son who will be graduating from high school next month and has received quite a few invitations already, with more to come. I would think by the time graduation rolls around, there will be 30 or so, possibly many more. We live in a small town and we've known most of these kids since kindergarten. No one spends a lot on gifts, other than family and really close friends. He wouldn't necessarily need to give gifts to all, but it is appropriate for him to take a gift if he attends their party/open house. It may not be that way where you live, but it is here.

I would guess he will attend 15-20 parties. Obviously, he cannot attend parties taking place during the same time period that his party will be held.

Without saying who(m) thinks one way or another (LOL), please tell me which you would rather get for a graduation gift (if you were a 17-18 boy or girl):

1) $10 cash

Pro: Cash is always nice, it can be combined with other cash gifts and a larger item may be purchased. Cash is flexible and is always the right fit and color.

Con: Cash is boring. Most people give cash. Cash is not memorable. It takes no creativity to give cash.

2) Small IKEA tool set:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00169254/

Pro: We have a couple of these and they are sturdy and really, quite nice. Nice little tool set kept all in one organized place. May not be appreciated right away, but is great to have when, for instance, you are in your first apartment and you need to hang a picture. Or maybe you bought a new desk at Walmart (or Ikea) and you need to assemble it. Then you think to yourself, "Oh yeah, I have that little handy dandy tool set that I got for graduation from The ______ Family back home. I'm so glad I have that!"

Con: Just not cool to get tools for high school graduation. What am I going to do with that? You can't put holes in dorm walls anyway.

If you'd like to read more pros, see Amazon reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Ikea-001-692-...1460238220&sr=8-1&keywords=ikea+tool+kit+fixa


Please vote for either "CASH" or "TOOLS".
TIA!

 

[msmama]

I love the tool set idea!!! I think that's great. I graduated from high school A LONG time ago and I remember the gifts people gave me more than the cash (I still have a blanket someone gave me).

For close friends though we exchanged pictures in frames or picture books, many of which I still have in storage (maybe not something boys would do as much).

 

[Neesy228]

I think I would just let your son decide what he would like to give his friends. He will have more of a handle on what would be more appreciated/wanted and he's going to be the one showing up to these gatherings with the gifts.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

At 17/18? Cash, hands down.

 

[jls886]

I would let your son decide what he would rather give as well. If not, I vote Cash. Remembering back to my high school graduation, I know I much preferred the cards that held cash than the others. I got a handful of things other than cash - books, picture frames, etc, and all i really wanted at that age was cash.

 

[Maddie2]

Just to clarify, we (DH and I) will be stopping by many of these parties too. DS will be with us for some, and others, he will stop by with friends. That may or may not have any bearing.

 

[wasnotafan]

Tool kit. I'm getting my nephew a highway emergency kit for his graduation. I still have the manicure set I got many decades ago and can tell you who I got it from. Cash not so much.

 

[powellrj]

If you and DH go to the party, take a gift, if just DS goes, no gift is needed. I have had 3 graduate and none of the kids brought gifts for each other. I would go with cash. Something that was suggested a few years ago was to give the year as your check amount. Ex this year you would give $20.16. I started doing this and it seems to work out well.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I got a tool kit as a graduation gift from one of my best friends and her family. I thought it was such a cool and unique gift. It was one of the best gifts that I received. Honestly, it is one of the only gifts I still remember. It came in very handy many times during college and I still have it to this day. So I vote tool kit.

 

[Narnia_girl]

I can see why you are debating--both are good ideas. Lots of people will give the kids cash, so a tool kit is a creative, useful alternative that will stand out.
If you do decide on cash, there are lots of clever ways to present it so it's not so boring. Check out Pinterest.

 

[Sadie22]

An $8 tool kit from Ikea, no way.

 

[Maddie2]

If you and DH go to the party, take a gift, if just DS goes, no gift is needed. I have had 3 graduate and none of the kids brought gifts for each other. I would go with cash. Something that was suggested a few years ago was to give the year as your check amount. Ex this year you would give $20.16. I started doing this and it seems to work out well.

Thanks for your thoughts, but, yes, the kids do bring gifts to each other. As mentioned above, that may not be how they do it where you live, but it is this way where we live. This is not our first graduate. I like the $20.16 check and in 2013, our other son rec'd some $20.13 checks. Fun idea. However, when we are giving so many gifts, we (most families) stay in the $10 range. The $20 and up range is for kids you are closer to.

 

[Maddie2]

An $8 tool kit from Ikea, no way.

Surprisingly, these are good little tool sets! My kids each have one and they use them a lot. I was skeptical too, being IKEA, but, yes really, they are good basic sets.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I would go with cash or a gift card to somewhere like Subway or another chain restaurant (kids love cash and food!). You could always use a place like Swagbucks to get some free $10 gift cards which would offset the amount you have to spend. I signed up March 1st with Swagbucks and cashed out $55 in gift cards my first month. If you hop in the SB thread you'll get lots of tips of how the points can add up fast

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Tool kit. I'm getting my nephew a highway emergency kit for his graduation. I still have the manicure set I got many decades ago and can tell you who I got it from. Cash not so much.

I agree. Tool kit.

I cannot tell you who gave me cash. But gifts? That I remember.

My husband said that the tool set is a good one for the car.

 

[damskipi13]

My first inclination is to let your kid choose. If he doesn't want to choose, I think either is good but I will say that when I was in college I asked for a tool set from my mom for my birthday. She thought I was NUTS. Well, 14 years later I'm still using the same tool set and I love it! It may seem like a goofy gift at the time, but it's super handy and important for people starting out on their own.

 

[jen73]

Cash is king! I vote for cash.

 

[Hikergirl]

I don't care if a gift I get means they will remember me for giving it to them, I only care if they use the gift. I would give cash or a gift card to a fastfood place. I know that is what my teens love and are always happy to receive.

 

[unrequited23]

Where I live the kids exchanged gifts at graduation. Everything was around the $10 range, but was more personalized to the individual/related to inside jokes. Books, travel mugs, favorite candy or framed photos were big hits. Gifts from parents/grown up family friend tended to be cash, rolls of quarters for laundry/vending, or stamps. I know someone who got 100 packs of ramen as a gift.

 

[js]

Cash is king! I vote for cash.

I was going to say my ds-18 who will be graduating from HS in June says hhe same thing. I also have a 22-dd and she would also want cash.

The kids will need cash for gas, college incidentials, summer fun. My vote is cash.