How much do you usually spend on a wedding gift?

[ScrimpAndSave]

Is there a certain set amount that people usually give? Does it depend on your ow budget?

[Gruntina]

Originally Posted by ScrimpAndSave

Is there a certain set amount that people usually give? Does it depend on your ow budget?

Both!

I would spend more on intermediate family and close friends than on mere acquaintances.

However, it does depend where I stand financially at the time of the wedding if I am doing well, or if I became a sahm, lost of job and such. Life is one big rollercoaster ride so it just depends.

I also do not share intimate financial details with family and friends so my advice is not to judge the gifts anyone brings because you may not know what really is going on inside of their life when everything appears dandy.

[disneysteve]

It depends, but our standard is $100. We'll give more for someone we are particularly close to. And we may give less for someone we aren't all that close to, but we usually cheat in that case and give a gift that retails for about $100 that we are able to get for less than that. We'll pull the registry but then buy the gift at an outlet store or online for less.

[cooliemae]

I would say that $100 is the usual amount my fiance and I give , but we might go bigger for closer friends and family.

[PrincessPerky]

We must be cheap...20 is standard, goes up if we like you a lot. (though not if I helped with wedding expenses)

And that 20 is rather standard gift received at our wedding (more from close relatives, less from some)

Course we were married in a small town of PA, in a small wedding, and all the weddings we have attended were similar.

[stressedmama]

PrincessPerky I'm with you. We typically spend 25 - 30, unless it is a really close family member then it is a lot more. Plus I usually get invited to bridal showers which I spend another $25 - 30. There is no way we could afford $100.

[disneysteve]

Just to clarify, I'm talking about per couple, not per person. If I was single, I'd give $50. The $100 is from the both of us.

[DebbieL]

I don't go to many weddings. In the past I would say anywhere from about $40-$60. I usually just give cash. If I were to go to one now it would probably be about $50.

[disneysteve]

PrincessPerky and stressedmama - I'm curious what the typical gifts are in your area for lesser occasions if weddings only warrant $20-$25. What do you give for a kid's birthday, a graduation, a communion, a baby shower, etc. Is $20 a standard gift regardless of the occasion?

[DebbieL]

Well, I know for me personally I try to keep presents for kids birthday parties to about the $10 mark. When my daughter was in the younger grades it would have gotten quite expensive to spend any more than that. Now that she’s 15 she really only does a birthday with a couple close friends, so I would be willing to go $20-25-ish.

[pearlieq]

The "going rate" was about $50/couple when DH and I got married several years ago. It's now inching closer to $75/couple being the norm.

[kilcher]

I've only been to two weddings (not including my own) since I was little. One was for my brother and I gave them $300. For anyone other than close family I think we'd probably spend $30-50 depending on whether they were a friend, co-worker, etc.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

$100 from DH and I. It really depends on where you live.

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

PrincessPerky and stressedmama - I'm curious what the typical gifts are in your area for lesser occasions if weddings only warrant $20-$25. What do you give for a kid's birthday, a graduation, a communion, a baby shower, etc. Is $20 a standard gift regardless of the occasion?

10..less if possible (I go for free if I can, regifting and such), more if close family (God child and the like)

20 for graduation if I can swing it though. (figure that is a time of starting new life, like marriage needs a bit of help IMO)

Actually our own children's parties come with a 'please no presents' note. Birthdays are for fun and celebration, not stuff. And Christmas is only exchanged with family if possible...nothing against buying presents (I like to actually) just A. not in budget, and B. just how many toys does one kid need anyway? and for the adults, how many knick-nacks can one dust?

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

for the adults, how many knick-nacks can one dust?

I agree. As I've gotten older, I've moved more toward "experience" type gifts rather than things. We may give a restaurant gift certificate, a nice bottle of wine, a magazine subscription, etc. Things that the people will enjoy but don't take up space. (I'm referring to birthdays and holidays, not weddings). I like to get the same type of gifts. A couple of years, for example, my mom has given us Broadway show tickets for our anniversary.

[rupeeman]

yea it really depends on the budget but these moments come one's in a year so noone can control their feelings...so don't worry at all enjoy these memorable bits and let's have control on other expenses...

[stressedmama]

We typically spend about $10 - $15 on a young kid's birthday party gift, $25 for high school graduation for nonfamily, for our close family we give $100 for high school graduation (a little more for college graduation), $25 baby shower gift (a little more for closer friends or family members) and we will bring dinner to them after the baby is born, $15 gift (usually a little baby outfit and toy for older brother/sister) for second kid along with a dinner after the baby is born. After going to tons of weddings, baby showers, and kids birthday parties, I think we give about what most people give around here (at least those that we associate with). We might be a little on the lower end for a wedding gift, but that's what our budget allows for right now.

I find that bringing a meal after a baby is born and giving moms/dads a couple of hours of free babysitting is usually more appreciated then the gifts.

[eisor]

We try to keep wedding gifts at a low cost. Sadly, the gift kind of depends on how far we traveled for the wedding. If it is a local wedding, we can usually afford $50-75. But if we have to pay travel expenses, we can't afford as much. We are heading to a wedding memorial weekend and I spent $1 of my own money on the gift. I pulled their registry from Target, then price matched it at Sears and used a leftover Sears giftcard that we had got from cashing in credit card rewards for our freezer.

For all other occasions, I try very hard not to spend more than $5. But, I usually give a gift that has a value of $10-20.

[M-squared]

A number of my friends have started giving "no gifts" notes with accompanying birthday invites. I do it myself. Still, I hate arriving with nothing in hand. What I've started doing (and I think it is appreciated) is bringing a kid's consumable. I will buy a box of those expensive organic cookies or some other treat. The kids are delighted and the moms are happy to get something that will be gone soon!

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by M-squared

A number of my friends have started giving "no gifts" notes with accompanying birthday invites. I do it myself. Still, I hate arriving with nothing in hand. What I've started doing (and I think it is appreciated) is bringing a kid's consumable. I will buy a box of those expensive organic cookies or some other treat. The kids are delighted and the moms are happy to get something that will be gone soon!

I think that is a lovely idea! We also have had folk come with cards (often hand made, which is very cool IMO) and one or two sneak in a small gift.