Category "Money"

Unique Checkbook Money Gift | Graduation

I’ve mentioned before that the number one gift request for graduation is money. I’ve also talked about how impersonal it feels to write a check or place money in a greeting card.

graduation-check-book-money-thoughtful-gift-ideaThe Checkbook Money Gift is so easy peasy you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it!

You’ll need new one dollar bills from your bank. The amount is up to you.

You’ll also need a checkbook cover. You can use the free checkbook covers from your bank, or purchase one with a style, color or design that fits the graduate’s interest or personality. Instead of a checkbook cover, you can use a wallet with an insert for a checkbook. Continue Reading

Rare $2 Dollar Bills | Birthday Gift

Want to give an affordable and rare gift at the same time? A $2 Dollar Bill will certainly fit the bill!

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My friend, Karen, was turning 60 on her birthday and really not looking forward to it. I wanted to give her something totally unique and definitely something fun. I decided to give her 30 two-dollar bills to equal her age.

When I gave the gift, I explained the rarity of the $2 dollar bill equals the rarity of her beauty inside and out and her qualities to overcome insurmountable odds, to always be the rock for family and friends, to express incredible kindness and a giving spirit, and to find the good in everything. Continue Reading

Easy Peasy Money Umbrella Surprise

At Sunburst Gifts, we love coming up with creative ways to give money. This time, shower someone with cash with a Money Umbrella!

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Money umbrellas are a fun and creative way to give cash gifts.

When they open the umbrella, they’ll be completely surprised by all of the cash that falls out from the inside!

If you give the Money Umbrella gift in person, watching them open the gift and seeing their reaction is half the fun so make sure they open it in front of you. And get your camera or video camera ready!

You can attach a note to the umbrella that says “Open Me” but I prefer say something like,”Open it up so you can see that it’s a lot bigger than it looks. It will really protect you from the rain!”

Yes, little white lies are completely appropriate in these situations.

If you’re mailing the gift or you won’t be there when it’s opened, definitely include a note that says “Open Me.” You don’t want the gift recipient to miss out on their big surprise and, even worse, lose the umbrella and the cash because they had no idea what was inside!

Th Money Umbrella gift idea is so much fun to give and receive, and it’s easy peasy to create!

HOW TO CREATE A MONEY UMBRELLA

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Half-Dollar Coin | Year of Birth

All birthdays are special and when you turn 75 – WOW – the things that have been witnessed, experienced and changed through the years deserves celebration!

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A half-dollar coin from the year of someone’s birth year or wedding year makes a unique and memorable gift.

Dick was born in 1939. That was the year of the largest world fair in New York. The theme was the “World of Tomorrow” where futuristic inventions were on displayed like robots and automatic dishwashers. President Roosevelt spoke on a television welcoming the attendees to the world’s fair.

WWII began in 1939, the average price of a car was $700, classic movies were The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. A gallon of gas was 10 cents and the average yearly wage was $1,730.00

The 1940s, the Greatest Generation, created things like Duct tape, Jeep, color TV, Penicillin, Silly Putty, Atomic Bomb, Slinky, Tupperware, Microwave, Velcro and Lego. Continue Reading

Easy Peasy Birthday Money Box

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I once found out about a family member’s birthday party the day before. I freaked out at first! What should I get a teenage boy on such short notice??

birthday money box

The birthday money box contains a really long strand of cash.

That’s when I thought of the perfect thoughtful gift idea that anyone can create at the last-minute – a birthday money box.

Money is something every teenager wants, and the birthday money box I could easily create with items I already had at home.

The birthday money box is fun to give and receive because when the gift recipient pulls on the card that says “PULL UP,” they will be surprised with a really long strand of cash that continues to come out as they keep pulling and pulling and pulling!

HOW TO CREATE A BIRTHDAY MONEY BOX

Here are the items you will need:

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Surprise Someone By Hiding Gifts Inside a Balloon

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Presentation! Presentation! Presentation! We are always trying to find new ways to be creative in gift giving, right? Here is one that is easy, inexpensive, colorful and makes a noise that goes POP! Gifts inside a balloon!

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Hiding an engagement ring inside a balloon is a creative way to “pop the question!”

In a previous post, I talked about a unique wedding proposal idea. Get a decorative box that has an attached lid that will perfectly fit a blown up balloon. Write or type a note that says “POP ME” and attach it by using a stick pin to the inside of the lid.

She can use the pin to pop the balloon. Place the engagement ring inside a blown up balloon, put it inside the box and close the lid. When she opens the box, pops the balloon and sees her beautiful engagement ring, that’s when you get on bended knee to “pop the question.”

Gift cards have become a common way to give a gift. Usually it is placed in a card, an envelope or a gift bag. BOOOORING!

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Worth Every Penny | Pennies From Birth Year

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On my 50th birthday, my dear friend, Susan, gave me 50 pennies all made in 1952 – my birth year!

Heart-box-with-pennies-gift-idea-sunburst-giftsThe pennies came in a small heart box. I cherish that gift because it was so unique and thoughtful.

I have used the penny idea many times for birthdays and anniversaries. I use the pennies on significant birthday years such as 30 – 40 – 50 – 60 year old and up.

By the time a couple has been married for 50 years or more, what can you give that they do not already have or that is unique? Fifty pennies from the year of their wedding placed in a heart box is a for-sure-keepsake gift! Especially seeing and remembering those wheat pennies! They bring back the memories of simpler times. Continue Reading

Unique Money Gift for Graduates

- - Graduation, Money

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Face it. Kids want money. Even though most people want to give a memorable gift, many times they end up giving money in a blah graduation card. I’ve come up with a fail proof “you will remember this money gift above all else” high school or college graduation gift.

Purchase the latest issue of Money Magazine which gives advice on how to save, invest and make money. Graduation-Money-Magazine-gift-idea-sunburst-giftsHide multiple crisp dollar bills (or higher!) within the pages. Now roll it up with tissue paper and tie it up with a ribbon like a diploma.

It never fails. When they open it, they say…”oh, thanks”… and this is where your part comes in.

You say something like, “There is a wealth of information in that magazine about how to manage money wisely. Now that you have graduated and you’re an adult, it’s important that you learn this skill.”

They usually say thank you and place the magazine to the side  – without even opening it.

This is when you enthusiastically encourage them to open it and find an article to read. They will oblige but unwillingly. (I have yet to have one person open a page with a dollar bill showing. I have no idea how that happens!)

Graduation-diploma-gift-idea-sunburst-giftsThey usually have to thumb through and when they discover some of the cash money, they’ll quickly flip through page after page to look for more and when they do that’s when you’ve done it! You’ve made them smile really big. (And that’s hard to get teenagers to do you know.)

Then they’ll get smart and go back to the very first page and methodically turn each page looking for more dollar bills until they’ve found them all. This gift is as much fun to give as it is to receive! The only way this gift gets a backseat to any other graduation gift is if the graduate gets keys to a car!

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.  – Frank Hubbard

 

How to Buy Your Wife Gifts That Won’t Get Returned

Queen Darlene and I have a co-worker who follows our blog. He sent us an email one day after one of our gift ideas reminded him of a gift-giving strategy that has served him well as a husband.

How to Buy Your Wife Gifts That Won't Get Returned Sunburst GiftsEldon’s idea of how to buy your wife clothing, jewelry, accessories or other gifts that won’t get returned is so good that we wanted to share it with our readers! Here is what he wrote to us:

I tried to buy clothing gifts for my wife. She returned them all  because they were the wrong color, etc. So, I got wise and would find a cute photo of a dress, purse, shoes, earrings, etc. that I wanted to buy – usually if I listened closely I could pick up the hint of what she wanted.

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