26 Actually Fun & Creative Ways to Give a Cash Gift

Picture this: You’re crossing people off your gift list this graduation or holiday season without having to search for proper sizes or favorite colors. Sometimes, it pays to give your loved ones some cold, hard cash. But the act of giving money doesn’t have to be as cold as the cash is — there are plenty of tricks to make the gift of money fun and personal.

Instead of stuffing cash into cards and envelopes, you can try something artsy, funny, or practical this year. (Who wouldn’t want to receive a pizza box full of dollar bills?) Ahead, find plenty of creative ways to give a cash gift this year, so you can give something that’s always in style: money.

Not all gag gifts are useless after you open them! This fake can of corn — which is secretly an empty, reusable vessel — is perfect for your friend who loves a bit. When they unbox it, they’ll think it’s nothing more than a canned good, until they peek inside and see your cash gift. The best part? They can hide it among their shelf-stable pantry items for years to come as a secret spot to stash grocery money or treat-yourself funds. 

There are two reasons I’m thinking of buying this photo tumbler for myself and lining it with cash. One, seeing cash keeps me focused on work. Two, cute tumblers and bottles remind me to drink water constantly. I might get this for all my friends who work from home and need accountability partners, but don’t have them.

Get the name of your recipient engraved on this personalized cashbox. The little safe comes in four designs — butterflies, cupcakes, flowers, and ladybugs — and offers a slot on the top for inserting coins and folded-up dollar bills. The box, complete with a carrying handle, features two locks: one with key operation as well as a combination lock, so your kiddo can learn the ropes of twisting and turning to the right combo.

Replacing candy with currency is a totally unexpected way to receive money. Life as a Mom suggests either getting a candy box and paper candy liners from the store, or reusing a candy box. The key, especially if you’re dealing with shake-the-box-to-see-what’s-inside types, is to include coins by sticking them to the candy liners with foam stickies.

Teenagers and young adults will love this money maze. It’s a fun conversation piece, and it’s a smart way to help combat impulse buying. All you do is put the money in and lock it. Then to retrieve the money, you guide the metal ball to the hole by turning the maze in different directions. This would’ve come in handy when I was in college, spending so much money at the snack and cold drink machines.

Years ago I had a similar coin counting jar, but there was no way to subtract from the total when I took money out. This coin counting jar includes a minus button for that reason. Kids can choose to simply watch their money literally add up, or they can work toward a goal for buying something.

Redhead Can Decorate explains on her site how she made a money pizza for her son’s birthday. First, she got a free pizza box from her neighborhood pizzeria, then used $55 total on the slices of “pepperoni pizza,” which included dollars rolled loosely as crust, laid flat as slices, with quarters for pepperoni.

Ten large, colorful plastic “coins” come with this pink piggy bank that teaches colors, numbers, animals, and songs to babies from 6 to 36 months. You can put real money in this bank, of course, but you should remove it for safety before the little piggy is given to a baby.

Perfect for the middle school set, this ATM has its own debit card to use for transactions. The machine automatically recognizes coins, and you can add paper money by inserting it in the slot and entering the dollar bill amount on the keypad. Sure, it’s smart to get young people their own actual debit cards, but it’s fun to save cash in a machine like this.

Maybe it’s a Taurus thing, but nothing excites me more than seeing money on the ground. Look at that money, just waiting for me! Getting stacks of ones from the bank to fill this money shooter, then blasting money everywhere could make for a memorable holiday. No matter the weather, you can always make it rain.

The kid (or kid at heart) in your life will love the security of this gift for one reason: Nobody needs to consult a dictionary anymore. That’s what smartphones are for, right? This money safe comes disguised as an ordinary dictionary and offers a three-digit lock for extra protection. Stuff it with dollar bills for your giftee, and then watch them stick it on the bookshelf, safe and sound.

I love anything that makes being a wise and kind human easier. This bank is divided into three sections: one for spending, one for sharing, one for saving. You can introduce kids to philanthropy and financial planning this way — and adults use it to avoid giving too much or saving too little.

A crisp dollar bill is one thing, but a stack of dollar bills folded into a fortune cookie? That’s an awesome gift. This suggestion from Project Denneler points to the numerous YouTube tutorials out there for folding cash into cookies. Plus, receiving fortune cookies made out of money is way more financially sound than playing the lottery numbers on the backs of real fortune cookie slips, right?

Imagine how surprised kids will be when they open a crayon box and find each crayon is wrapped in a dollar bill. Es La Moda shows how easy this DIY is on their page — all it takes is a little tape to attach the dollar to the crayon, and another piece to lightly secure the dollar after rolling. Masking tape or painter’s tape would be best since it comes off easily.

Experience ’80s kids’ game show magic by sticking paper money in balloons, blowing them up, and popping them. The Balloon Time website suggests cutting the plastic spout from a gallon jug, then wrapping a balloon around it to make inserting things easier. Where was Balloon Time when I was hurting my fingers, sticking confetti in balloons in 2006?

Pretty money butterflies are easy enough for a kid to make and are a nice way to use money as decoration. Homemade Gifts Made Easy has a step-by-step photo tutorial for how to do this craft, including a link to a video tutorial for those who need extra guidance.

In New Orleans, we pin dollars on ourselves to celebrate birthdays. Even if you see a stranger with a dollar pinned to them, you add to it. I’ve even heard people in public mention it was their birthday, noticed they were empty-lapeled, and quickly set them up with a dollar and whatever bobby pin or hair clip I found in my purse. (People wish you a happy birthday when they see it, even if they don’t have cash on hand.) A money ring (or another type of money jewelry) is a real statement piece — and a guaranteed way to get the guest of honor lots of congratulations from others. Learn how to make them on Style Baggage.

There are some things I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t and likely will never. Getting into a taxi and yelling, “Driver! Follow that car!” is one. Breaking glass in case of emergency is — thankfully — another. A “break glass in case of emergency” gift is perfect to bring to a housewarming, bridal shower, college send-off, or bon voyage party. You can make your own, or buy an inexpensive one off Etsy.

My best friend, Erica, and I used to spend time reading greeting cards at different stores. A money holder we saw at the Hallmark store once said, “Put in freezer first.” The front of the card read “For a cool kid …” and the inside read “HERE’S SOME COOL CASH.” That was (mumble mumble) years ago, but we still laugh about it. If the recipient loves similarly cheesy jokes, try giving them a kitchen matchbox full of money to burn. See instructions on Style Baggage.

A little something for a rainy day is another great gift that friends won’t see coming. Sunburst Gifts explains how to do this DIY on its blog. Make sure to tell your recipient to open the umbrella when they get it so that they find out what’s inside.

Many believe that by displaying money in the home, more money will come. (It’s me, I firmly believe that.) A money tree is a perfect way to attract abundance, and it makes a great gift for any occasion. Lorie Witkop has a money tree design tutorial on Love to Know.

This coin sorter is not for the faint of heart. Described as a “heavy-duty” electric coin sorter, this money machine can count up to 400 coins. A screen on top of the sorter shows the dollar amount of the coins inside, while the body of the thing does the work of sorting quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies into wrappers.

This money-themed gift is unique in that it doesn’t require you to place money in it: The wooden treasure chest comes already stocked with 51 rare coins. It includes coins of all kinds, and some date back decades. The cool part is that no two chests are alike, so your giftee will receive a one-of-a-kind present.

Flowers are pretty, but they also have a tendency to wilt. Do you know what keeps its luster? A bouquet of cash roses. You’ll need five to seven bills for each bud, as Feltmagnet diagrams, but this DIY will have anyone swooning over green flowers in no time.

Or, if you’d like to include a real flower in the gifting process, why not splurge on an option that will last upwards of a year (really!) This keepsake by Venus et Fleur includes five everlasting roses in the color of your choice, plus an acrylic box you can fill with bills before gifting the blooms.

There couldn’t be a simpler or better gift for the bookworm in your life. Simply place one or more crisp bills between the pages of a book you’d like to give (bonus points if it’s money-related!), whether that’s at random, at key scenes, or at the start of each chapter. Your recipient will have more than one reason to keep turning the pages.