# Did You Receive Money in Birthday Cards from Relatives as a Child?



## SeaBreeze (Nov 7, 2017)

I used to receive money in my birthday cards from my Aunt, and she stopped sending me any money in my teens.  Did you receive any money in birthday cards when you were a child?  Do you give like this to young relatives now?   At what age do you think it should end?   I can see where my Aunt stopped the card gifts, because I was no longer a child and she was not rich. 

 I would think it was odd to receive money gifts on your birthday, especially after you're entering adulthood, maybe 18 years.  Do you think there's an age where this gifting should stop?  I think if the child became old enough and married, it would be strange to get monetary card gifts like that.  Your thoughts?


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 7, 2017)

I did occasionally, but usually a birthday gift was a "real" gift. Giving a gift of cash wasn't done very often all those years ago unless it was as a wedding gift. I give my grandchildren cash or gift cards for their birthdays...it'll stop once they leave home unless they leave home to live at school. When they're in college, the cash will probably seem like a real windfall


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## hollydolly (Nov 7, 2017)

Yes I always got a Postal order in my Birthday card from my grandmother....I can't remember when it stopped, maybe I was around 14... but the funny thing is that even today, if I open a card some little part of me at the back of my brai would be delighted to see a little check in there...even if only for a few pennies, just for the memories... 

I have sent money to my family members in the past...and in fact just last year I made a Gift of money to my daughter for Christmas, simply because she's saving for something in particular, and really she doesn't need any material things, she has all she needs...but otherwise no I don't send money any more to family members.

The only exception to this was on the birthdays of my younger staff at work, I would put a ££ amount Pay as you Go voucher for their Cell phones into a card for them...it seemed to be appreciated more than a standard gift..


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 7, 2017)

I had an elderly aunt that gave me one of these lifesaver books and three dollars for Christmas until I was about thirty years old. LOL!!!







I enjoyed getting cash when I was a kid and I like to give cash as gifts to young people.  I am fine continuing it until they are old enough to become established in life, whatever that means.  I could see giving a young couple with a family money for a washing machine and dryer or some such thing and I could see cutting it off if they lived on their parents couch, each case is different for me.

The hard part for me is to figure out what the right amount should be, I'm always concerned that I will give too much and upstage a closer family member or give too little and seem like a cheap old fogie stuck in the past.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 7, 2017)

I would have loved to get those LifeSaver books Aunt Bea, what a treat!


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## applecruncher (Nov 7, 2017)

I used to get money in cards for birthdays, and also got a few for graduation.  It was always appreciated and I always thanked whoever sent/gave it to me.  This was before gift cards, but I always used it for something I needed or wanted. I even remember getting money in a card in my 20s, especially if I lived in a different area than the sender.

I sent niece & nephew cards with a check enclosed up until they were late teens.


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## EdnDiana (Nov 7, 2017)

Oh my Goodness, I forgot about those Life Saver books.  I would get them in my Christmas stocking as a child.  I can almost taste every flavor. Thanks for the memory


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## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 7, 2017)

My relatives all lived nearby so they would drop by with a small gift for the holidays or my birthday. Probably when I got to be around 16 I just received a card. Once in a while I would receive a  dime card. The front had holes where you pushed in dimes. I think the total would equal a dollar. I still have one from the 50's that my Uncle sent. These days there aren't to many of us left. We exchange cards through the mail. I ask my daughter what to get the Grand kids and I order it and wrap it. They are still small and enjoy unwrapping their gifts. For the rest of the immediate family we have scaled down quite a bit.


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## drifter (Nov 11, 2017)

No, generally got a small gift but no money. Money was like precious stones; not passed out for trivial occasions.


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## jujube (Nov 11, 2017)

Oh, I forgot the "dime cards".  My grandmother would send me one.  A dime went pretty far those days....you could get candy or a comic book or something out of a machine in a small plastic pod.  Dimes were GOLDEN!


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## Ruthanne (Nov 12, 2017)

Yes, I used to get small amounts in cards.  At the time I didn't think they were small amounts and was very grateful.  My two aunts would send me bday cards with a few bucks in them.  My one aunt continued until she got dementia and couldn't remember anymore.  It was so sweet of my aunts.


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## oldman (Nov 12, 2017)

My Grandfather, who we affectionately called Pappy, came to this country from Greece with only a minimal amount of money in his pocket. He started out being a professional fighter, but within a few years he was seriously injured in the ring and had to walk away from it. He opened a chain of restaurants and prospered very well. So, yes, we, (the Grandchildren), received money for birthdays and Christmas. For whatever reason, I was his favorite Grandson. Personally, he never told me that specifically, but you just know it. He would take me to baseball games in the summer and when I started going to high school, he would always be sliding me money to put in my pocket "just he case", as he would say. I would work in one of his restaurants from time to time, but would never take any pay. That's the way Greeks in the family give back, so said my Dad at the time.


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## JimW (Nov 15, 2017)

I used to get the life saver books and had two aunts that would always send me the dime cards. I used to pop out the dimes and run down the street to the penny candy store. Fun times!


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## jujube (Nov 15, 2017)

Every time we saw my beloved grandpa (and that was always on Sundays and 3-4 times during the week), he would always slip us what he called "some jingle".  It could be a dime, a quarter or if we were going on vacation or to camp, maybe $2.  He said you needed a little "jingle" in your pocket.  He would stand at church and absently-mindedly jingle the change in his pocket.  Grandma would hold her hand out and he'd hand over the change.  She'd give it back to him after church.  She could never break him of "jingling".


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## moviequeen1 (Nov 15, 2017)

When I was a child,I received money on my birthday from my god mother,it stopped when I was in my early teens.I'd always would write a thankyou card,tell her what I might use the money for
I did the same thing with my nieces/nephews when they were younger,once in awhile I would get a thankyou note.I stopped sending $ when they became teenagers.
I also remember the lifesaver book,fond memory of my younger days Sue


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