What is the going rate for giving money/gc for a HS graduation?

lyndausvi · May 2013

Just wondering how much people tend to be giving these days?

My first niece is graduating. She is going off to school for nursing in the fall on scholarship. I have 6 others who are graduation in the next years so I have to consistent.

kmmssg · May 2013

I have no idea what the going rate is but this is what we give: Niece or nephew - 75.00. My BFF's kids: 50.00. DS's buddies who have been hanging around my house since kindergarten are gonna get 25.00.

krizzo17 · May 2013

We tend to give $50, but I have no idea what the "going rate" would be. For the record, we give around $100 for a wedding, so maybe you could base it off of that.

lyndausvi · May 2013

I think we might give $100. We don't have kids, so we can afford to be little more generous.

Now the question is how? Cash? GC? DH is thinking of a GC to like Target for back-to-school stuff for the dorm and such.

krizzo17 · May 2013

We usually do a Target or Ikea gift card, for back to school, furniture, etc.

kmmssg · May 2013

I vote cash all the way. That let's her decide where to spend it on what she needs in the dorm and she might find better deals or what she wants somewhere else.

DS knows every stinking cent of gift money he receives is going towards his tuition bill. Our agreement with him (with the full blessing and encouragement of the school's Autism Team) is that he pays for the first two years of community college himself, no student loans. He lives at home, rent free, we will cover car and phone expenses, he works part time and pays the tuition. At the end of the two years, if he is doing well in college he can have my GI Bill which is like a freaking tuition lottery. It will pay all of his tuition, some of the fees, and provide a monthly stipend. The stipend goes back to mom so mom can go to school......I would LOVE to go to pastry school.

daria24 · May 2013

We just gave $50 cash to H's cousin's son.

libby2483 · May 2013

Cash is always a hit.

That being said, H and I are teachers, so if we get a personal invitation to a graduation party (lots of kids just post info on the school's bulletin board, so we're talking actually given a paper invitation), we usually give a book or a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card. We just have to keep it cheap, or we would go broke attending graduation parties.

For people that we know outside of our students (cousins, friends of the family, etc.) we give $25 or $50 cash, depending on how close we are with the person.

tiny speck · May 2013

I must be weird because I didn't know this was a thing. When I graduated from HS 9 years ago no one threw me a party or gave gifts. My family just gave me a card...

bbbb78 · May 2013

$50-100 for family

$20 for non-family

that said i've only been to about 2 high school grad parties since my own high school days.

itzMS · May 2013

We usually give $50 and an extra little something fun. Maybe a couple of scratch off tickets. Maybe a t-shirt for their college. etc.

erinlin25 · May 2013

I appreciated cash since I was going on a senior trip a few weeks after--it definitely came in handy

I'd day $50 for HS grads--$100 if you know them very well and can afford it, but $50 is more than generous IMO

MsYeck · May 2013

I'm a cheapskate I give whatever Giftcard I happen to have in my collection at the time. This weekend it is a $25 target Giftcard.

libby2483 · May 2013

tiny speck said:

I must be weird because I didn't know this was a thing. When I graduated from HS 9 years ago no one threw me a party or gave gifts. My family just gave me a card...

Maybe it's a regional thing. When I graduated H.S., everyone I knew had a graduation party. Most of my current students have graduation parties as well. Most people just have them in their garages/backyards. Mine was at a hunting lodge for my father's business. People usually just have BBQ and sandwiches and the typical side dishes. So, they are nothing fancy, but it would have been an exception to the rule for someone in my graduating class not to have a party.

500days · May 2013

I've always done t-shirt or something with their college's name and $50 check.

lyndausvi · May 2013

libby2483 said:

tiny speck said:

I must be weird because I didn't know this was a thing. When I graduated from HS 9 years ago no one threw me a party or gave gifts. My family just gave me a card...

Maybe it's a regional thing. When I graduated H.S., everyone I knew had a graduation party. Most of my current students have graduation parties as well. Most people just have them in their garages/backyards. Mine was at a hunting lodge for my father's business. People usually just have BBQ and sandwiches and the typical side dishes. So, they are nothing fancy, but it would have been an exception to the rule for someone in my graduating class not to have a party.

We always had parties.

LizM61409 · May 2013

I'm giving $25 to my cousin which after reading the other responses feels like not quite enough, however I don't make all that much right now and every spare dollar goes toward my own student loans...

jemmini6 · May 2013

We gave $40 to H's cousin for HS grad, and $15 to his other cousin for 8th grade grad (normally, we wouldn't have given anything for 8th, but since they are siblings, we didn't want her to feel left out).

As for cash vs gift cards...I always prefer cash, even if the giftcard is to a store I go to often, because it never fails that I somehow have an unused $5 or less on a gift card and never remember to use it. Kind of a waste IMO.

MrsGandthebeag · May 2013

I'd go with $50 cash.

Ajuliana · May 2013

I have been trying to equalize what we give my sisters and FIs brother, who are the same age. I have always spoiled my sisters, and he has never bought his family gifts. I always pay for it and then somehow it equals out over dinners and trips he pays for. I gave his brother $50, and my sisters $75 in clothes, and will probably give them each $25 just because they didn't ask for the clothes and I suppose it could just be for fun.

They are kind of my children...I just can't help but surprise them with presents.

s-aries8990 · May 2013

For hs I got 100 from my godfather and grandparents, 75 from a few aunts and uncles and 25-50 from family friends. I was able to pay my school deposit, first round of books and buy some start-up stuff. I also got some towels and a few target gift cards.

I'd say anywhere from 25-100 is fine, cash is preferred but if you really want to get a gc for some reason, target or Walmart are the way to go.

My mom actually had 2- part reload able gcs for Walmart for us. She'd refill it from home while I was in school 2 hours away. It was awesome because for like Easter, Halloween, and valentines day she'd put 10-25 on it and I could buy groceries, tampons, shampoo, etc. those were the bomb.

Ajuliana · May 2013

I almost forgot the best story ever. When FI and I graduated last year from college, my grandmother gave me $1,000. She gave FI $20. He and I share finances so I knew what he got from her. My dad asked what she gave me, and then asked FI what he received, and FI didn't want to answer, but I told my dad.

To this day, we tease my grandma about being cheap and she always gets huffy and asks how we know what she gave. An obvious answer is available, but it is so funny to see that woman get flustered.

**Did I mention my grandmother and I don't get along?**

Ajuliana · May 2013

@sleeper2013 Everyone has that one relative who openly hurts them, and she is mine. I'm named after her but she has never been kind to me and uses her "gifts" as a way to guilt me into being around her. She abused my invalid grandfather and, as an example, used to tell people I wasn't her granddaughter at all. So...that might be the one mean thing I've ever done to her, but it doesn't even register on how she treats me and others.

But I know it's f-ed up and accept judgement for the single act of retaliation I've ever participated in towards her.

Summer2011Bride · May 2013

It all depends on how well I know the person. When some of my students graduate (from HS), if I am close with them, I will give them a $20 check (I only do this for students who invite me to their grad parties, as I won't show up to one empty-handed. And I have to be close with them for me to go/give a gift).

When my BIL graduated college in Dec., we gave him $100. His serious girlfriend/my future SIL most likely just graduated college in May and we sent her $50.

lyndausvi · May 2013

Sleeper2013 said:

Alaynajuliana said:

I almost forgot the best story ever. When FI and I graduated last year from college, my grandmother gave me $1,000. She gave FI $20. He and I share finances so I knew what he got from her. My dad asked what she gave me, and then asked FI what he received, and FI didn't want to answer, but I told my dad.

To this day, we tease my grandma about being cheap and she always gets huffy and asks how we know what she gave. An obvious answer is available, but it is so funny to see that woman get flustered.

**Did I mention my grandmother and I don't get along?**

Wow. Pretty much everything about this is is super f-ed up.

I was thinking the same thing.

I don't care if you don't get along with your g'ma. It's pretty f=ed up to tease her about a GIFT she gave someone. Geez.

libby2483 · May 2013

lyndausvi said:

Sleeper2013 said:

Alaynajuliana said:

I almost forgot the best story ever. When FI and I graduated last year from college, my grandmother gave me $1,000. She gave FI $20. He and I share finances so I knew what he got from her. My dad asked what she gave me, and then asked FI what he received, and FI didn't want to answer, but I told my dad.

To this day, we tease my grandma about being cheap and she always gets huffy and asks how we know what she gave. An obvious answer is available, but it is so funny to see that woman get flustered.

**Did I mention my grandmother and I don't get along?**

Wow. Pretty much everything about this is is super f-ed up.

I was thinking the same thing.

I don't care if you don't get along with your g'ma. It's pretty f=ed up to tease her about a GIFT she gave someone. Geez.

Agreed. And I'm really confused about calling her cheap after she just gave you $1000.

MuppetFan · May 2013

Alaynajuliana said:

I almost forgot the best story ever. When FI and I graduated last year from college, my grandmother gave me $1,000. She gave FI $20. He and I share finances so I knew what he got from her. My dad asked what she gave me, and then asked FI what he received, and FI didn't want to answer, but I told my dad.

To this day, we tease my grandma about being cheap and she always gets huffy and asks how we know what she gave. An obvious answer is available, but it is so funny to see that woman get flustered.

**Did I mention my grandmother and I don't get along?**

I don't understand the argument. You think your FI got the shaft? She's not his grandmother. She's also not cheap and your teasing is atrocious.

Anyway, Lynda, I think $100 is very generous. I'm doing about $50. I do a gift of $100-$150 for 18th birthdays which just happened with my cousin,that's the big celebration gift from me...so he gets $50 for graduation.

I vote money all the way.

What is the going rate for giving money/gc for a HS graduation?

Re: What is the going rate for giving money/gc for a HS graduation?

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