Seriously though, it’s pretty much the best gift you can give if you simply don’t want to pick the wrong thing. Which is much, much more likely to do if the recipient doesn’t outright tell you exactly what they want.

If someone wants to buy me a physical gift, I always give them exact suggestions: buy x, version Y. Shop at this store, pay no more than Z for it. That way it’s pretty much impossible for them to fuck it up. Can’t get it done? Give me cash instead.

If it’s acceptable to give a gift card, it’s acceptable to give money as far as I’m concerned. It’s the universal gift card without the restrictions.

So, a pointless anecdote:

So a friend attended a funeral in the southern US. They've only ever been to funerals in Hawaii, where everyone typically gives money to help with the costs and whatnot. They ask another attendee if they're supposed to give money here. The other attendee looks horrified. "GOD, NO! What's wrong with you? That is so insulting!"

I guess I have a humiliation fetish.

In the US there are gold colored $1 coins available.

Get a drawstring purse [think Robin Hood / Conan] and fill it with 'gold' coins.

If anyone you know is into fantasy, they will go nuts.

Yes. Thankfully I have a humiliation kink

It's a coupon that every store accepts.

Fold the cash up like an origami owl.

Me and my group of friends collect money for each birthday as a gift, basically we exchange the same 50 bucks all year. I find this tradition stupid.

is it insulting, depends on the person. if the person is known to be all about flexibility, then its not really a problem. to some it may be a problem because it shows to them that you didnt think very hard for a gift. E.G if your longterm SO who isnt married with you gave you money as a gift (over getting something youd probably eant/like given they should know you), may rub off in the wrong way.

Someone who doesn't spend a lot of time with me would be better off giving me cash.

Someone like my dad or siblings should know enough about me to give a personal gift. At least my brother knows me well enough to do that. 😮‍💨

Bitch, you broke. That'll be $3.50.

I think it's not humiliating, but if you know someone, you should have some idea what they like/their interests are. Getting a small gift that fits them shows that you spent at least a small amount of time and thoughtfulness picking out or making the gift. If you don't know the person, sure, cash/gift card.

Although I think it's becoming less common to have the space or 'the time' (but we could prob all spend 30 mins less each day doing nothing on our phones) so giving physical actual gifts are becoming less common, and also due to the economy the idea of 'mandatory days of gift giving' is a bit off-putting. People love getting personalized gifts from people who create things, but far less people today 'have time' to learn a hobby where they create things in physical space.

Less "Fuck you here is $10" and more "Here is $10 as agreed upon by the social contract unwritten by the masses who came before us, I didn't have any clue what you might like or want and didn't think to ask."

Some people gladly prefer cash/card. I am one of those people. We will make that known well ahead of time.

It is the way otherwise %90 of the gifts end up being needless consumerism. That or instating a culture where it is ok to ask a person what would he or she want for a gift.