Stuffing cash in an envelope in lieu of buying a gift often gets a bad rap.

But lets be real: Who couldntuse some extra cash?

Youve never heard of anyone trying to return acashgift because it wasnt their size or didnt suit their taste.

A santa hat sits on top of a $100 bill.

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Need Quick Cash to Give as a Christmas Gift?

But lets face it: The season isexpensive.

19 Creative Money Gift Ideas

Stop stressing about gifts for birthdays or other special occasions.

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Give the thing everyone is sure to love cash!

A small box, like the kind jewelry comes in, works perfectly.

All the unboxing will be like opening up nesting dolls but with a monetary reward at the end.

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Balance Transfer = Credit Card Cheat Code

2.

Money Origami

Turn dollar bills into hearts, butterflies or cranes with some crafty folding skills.

The Spruce Crafts sharesorigami projectsfor you to transform dollars into creative money gift ideas.

you’re free to use bills of any denomination.

No one says the emergency cant be a new pair of shoes!

Money in a Pizza Box

Special delivery!

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6.

Your gift recipients can use the money to treat themselves to something nice.

Money Roll

Gift recipients will have fun with this money gift idea.

To create a money roll, lay out a line of dollar bills and tape them end to end.

Tape the first of the connected bills to an empty toilet paper roll and roll the money up.

Money Lei

Making a necklace out of dollar bills is definitely a creative way to gift money.

ThisYouTube video from the Classy Cheapskateshows you how to make one.

Money Wreath

This money gift idea is particularly festive.

Watchthis video from NProkuda Origamifor the steps to make one.

Thistutorial from Curblyshows you how to do it in just eight steps.

Money Bouquet

Everyone loves getting a bouquet of flowers.

Make your bouquet even more special by creating the flowers out of dollar bills.

Thistutorial video from Stanford Federal Credit Unionshows you how using four dollar bills per flower.

To complete the bouquet, add artificial stems and leaves, which you might purchase from a craft store.

Money Notepad

Wow your loved ones by creating a notepad out of money.

The blog What Mommy Does givesstep-by-step instructionsfor how to create a money notepad.

Money in a Balloon

Putting dollar bills inside a balloon is a fun idea for giving money.

To do so, roll up a dollar bill and stuff it inside a deflated latex balloon.

you could also add confetti if youd like.

Then inflate the balloon, preferably using a hand pump instead of your mouth.

Tie the balloon closed and give it to your gift recipient with instructions to pop for a nice surprise.

Scavenger Hunt

Send your loved one on a scavenger hunt with a real treasure money!

waiting for them at the end.

Do a Google search for scavenger hunt clue ideas if youre not able to come up with your own.

Pay Off a Bill

This is a money gift idea that is sure to be well appreciated.

If you have the account information for the bill, you could pay it off as a surprise.

Thats a nice idea for a romantic partner, roommate, adult child or parent.

The child doesnt have to be your dependent for you to add money to their account.

Select gift cards from your loved ones favorite stores.

Many retailers offer gift cards with special designs for holidays or other occasions.

Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)

You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…