Play The Smart Card In Giving

At a time when many people are worried about the future, there’s no need to overspend on a “feel-good” gift

When I was a kid I loved presents, especially from my grandma. Every year an envelope would arrive and I would excitedly open it to find a card that had a $5 or $10 note inside. It was the best. It didn’t matter that I had presents worth much more given to me – this was my money and I could spend it however I wanted. I was rich!

I can’t remember what I bought with the money (no doubt a lot of 20¢ lolly bags and hours on the arcade game at the corner store), but that didn’t matter. The joy was in the moment of getting something that was mine, something I could control. The problem is that as we get older and wiser, the joy of small amounts of cash becomes significantly less, and it takes a great deal more of it to induce the same level of rapturous excitement.

It also becomes a problem for the giver. Gift-giving is supposed to demonstrate care and function in the building or deepening of a relationship. Giving someone a gift should not be about the monetary value of the gift itself, but cash has inherent value, which is why it’s impossible to decouple it from the value we ascribe to one another.