Appropriate graduation gift amount for neighbor

[anniemae]

I would do $50

 

[easyas123]

My go-to for relatives has been a sweatshirt from the college they are going to & $50, or $100 if they aren't headed to college. For non relatives I do about $50 or a bit more depending on how well I know the KID, not the parents. If it was a neighbor thing and wasn't super friendly w/ the family I'd probably stop by for a hello, nice to see you, congrats and drop off a card with $25.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have SO many grad parties this month..oof $$$.

Neighbor kids are each getting $50. Closer family/friends get more.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I have a question, graduation announcements aren’t really a thing here. Is one expected to just write a check if they get one?

I‘m trying to figure out what yo give my niece. My seniors are flying out for her graduation party, flights and Uber’s are costing me around $650. My sister has money. My niece doesn’t really need money, she was given $1500 to take to college plus her grandparents are sending her $500 a month. Would $100 be cheap considering she’s my niece and my sister is my only sibling? My niece is flying back with my kids, my sister and nephews are flying here a few days later and we are vacationing for a week together.

We only have 3 nieces, so that makes a difference. They and now their kids get $50 for birthdays and Christmas. For graduations and marriages we do $300, and birth of a great niece or nephew also includes a baby care gift as well. Grandparents are all gone on my husband’s side, and my other SIL is infamously frugal so we are really the only ones on that side of the family making these types of gifts. They do need them, but we’d do the same amounts even if they didn’t. They are scattered around the U.S. so this is the only practical way we can show our support.

 

[Kellykins1218]

$20-25 is average here if you aren't close friends or family, No way would I give $50 for a neighbor kid.

 

[Wendy31]

Nieces & nephews get $100 for high school graduation along w/ a gift... most recently, for our niece, it was a hardback book of quotations of famous women throughout history.

Close family friends get $50 for high school graduation.

Acquaintances (& neighbors would probably fall into that category for us) for whom we‘ve received graduation invitations get $25 for high school graduation.

 

[Donald13]

$25 seems too low. $50 is too high. $40 is a middle ground.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I have a question, graduation announcements aren’t really a thing here. Is one expected to just write a check if they get one?

I‘m trying to figure out what yo give my niece. My seniors are flying out for her graduation party, flights and Uber’s are costing me around $650. My sister has money. My niece doesn’t really need money, she was given $1500 to take to college plus her grandparents are sending her $500 a month. Would $100 be cheap considering she’s my niece and my sister is my only sibling? My niece is flying back with my kids, my sister and nephews are flying here a few days later and we are vacationing for a week together.

I know you're from Jersey, and I know exactly what you're saying....most of the kids in my family (niece and nephews).....do not need a thing. I just have my two sisters and their kids, so it might be a little different for me...because these kids are the closest I will ever be to having children, so my husband and I spoil them a bit. But it does sounds like your kids are very close to your niece....and you're spending plenty with what you're doing for your kids to be able to go to the graduation...fly back together, etc. Still, in that situation I'd give $200. Just my Jersey opinion .

 

[dvcgirl67]

$25 seems too low. $50 is too high. $40 is a middle ground.

That's interesting, I'd never think of giving $40 as a gift....maybe as a gift card, but not as cash. To the OP.....I'd give $50.

 

[wishing4PA]

$25 is all we do for all the nieces and DH's grandkids for every occasion. Also that was our limit for "party gifts" for the b-day parties DD goes to, though it's crept up a bit in recent years, and usually is items, not cash. I'd love to do more, especially for family, but our little family has way too much extended family for our budget. We love having them all, but did the math one day and ouch!
So for the neighbor kid, if I were going to the party, I'd probably give $25. But we may be cheaper than the average family.
Although I'm so not a party person that I might just skip the party, and just send a congrats card, since the neighbors aren't close friends. That'd be hard to do without finding some excuse of a place to be away for the evening, but then I also could just express my regrets but offer to let the neighbors park in my driveway.

I do think it's odd that they're sending you an invite if you all aren't friends...if you've never hung out before; I'd jusy politely decline.

Unrelated to your comment but my guess is the neighbors didn't want to be rude inviting some neighbors but not others to what is probably a very visible event. My only guess for why friendly but not friends to the grad was invited.

I've known people who always invited all the near neighbors if they were going to host a potentially noisy party. Their thought was it'd keep the neighbors from calling the cops.

 

[mrs. magoo]

We give $50 to graduates when we are all invited. If just my son is invited he brings a 15 gift card to starbucks, dunkin, taco bell or wendys depending on when we pick them up.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

My 2020 daughter got a lot of $20.20 checks last year. Most of these were from friends' families, so they were just exchanging money or exchanging their parents' money.

 

[AndreaDM]

My daughter's grad party is on Sunday so I'll be sure to update this with the average amount! We only invited the next door neighbors on the one side (party is not at home so no one else will know), we aren't particularly close, but he has helped with my daughter's car, and is the first one we call when we need to borrow something and vice versa. I would think anywhere from $20-$40 is completely appropriate for a neighbor gift.

As for announcements, around here (Ohio) they are usually only sent out as or with a party invitation. Last year was different though with Covid, we got several "card party" invitations so we simply sent a card with a check.

DD's party is at the country club and we are paying per person, but I don't expect anyone to cover their plate especially none of the teenagers she invited. Her and her friends made a pact NOT to give each other gifts because it ends up literally being just trading money or gift cards. DD did print out some clown college applications she is putting in cards for a few friends as a laugh.

 

[Alicefan]

$20-25 is average here if you aren't close friends or family, No way would I give $50 for a neighbor kid.

AMEN! $50 is family money, not neighbors kid that you barely know money. In all honesty, I'd make my excuses, take that money and go out to eat and not bother with any of it. People these days give out invitations to any and everyone for the sole purpose of getting more gifts for their kids and I'm not into that.

 

[soccerdad72]

We usually go with $50, but anywhere in the $25-$50 range is normal, it seems.

 

[mjkacmom]

My daughter's grad party is on Sunday so I'll be sure to update this with the average amount! We only invited the next door neighbors on the one side (party is not at home so no one else will know), we aren't particularly close, but he has helped with my daughter's car, and is the first one we call when we need to borrow something and vice versa. I would think anywhere from $20-$40 is completely appropriate for a neighbor gift.

As for announcements, around here (Ohio) they are usually only sent our as or with a party invitation. Last year was different though with Covid, we got several "card party" invitations so we simply sent a card with a check.

DD's party is at the country club and we are paying per person, but I don't expect anyone to cover their plate especially none of the teenagers she invited. Her and her friends made a pact NOT to give each other gifts because it ends up literally being just trading money or gift cards. DD did print out some clown college applications she is putting in cards for a few friends as a laugh.

Lol Dd told me her friend group said they were all giving each other $50 (group of 10), I said that’s fine but my daughter to use her own money. What a racket.

 

[disneychrista]

Honestly a neighbor I am not friends with I am not sure I would even give a gift/money.

 

[aprilgail]

I have a question, graduation announcements aren’t really a thing here. Is one expected to just write a check if they get one?

I‘m trying to figure out what yo give my niece. My seniors are flying out for her graduation party, flights and Uber’s are costing me around $650. My sister has money. My niece doesn’t really need money, she was given $1500 to take to college plus her grandparents are sending her $500 a month. Would $100 be cheap considering she’s my niece and my sister is my only sibling? My niece is flying back with my kids, my sister and nephews are flying here a few days later and we are vacationing for a week together.

I didn't send graduation announcements because I feel like they are just something that says "please send me a gift" and I don't like them.

100.00 I feel is fine for a niece, that is what my sister gave my daughter- my brother gave her 1,000.00 (he is her god father and unmarried and makes a lot of money).

My neighbors all gave between 50-100.00 when my daughter graduated. One neighbor gave her 100.00 plus 50 in lottery scratch offs and she won 250 on them! The only people that gave 25.00 were like my daughters classmates who came to her party.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have a question, graduation announcements aren’t really a thing here. Is one expected to just write a check if they get one?

I've never gotten a graduation announcement where I also wasn't invited to the grad party (which is almost always an open house). The only exception was my father-in-law's wife's son graduation this year because with the pandemic they didn't know the exact date they would be doing something for him so no invite to the grad party was sent with the announcement. They ended up just having a low-key dinner/game night last weekend for it.

At least IME and social circle people don't really send grad announcements to any and everyone.

 

[lifesavacation]

I've never gotten a graduation announcement where I also wasn't invited to the grad party (which is almost always an open house). The only exception was my father-in-law's wife's son graduation this year because with the pandemic they didn't know the exact date they would be doing something for him so no invite to the grad party was sent with the announcement. They ended up just having a low-key dinner/game night last weekend for it.

At least IME and social circle people don't really send grad announcements to any and everyone.

Yeah, the pandemic has impacted grad parties. We’re in WA and there is still a limit on gatherings. It’s been a weird year for these grads.