My Best Teacher Gift Idea

If you have kids in school, then you're probably thinking about teacher gifts. My mom was a high school teacher, and I remember going through all of the treats she received on the last day of school before winter break. I know she was thankful for every gift for the thought behind it, and the appreciation her students and their families had for her. Not surprisingly, I'm a big believer in making sure teachers know they're appreciated.

When my kids were in elementary school and had only one primary teacher, I served as room parent and would collect $10 to $20 from each family who wanted to participate in a group gift before winter break. We'd end up with a class gift of $200 to $350, which the teachers loved. In fact, I had my ways of asking around, and cash was always the number one preferred gift. I get it - like my mom, they appreciated every gift for its thoughtfulness, but in terms of usefulness, nothing beats cash.



But now that my kids are in middle and high school, we're looking at seventeen individual gifts for their teachers and counselors this year. My best gift idea for them isn't cheap, in the aggregate. But I know from the thanks we get that it's much appreciated. It's a $10 Amazon gift card, which comes in a three-pack at Ralphs, so $30 per pack. I attach it with double stick tape to the inside of a small thank you card, write a brief note of thanks, sign the note on behalf of our family, and leave the sealed envelope in their mailbox in the main office.

I could have the kids write the note, but it's not a battle I feel like fighting. I also feel that writing the note in our family's name includes the other child who may have had the teacher in the past, and/or might have the teacher in the future.


I found these cute cards in Bullseye's Playground at Target!

I know this idea isn't feasible for every family, because it gets expensive. But the teachers definitely appreciate it. And since my kids' school is a Title I school, where a substantial portion of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-fee lunch, I figure the teachers don't get a lot of high-value gifts.

Of course, not every family can or wants to give cash to a teacher. Also of course, nothing beats a heartfelt note of appreciation. And there may be teachers who would prefer a homemade treat. But if you can, you might consider cash or a gift card unless you know a teacher's specific preference.

As a final thought, for the last few years, I've also been buying boxes of cookies for the various offices at school. I think sometimes that even if the teachers and principal get showered with gifts, the staff can be overlooked, especially if they're not in the main office. Our school has separate attendance and counseling offices, so I buy gifts for them as well.

How do you handle teacher gifts for your kids?

Merry Christmas! (and Last Minute Gift Ideas)

This is just a heads up that we'll be offline through Christmas. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and if this is a difficult time of year, please know that you are not alone.

In the meantime, if you need a last minute gift, here are some ideas:

Magazine Subscriptions - You can go with digital or print subscriptions, and there are magazines for just about every age group and interest. Bonus points if you grab a print issue at a brick-and-mortar store so you have a physical gift too. Amazon has lots of subscriptions available. Note that this post contains affiliate links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using them! You can read CFO's full disclosure here.

Subscription Boxes - There are so many monthly subscription boxes out there now, and they make fun gifts! Try Stitch Fix (clothing and accessories), BarkBox (dogs), Blue Apron (meal kits), Rocksbox (jewelry), Winc (wine), Harry and David (gourmet food), or one of the many subscriptions available at Amazon. (One of our friends gives us a subscription to Harry and David's Organic Fruit of the Month Club, and we get to enjoy delicious organic fruit all year long!)

Consumables - Our Consumable Gift Ideas Pinterest Board has giftable items you can can make. One of the easiest is homemade cookie dough - the recipient can keep it in their freezer and enjoy some freshly baked cookies whenever they want!

Amazon Prime - Amazon makes it easy to give the gift of Prime. A 3-month membership is just $39! I've shared why I love my Prime membership, and the gift of Prime is a great way for someone who isn't sure if the benefits are worth it to test it out.

Gift cards and e-gift cards - I don't know why gift cards get a bad rap as a "cop out" gift, because if the gift card is for a store you love, it's pretty much the best gift possible. In fact, both of my kids' most wanted gift this year is PlayStation Store credit, and my husband and I would be perfectly happy with Amazon credit. But you could also gift a Netflix gift card to someone who could use a subscription but doesn't want to pay for it, pair theater and restaurant gift cards with a babysitting coupon for a date-night gift, etc.

Most of all, I hope you get what you most want this holiday season!

Graduation Gift Idea: Handmade Money Lei

It's the time of year when graduations are all around. A graduation tradition in Hawaii that's spread to the mainland is the lei - even the supermarkets here in Los Angeles sell orchid leis at this time of year. But you can up the ante by making a money lei to give your favorite graduate. Here's how:

How to Make a Money Lei

Materials Needed:
100 new $1 bills
12 feet of string or ribbon
scotch tape
decorative ribbon

Step 1: Get one hundred new $1 bills at the bank. This is not as easy as it sounds. Apparently, today's banking system means banks rarely get new bills, and you really need new, crisp bills for this project. However, my bank is willing to request new bills, and although they can't guarantee they'll get them, they haven't failed me yet. However, it may take up to a week so if you can, plan ahead.

Step 2: Start folding. This step is the definition of tedium. Basically, you're making a fan out of each bill, as demonstrated in the video below:


When I'm getting started, I put the entire stack of $1 bills in a reusable shopping bag. After I fold each bill, I drop it back into the bag until it's time to assemble the lei.

Step 3: Assemble the lei. You'll need to cut 12 feet of string or ribbon. I like to use white curling ribbon, but that's certainly not the only type that would work in this project. Once you've got your length of ribbon, find the center, fold the length of ribbon in half, and make a knot, leaving a long tail on the end, as shown:


Next, place a folded $1 bill in the center of the knot, and tie it into place. Fan out the bill, and tape the ends, as demonstrated in this video:


Repeat with all remaining dollar bills.

Step 4: Finish the lei. Once you've tied all 100 $1 bills in place, you're ready to finish the lei by bringing the two ends together and making a tight knot, as demonstrated in the video below:


Cut off the excess ribbon, and cover the last knot with a decorative ribbon.

As you can see, it's not immediately obvious that the lei is made up of 100 $1 bills, and the drawback is that the lei would have to be dismantled in order to spend the money. However, the finished lei looks quite impressive and it's fairly easy to make!

I've made these leis as class gifts for my sons' teachers, and they've always loved them - so they'd make a great end-of-year gift for your child's teacher too!

Tutorial: How to Make a Money Lei

I've been the room parent for both of my children ever since they entered kindergarten, and I think the biggest reason I've been asked to be room parent each year is that the teachers know they'll receive a money lei as their holiday gift from the class ;) As you can see above, it's not immediately obvious that the lei is made up of 100 $1 bills, and it's something of a show piece. The drawback is that the lei would have to be dismantled in order to spend the money, but when I've asked if the teachers would prefer to just have the cash, I've been assured that they would prefer the lei instead.

I've also been asked many times, "How do you make that?" As impressive as the finished lei looks, it's actually very easy to make, so I've prepared this step-by-step tutorial to show you how to make one yourself. Since I collect money from the entire class, it's actually a very cheap project. But I will be upfront in saying it's tedious and time-consuming, so just be prepared.

How to Make a Money Lei

Materials Needed:
100 new $1 bills
12 feet of string or ribbon
scotch tape
decorative ribbon

Step 1: Get one hundred new $1 bills at the bank. This is not as easy as it sounds. Apparently, today's banking system means banks rarely get new bills, and you really need new, crisp bills for this project. However, my bank is willing to request new bills, and although they can't guarantee they'll get them, they haven't failed me yet. It does take some time, however, so be sure to allot at least an extra week just to get the money.

Step 2: Start folding. This step is the definition of tedium. Basically, you're making a fan out of each bill, as demonstrated in the video below:



When I'm getting started, I put the entire stack of $1 bills in a reusable shopping bag. After I fold each bill, I drop it back into the bag until it's time to assemble the lei.

Step 3: Assemble the lei. You'll need to cut 12 feet of string or ribbon. I like to use white curling ribbon, but that's certainly not the only type that would work in this project. Once you've got your length of ribbon, find the center, fold the length of ribbon in half, and make a knot, leaving a long tail on the end, as shown:


Next, place a folded $1 bill in the center of the knot, and tie it into place. Fan out the bill, and tape the ends, as demonstrated in this video:



Repeat with all remaining dollar bills.

Step 4: Finish the lei. Once you've tied all 100 $1 bills in place, you're ready to finish the lei by bringing the two ends together and making a tight knot, as demonstrated in the video below:

Cut off the excess ribbon. Then cover the last knot with a decorative ribbon, and voilá! Your money lei is done!

Now you just have to decide . . . is it too pretty to give away?