Who said candy boxes should only contain candy? Jessica Fisher, a contributor to Life as Mom e-magazine, recently received a gift from her great aunt, which was basically a candy box containing cash instead of candy. This is a clever and useful gift to give anyone who needs financial help, such as college students. When she first received the box, she naturally assumed it was a box of chocolates or candy from a small candy shop named See’s Candy, in Minnesota. In fact, there was a note attached to the box that read “better than See’s Candy”.
When she opened it, she was surprised to see the actual contents of the box. This was partly because her father had a tradition of sending friends and relatives See’s candy for over 30 years. Each candy liner had a small amount of money in it instead of the usual candy. The amount varied from quarters to ten-dollar bills.
Making one of these yourself is not very difficult as the following instructions will show. You will need the following items to put one together.
• Candy box which can be bought from a gift store or craft store
• Candy liners which are made from paper
• Either double sided tape or glue
• Money, such as coins or notes
• Foam stickies
Once all of these are bought you can begin the process of making this novel gift. The first step is to attach the liner papers to the box. Paper currency can be folded or rolled. You could kick things up a notch if you have some basic origami skills. Coins are stacked on top of each other.
This is an excellent gift idea for those who will need cash. Apart from college students, if you know someone who is planning on traveling abroad, sending them this gift would be thought full. The currency itself does not have to be dollars. It could be any type currency, or best yet, find out where they are going and find currency from that country.
Giving a gift of this type to children would also be a good idea. Not only would it be more practical than giving candy, it would be educational as well. They could learn about the different denominations in the process. Most people tend to think that the choice of cash is very limited. But if you were to ask at the bank you may be surprised at the different varieties of cash, especially when it comes to coins. Apart from quarters and dimes, there are half a dollar coins available. As far as notes are concerned don’t forget about the two-dollar bills.
When it comes to total amounts, it doesn’t have to be a large amount. Sure, you could kick it up a notch and put some gold and silver coins in with the rest of them. A lot of times, it is not the gift itself, but the thought that counts. There is just something nice when you receive a gift from someone that they put together themselves, especially when it is clever and practical to boot.