I’m facing a bit of a dilemma.
I’m at the point where a lot of friends are turning 30. My own is coming up this year, too. So, understandably, there are a lot of 30th birthday parties being thrown. Which is all very lovely.
BUT.
The dirty 30s also happen to be the age of weddings galore. I have five invitations stuck on my fridge, all for weddings happening within the next 12 months.
And while I love a celebration… My bank account doesn’t.
You see, weddings involve gifts. As do birthdays.
Every wedding will set you back at least $100 for the gift alone. I’m well aware of that. However, call me naive, but until the 30th birthday invitations began dropping, it hadn’t registered that this was a milestone birthday that would involve gifting more than a scented candle. And to be honest, for the last few years I’ve only really offered presents to my absolute best mates.
I have three separate 30th birthdays in April and I’m being expected to put in $60 for each of their presents, which are being bought as a group.
They’re good friends, but not my super close friends. (And no, they’re not throwing parties with a drinks tab.)
My eyes popped when I was told to put in $60. I can’t go against the grain and be the only one to give less. But I can’t help but think that $30 should be about right for a gift.
And with group gifts the norm these days, getting a good present between six people leaves you with $180 to play with – that’s already a pretty damn good wine decanter or spa treatment, if you ask me.
So I thought I’d check with a few people what they thought was an appropriate amount to pay as part of a group gift for the big three-oh.
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Top Comments
I'm wagering you wouldn't have a problem with paying in excess of $60 for a wedding present. Given that everyone has a birthday but not everyone gets married, I think it makes more sense to spend more on the birthday, rather than wedding presents. The latter are, let's face it, a rort given that most people already live together before marriage, and likely will have received numerous presents already for getting married (eg engagement, shower tea, etc...).