Giving Cash as a Gift

I usually hate giving cash as a gift.  I know a lot of people like receiving cash (umm, including me!) but giving it always feels like a cop-out to me - like I couldn't be bothered to think of a gift for you.

That is, unless I find a way to give cash in an amusing or creative way.  My brother sent out a list for his birthday, and about half of the things he asked for were cash designated for specific things he wanted, like brewing beer and buying a new computer.  I thought to myself, those are noble causes.  Perhaps I should contribute.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was cute but maybe a little cheesy for my older brother:

But you know what isn't too cheesy for your older brother?  Beer.  Wrapped in money that's designated for making beer.  

Failure of a blogger that I am, I neglected to get pictures of the whole process.  However, I'm sure it's pretty easy to fill in the blanks.  

Step one: tape a whole lotta dollar bills together.  The more singles you have, the better.  After I went to get to the bank to change some twenties into singles, I felt like I was headed to (or perhaps from) the strip club every time I opened my wallet.  

Since you want the recipient to be able to spend these at some point, don't go too crazy with the tape!  I just put two little pieces on either end, just enough to keep them together. 

Step two: obtain some nice beers that come in a handy cardboard carrying case.  I went with Goose Island Pere Jacques since I knew it was one of my brother's favorites, but you could choose this kind if you prefer:

Step three: remove the bottles from the cardboard container.  Take a looksie at your box and eyeball approximately where the base of the bottle would hang out if it were still inside of the container.  Slice a  vertical slit in the box so that if you were, say, to have a dollar bill wrapped around the bottle, it would be able to escape through that slit if it wanted to.  I just used a plain old pair of scissors to achieve this, but for safety purposes you should probably use an exacto knife.  Make your slit about 2.75 inches long and 2 - 3 mm wide.

Step four:  This is the tricky part.  Remember the long string of dollar bills you made in step one?  I want you to wrap it around the base of one of the beers, leaving a long tail.  Stick the tail of the bills through the slit, then slowly put the bottle of beer back into the box, pulling the tail out of the slit as you go.  Did you do it?  Phew!  It took me a couple of trys to actually get the bottle in too.  Now you can roll your bottle back and forth until just a bit of the first dollar bill is sticking through the slot. 

Step five:  Write some directions on the box so the recipient knows what to do when they open their gift.  I simply chose "pull."  

Step six: Give.  And then laugh a whole lot.  Seriously, everyone at the table was dying.  Even though I knew what was coming I still laughed so hard I cried.  Luckily, the blog sister managed to capture a few actions shots:

Brother says, "Hmmm, what's this attached to my present? 

"Maybe I should follow the clearly marked instructions!" 

Huzzah!  What a lucky boy!

I'm sure my brother would like you to know that he usually does not wear suspenders, a bow tie, or a button of himself to dinner.  Or maybe he would...