Graduation season is upon us yet again. Graduation announcements have been sent and chances are if you received one of them, you feel compelled to send a gift to the soon to be graduate.
I’ve never been one to pay much attention to the graduation hoopla. But when a family member of mine mentioned they would be getting me a gift, I started thinking about what would be most useful for me as I leave college and enter “the real world.”
While things like gift certificates to clothing stores or a new DVD are nice gifts, these are not the things that make sense to give to a soon to be/recent college graduate. They are fun, but not practical.
Here are my top 5 best gift ideas to give to college graduates.
Money
Chances are your graduate is pretty much broke and overwhelmed by the amount of bills that will soon be coming their way. From stressing about how to pay for rent to how they will be able to afford groceries each week, money is probably the one thing that is constantly on their minds. No matter how much you can afford to send their way, every little bit helps and guaranteed, they won’t be disappointed when they have a little extra money in their pockets.
Bill Pay
This is kind of like giving them money, but a little different. If you want to be generous, offer to pay their cell phone, health insurance, car insurance, or grocery bill for a short duration of time. Helping out with paying the bills is SO helpful especially when the graduate is waiting for their first paycheck to come in and doesn’t have enough money to pay their bills.
Job Search Help
We have all heard the saying that it’s not what you know but WHO you know. Given the current state of the economy and unemployment rate, the job outlook for recent grads is pretty grim. Most of us are overwhelmed by the task of finding a decent job. So help us out! Tap into your professional network and find out if anyone you know knows of any job openings. Then get our resume to them and help us get an interview. I for one would be so happy if I had a family member help me with my job search. The best part about this gift? It’s costs the giver NOTHING.
Something for Their Apartment
If you know we are moving into our own apartment and are lacking a key piece of furniture, you think we could use a toaster oven, or even just want to buy us some toilet paper, these are all great gifts! Toilet paper may sound like a completely ridiculous gift to give a graduate, but like a toaster oven, money, or your old couch, it is practical and useful. Which is exactly what we need at this stage of our lives.
Financial Planning Help
Most college grads really have no clue how to manage their money. So help us plan! An awesome gift to help any grad with this would be a subscription to GreenSherpa. Yes, I may be a bit partial (at least I’m being honest), but before using GreenSherpa I, like most students, had NO idea how to manage my finances or see what my financial picture looks like. Now, I have a clear picture and a plan to make sure I stay afloat financially after college. And that is peace of mind that many college students want.
Any soon to be college graduate that I know would be beyond happy to get any of these gifts. Whatever you decide to give your graduate, just make sure it is practical!
Have any great gift ideas for grads not listed here? Share them in the comment section!
