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What is the most expensive gift you’ve ever received? Excluding your parents, but including other relatives, like brothers and sisters, and, of course, friends.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 8:51 am

Comments

a 79 Ford LTD. the wipers wouldn’t work, we had to tie the back door shut with the seat belt and got 6 miles to the gallon (that was when gas was $1.13)

Comment by moderate Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 8:54 am
I got a IPOD for being in a friends wedding and an ex-girlfriends dad gave me a used laptop for Christmas but I think he was going to give it away anyway. Never more than $100.00 cash for anything.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 8:56 am
If a loan can be considered a gift, then I received an $8,000 loan from a relative to help keep me from drowning in debt. I was in my first job, swimming in debt from college loans and a car I couldn’t afford. My relative fronted me the money to get on top of my finances and I paid him back within a year. I learned a great deal about how to run my finances and how to be compassionalte to those who are in dire straits.

Comment by John Lee Pettimore Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 8:57 am
I once received a membership to a club worth about $1,300. The gift was given as a thank-you for making a business contact that was fairly lucrative. So, I guess this doesn’t help the Governor’s case much, eh?

Comment by the Other Anonymous Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:01 am
My biggest gift ever, not including my parents, would be from my wife. And even that wasn’t worth more than $500. I guess she doesn’t love me as much as Blago’s friend loves the governor’s daughter, huh?

Comment by schroedk Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:10 am
A rountrip (coach) airfare on American Airlines from O’Hare to Heathrow

Comment by 105th Blues Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:11 am
A few years ago my brother in law won some money in the lottery. $20 - $30 thousand. He didn’t tell us, but he paid for a semester of my kids tuition at a Catholic HS. Probably worth around $1500 at the time. Took us forever to figure out why we had that credit on her tuition bill. Nice of him but I never fully understood why. But I sure appreciated it.

Comment by anon Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:13 am
My grandparents gave me $5000 as a wedding gift. Before then and since I get the usual gifts from them like sweaters, a golf club(not a set), and other normal stuff.
I do have some rich friends and the best gift i ever heard of that someone I know has recieved from a friend is a $100,000+ painting. It was payola but they are not in politics.
For blago type people the tasteful limit on a birthday gift is 200. That would only come into play though if either party had any class at all. If I was mr. A I would have given the kid a $100 savings bond just to avoid all this.

Comment by buttermaker Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:28 am
ps
on my 7th birthday I think I got a check from them for $25.

Comment by buttermaker Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:37 am
A few years ago I lost a dear friend, who had suffered a long illness. Six months after her passing, her mother sent me a check for $10,000. She explained that my friend instructed her to send the gift as a gesture of thanks. I would give the money back and then some in turn for her to have survived. (and I did claim it on my economic interest form)

Comment by Walking Wounded Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:37 am
My buddy in college got the biggest gift that I know of. His girlfriend gave him the gift that keeps on giving

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:38 am
When I bought my own home, several years ago as a single mother, my best friend sent me $3000. She owns several restaurants in Texas. She wanted us to be able to do some home improvement. We added a deck to the house and a few other small projects.

Comment by rachel Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:38 am
A 50 year old bottle of single cask scotch from a friend…

Comment by Siyotanka Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:38 am
When I graduated from college my parents gave me $500 and suggested I use it to travel abroad. This was - well - some time ago, and it was a huge sum, especially for working class folk. I opened the envelope and (they had not put in the cash, but written in the amount) thought it said $5.00, and, since this was not out of line with other gifts, I did not jump up and down and make a demonstration of appreciation in proportion to the gift, but just said “Oh, thanks.” It was only later I realized what it was, and to this day I am so embarrassed at having appeared ungrateful.

Comment by Still Anon Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:42 am
The hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign debt left over from my 2002 race that Topinka is helping me repay. I aleady received a $100 thousand transfer from her campaign fund to mine in the first half of the year. All I have to do is go around and say she would be a good Governor, and do things like flip-flop on gambling expansion.

signed, Joe Birkett (no, not really. This is a parody of course)

Comment by NoneOfTheAbove Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:43 am
Siyotanka - How was the Scotch?

Comment by Jechislo Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:47 am
a dog named Checkers…$150 wedding gift (inc. cash) from aunt/uncle. This just tells me I need to hang around a different crowd.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:53 am
When my late grandmother’s home was sold I got $1,500. Outside of death, I think it would be a futon my in-laws and my wife got me when I graduated from grad school.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:04 am
For my wedding, several friends chipped in on a $300 grill. The most expensive gift from a single person would have been valued at roughly 150.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:10 am
An expensive watch from a Republican governor. In fact, there are 2 of them. His and hers.

Comment by Downtown Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:11 am
My father in law made me a State Rep…and then a Congressman…and then Governor. But to be fair, I turned my back on him once I was done using him.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:23 am
A $300 flat screen computer monitor from a friend of 10 years [we’re both 50]. When I turned 7, I received a toy ventriloquist dummy… didn’t know what to do with it.

Comment by North of I-80 Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:24 am
Downtown, that is intriguing. You gotta give us some hints, like, was it an Illinois governor? And, a decade would be nice to know. But that might be too revealing.

I once received a used clothes dryer. It probably only cost about $50, but the value of not having to lug baskets of wet laundry and two babies to the laundromat every week was worth thousands to me.

Comment by Marie Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:27 am
When we lived in unincorporated DuPage County, we couldn’t get a library card without paying, so my wife gave me a $200 library card for my birthday.

Yes, we are nerds.

Comment by So-Called "Austin Mayor" Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:41 am
My grandparents gave me one of their old motorcycles, and an ex-boyfriend bought me a bottle of Ralph Lauren perfume.

Comment by QueenB Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 11:06 am
When I turned 20 and bought my first house, my grandfather cashed in a CD that he had started for me when I was born. It was $5000. Other than that, probably an engagement ring.

Comment by Bridget Dooley Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 11:34 am
Free Masters Tickets from my brother the Southerner–Priceless.

Comment by Jake from Elwood Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 11:43 am
A former boss bought me $500 worth of gifts off my wedding registry 8 years ago, a wealthy friend bought my daughter a $500 savings bond for her baptism. There are lots of people with cash to burn and I wish they’d find me!

Comment by Annoyed all the time Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 11:56 am
Marie - My husband was a “chief of staff.”

Comment by Downtown Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 12:06 pm
I received a $3,000 check for my wedding.

Comment by dk Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 12:47 pm
A diamond ring from my husband, 4 1/2 years after we got married.

Most of my gifts have been “too me, from me, love me” and are more than anyone has ever spent on me. The best - the portrait of my son on my back.

Comment by Tessa Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 1:08 pm
I took up our family history and found relatives in eastern Europe. My aunt - who had never been to see her parents homeland, gave me a check for $3000.00 so that I could make the trip she only dreamed of. Nothing else ever came close.

Comment by babs Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 1:37 pm
The first thing I thought of was a nice car my parents gave me, but parents don’t count. The second most expensive thing was probably a carseat that 4 people went in on at a baby shower. But I see I’m not the only one who has working class friends unable to give the Bush Pioneer type gifts. I like my friends better

Comment by Free Thinker Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 1:44 pm
Would have to be wedding gifts the wife and I gave each other at around a grand each, I’d call that a wash. Other wedding gifts from friends and co-workers were in the 20-50-dollar range, and mostly just covered the cost of the reception dinners. As a kid, for my First Communion at age seven, my godfather gave me a Bulova self-winding calendar date watch, it was under fifty bucks, I’m sure that would have been about like a $25 Timex now. For College graduation, my Godmother gave me a copy of Black’s Law Dictionary, don’t know how expensive those were. If my kids put together all their Christmas card and birthday card money for a year, it wouldn’t add up to eighty bucks each per year.

Money to my kids from non-family or non-godparents? Yes, but rare as comets, and nothing more than fifty bucks, plus usually it’s in actual merchandise like clothes or toys. And there’s no quid pro quo, the gifters have nothing to gain from me or mine for their donation.

Comment by Gregor Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 7:34 pm
I got a lap top for college graduation — guess it was a couple thousand.

Comment by OrangeCrush Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 8:41 pm
The bottom line to this is Republicans who would like to work for the state, need to start giving checks to Miss Peggy Sue Beagle.

You know, for her “milkbone fund.”

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 9:18 pm
4 days and 3 nights in a timeshare. It wasn’t free though as we had to sit through a BS lecture for half of an afternoon. And the lodging sucked.

Comment by Little Egypt Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 10:11 pm
I need some of Rod’s friends. My kid starts college next year.

Comment by Tom Bigno Wednesday, Sep 13, 06 @ 11:59 pm
My grandfather’s binoculars.

Comment by T.J. Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 3:11 am