You have a friend or relative who you just can't seem to find a gift for. You struggle with it, you look around at all the stores, but you just can't seem to find the gift that you want.

What are your options? You could go with a gift card but the interest and hidden fees on it make it a poor choice. Money may not seem the best choice. Why not go with the next best thing?

Cash can often be seen as a lazy gift, and depending on the circumstances, it is.

If you are trying to figure out what to buy your wife, and you give her cash instead of a real gift, then you are making a huge mistake and you may be paying for it for weeks.

You better hope you like the dog house because that is where you will be staying for the foreseeable future.

If you give cash to your son or daughter as a present, you are making the same mistake.

Cash for a close family member is always a lazy gift and should be avoided at all costs. You are better off buying a gift card, because at least it shows that you put a small amount of effort into shopping for them.

The same applies to giving cash to a close friend. Often, this will be construed as a comment on their financial situation and in fact, could cost you a friendship.

This, of course, does not apply to distant relatives, nieces or nephews and cousins. In fact, cash can be an excellent gift in that case because you would often not get a gift for a distant relative. So giving them cash shows that you do care, even in a small way, and that you like them enough to take cash out of your wallet for them.

Generally, in most cases, you are going to want to avoid giving cash to anyone. It is best to take the time and actually find the gift that may be fit for that person. Of course, this is not always possible, so you may have no other choice but to use cash as a gift.

If you do use cash as a gift, go that little extra mile and put it in a card. By at least having a card as part of the cash gift, you are showing some thought towards the gift and an effort to make it more personal.