This year we came up with a puzzle cash gift idea that turns giving money into a fun escape room–style challenge for the kids in our family.
Why We Started Giving Cash in Creative Ways
We have a lot of nieces and nephews… and not a ton of money. So a long time ago we made a very wise, very budget-friendly decision: skip extravagant gifts and give them each a small amount of money, but make it fun! Every year since, we’ve tried to outdo ourselves with some new, ridiculous, creative way to give them cash. Honestly, it’s become a sport at this point. My husband and I look forward to coming up with a fun way to give cash as a gift every year!
Our Favorite Funny Ways to Give Cash Over the Years
Here is a post with several ideas from past years. There is the time we created our own “Crypto Currency” (because apparently, money flies through the air these days and you can just mine it… what a time to be alive). And then there was 2020, when we went all-in on making sure the cash was thoroughly COVID-free… because of course we did. Safety First! That’s what I always say!
–> A Hilarious Way to Give Cash as a Gift This Year
Why We Chose an Escape Room Puzzle Style Gift This Year
And now that these kids are getting older, we figured it was time to make them actually work a little for their Christmas money… and by “work,” we mean use their brains. Not like that one year we made them chisel it out of a bar of soap, or the time we hid it in a giant tub of rice and handed them chopsticks like it was a high-stakes sushi challenge.
So this year, we leveled up.
If we were going to make them work, we might as well go full mind games, right? And since escape rooms are one of our family’s favorite activities, it felt perfectly on-brand to use an escape room style puzzle.
It took a little time to pull together, but the good news is… We already did the work for you!
How to Make This Escape Room Inspired Puzzle Cash Gift Idea at Home
We created a series of simple clues—nothing too intense, but just enough to make them think, collaborate (loudly), and hopefully laugh at each other. Although, if you’ve ever done an escape room, you know things can go from giggles to “WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING THAT?!” real fast.
To crank up the fun, we built an entire backstory based on a family vacation and tied the clues to that little adventure. Because it’s way more fun if you come up with an elaborate backstory. Right?!
You Can Make an Escape Room Inspired Puzzle Too
And because we are all about people giving money in fun ways, we wanted to share this creative cash puzzle gift so you can make one without stress or guesswork (and also because we don’t want you to spend hours reinventing the wheel… you’re welcome). You, too, can become the fun aunt or uncle—the one all the kids talk about. Your family will thank you. (Or be mildly annoyed. Honestly, it could go either way.)
Here’s how we set it up, the storyline we used, and the exact clues we gave them:
Before we jump in, a quick note: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases—at no extra cost to you.
How to Make a “Where’s Waldo” Puzzle to Find the Cash
Here’s what you’ll need:
***Click on the bold words below, and it will link to exactly what we used. You can grab everything right on Amazon!
Where’s Waldo Book
Lock with 5 letters– our code is trail, so it needs to have those letters… or adjust the letters in the book accordingly
Sharpie or something else that won’t smear on the book
Straight Edge Ruler of some sort… We used a giant T-square because we had one. It was excessive. You can probably just use a ruler or anything else to help you make a straight line.
The first thing we did was come up with a silly story as to why they need to work for the money! Here is what we came up with:
The Storyline We Used
On our recent trip, disaster struck—we lost our camera! But that wasn’t our only problem. There was this one guy—he seemed to show up everywhere we went. At first, we thought, “Wow, small world!” But then we realized…
Like typical tourists, we kept accidentally dropping money everywhere we went.
And this guy—I think his name was Baldo… or maybe Zaldo… something like that—kept picking it up. We thought he was super shady lurking around all suspicious-like… but it turns out he was just trying to help!
In the end, he handed all of our money back to us… except now it’s locked in a box. He told us we could only open it if we remembered where he was when he found the money we dropped. He even gave us some hints. We told him, “Sir, we don’t have time for your little games.” So, he said he would give the challenge to you instead—since we give you money in weird ways for Christmas every year anyway. 😏 So here are the artistically documented clues he gave us. Each one tells where our money was found. He said a letter is attached to each one (whatever that means). Solve them in order to discover the password to unlock your treasure:
The Clues We Gave the Kids
🔎 Clues From Baldo (Or Zaldo… We Can’t Remember):
1️⃣ ________
Where our friend was when he found the money behind the tram.
2️⃣ ________
Where we dropped the money behind a bench that he found.
3️⃣ ________
Where our friend found the money we dropped by the woman changing her shoes.
4️⃣ ________
The money that we dropped, that he found next to a dangerous cannon.
5️⃣ ________
He found this one near a man falling—we hope he’s okay…
Once you fill in the blanks (from your search inside the book!) and combine the five answers in order—you’ll have the magic password! Unlock the box → Claim our lost money → Become heroes of the family treasure quest and get your Christmas present. It could not be any easier… except if maybe we just gave you the money, but what would be the fun of that?
If you want to make a copy of our google doc to easily modify for yourself… you can get that here:
Click here to get the google doc
Setting Up the Where’s Waldo Puzzle
Dividing the Pages into Quadrants
We started by grabbing a Sharpie and a ruler and dividing each page into four quadrants—very official, very arts-and-crafts-meets-FBI-investigation. Then we added a letter to each box. Only five of the letters actually matter, but we included all the letters that could possibly appear on the lock. Because these kids are clever, and we were not about to let them skim the pages and go, “Well that letter isn’t on the lock, so… skip!”
Nope. Not today. Not on our watch!
How We Hid the Letters
We’ll drop pictures of each page below so you can see exactly what we did. The pictures are taken at the cross where we put the clues and not the whole scene. Waldo may or may not be in these pictures. Have fun looking!
Page 5 is for Clue 2. The clue number didn’t make it into the image… sorry.
Oops! This one should have read BEHIND a tram. I blame my old eyes! Sorry.
Now For the Best Part
Once your clue book is ready, the cash is locked safely in the box (maybe with a few added treats), and you’ve celebrated your genius with a mug of wassail (or a well-deserved Dr. Pepper Zero), all that’s left to do is wrap up the book, slip the letter into an envelope, and hand it over to your totally unsuspecting victims… I mean, recipients. 😄 Then step back and enjoy the chaos.
This puzzle cash gift idea is such a simple way to make giving money feel thoughtful, creative, and unforgettable.
If you loved this little adventure, you’ll find even more fun, food, and creative hospitality ideas right here on Messy Joyful Journey — from easy treats to make while you scheme, to other simple ways to love people well.
