Abraham Lincoln found himself at the head of a government that was divided amongst itself on how to proceed, given that the southern half of the country was teetering on the edge of secession.
I've noticed that employees don't contribute much when the envelope makes its rounds. I'd say their contributions average $3 per person, tops. I don't want to appear cheap to our boss presenting him with a departmental retirement gift of less than $200 (there is 60 people in the department). I want to ask the staff to increase their contribution to $30 per person, so we can give my boss an $1800 gift.
The average amount spent on gifts this year will be about $109 per wedding, but nearly twice that if the bride or groom is a close family member. And, of course, it's not just guests that are dropping serious cash on the Big Day. According to The Knot's 2013 Real Weddings report, marrying couples are now shelling out $30,000 on average for their weddings and spending an average of $220 per guest.