How to Make a Money Lei: 2 Easy Methods for Graduation

For the dollar store method you need three things: a plastic flower lei from a dollar store, a stack of crisp one-dollar bills, and a tape dispenser. Count the plastic separators between the flowers on your lei first. The lei in this video has 34 separators so it needs $34. Smaller leis exist - if yours has 24 separators, grab 24 bills instead. Hit an ATM the day before if you do not already have singles on hand. Crisp bills fold cleaner and the finished fan holds its shape longer.

Take one bill and fold it in half lengthwise, lining up the long edges. Press the crease with your fingernail until it lays flat. Fold in half again the same direction. Then fold in half one more time. Three folds total. The bill is now a thin strip about an inch wide. Sharp creases matter here - they are what give the finished bill its fanned shape later. Open the bill back up. Across George Washington you will see a row of parallel creases ready for the next step.

Open the creased bill flat. Now fold along the existing creases in an accordion pattern: ridge up, ridge down, ridge up, ridge down. Push each crease in the opposite direction from the one next to it. When you are done you have a tight pleated strip that looks like a tiny green fan when squeezed in the middle. Pinch the center to gather the pleats and wrap a small piece of cellophane tape around it to lock the shape. The bill now stays in a bowtie or fan shape on its own. Repeat for all 34 bills.

Pick up the flower lei and find the first plastic separator - the little plastic ring between two flowers that holds them in place on the cord. Take a fan-folded bill, slip the center behind the separator, and bring the two folded ends around to meet in front. Tape the two ends together so the bill wraps around the separator like a green bow. Done. Move to the next separator and repeat. The bill sits like a fanned green flower nestled next to each plastic flower. Work your way all the way around the lei.

That is Method 1 done. The fanned bills tuck between the purple flowers and the whole lei looks like a fresh tropical bouquet of cash. Total spend: $34 in bills plus whatever the lei cost at the dollar store (usually $1 to $3). Total time: about 20 minutes once you have a folding rhythm. This is the method to use if graduation is tomorrow morning and you forgot. You can make three of these in an hour if you have multiple graduates in the family.

For the paper lei method, start by cutting construction paper into rectangles the same size as a dollar bill - 6 inches long by 2.5 inches wide. Use a ruler and pencil to mark the cuts, then run scissors or a paper cutter along the lines. Pick two colors that match the graduate's school. Purple and yellow like this video work for LSU or East Carolina. Black and gold for Vanderbilt. Maize and blue for Michigan. Cut at least 24 paper rectangles per lei - 12 of each color if you are alternating. Have the same number of one-dollar bills ready.

Fold each paper rectangle exactly like the dollar bills earlier: in half, in half, in half. Then open it back up and accordion-fold along the creases - ridge up, ridge down, all the way across. Do not tape the center this time. The paper stays in a loose fan because in the next step you will gather and secure it with string, not tape. Repeat for every paper rectangle and every dollar bill. You will end up with a pile of loose paper fans alternating with loose bill fans.

Measure out 8 feet of cotton string, jute twine, or thin satin ribbon. Cut it. Fold the whole piece in half so you have two parallel strands running side by side. Pinch them about 2 to 3 inches from the folded end and tie an overhand knot. That leaves a small loop at the top you can use to hang the lei or tie off later, and the doubled string below becomes the spine that holds the bills and paper fans together. Pick string strong enough to support 24 bills without snapping at the knots.

Slide a fan-folded dollar bill between the two strands of string, lining its center up with the knot you just tied. Fold the two outer ends of the bill toward the front so they meet in the middle, gathering the fan into a tight rosette. Tape the two ends together where they meet. Now bring both strands of string up over the top of the rosette and tie another knot right against the bill. That knot locks the bill in place so it cannot slide around when the graduate wears the lei.

Add a paper fan the same way you added the bill: slide it between the strings against the last knot, fold the edges in to gather a rosette, tape, then tie a knot above it. Alternate colors as you go - bill, purple paper, bill, yellow paper, bill, purple - so the finished lei has a striped look in school colors. If you want extra sparkle, slide a decorative bead onto the string between every few fans and knot it in. Keep going until you have used all your bills and paper fans, then tie the two free ends together at the back to close the loop.

Method 2 done. The paper fans bulk up the lei so 24 bills look like a much bigger gift than the cash alone, and the school-color paper personalizes it in a way the dollar store version cannot match. Tie the free string ends into a small bow at the back of the neck and the lei is ready to wear. Both methods are valid graduation gifts - the dollar store version is faster to make, the paper version costs less per dollar of visible gift and matches school spirit. Pick whichever fits the graduate, the school, and your weekend.