Cash registry: It does exist

It is sometimes difficult to ask for what you truly want as a gift. After all, you don't want to seem like you are picky, overly choosy or ungrateful when receiving gifts. So for holidays and birthdays you may make do with keeping mum and being thankful for those sweaters or knickknacks you don't need. But what about when it comes to your wedding?

Industry experts say that more and more couples are coming into the marriage with their household already established. Whether they've chosen to live together during their engagement or have already accumulated their own housewares, there's a good chance that a new toaster or set of towels is not high on their priority lists. What many couples need and can use is cold, hard cash. But it's not so easy to ask for cash in a tactful way. That's where specialized gift registries come into play.

With the services of a cash or other type of gift registry, like Deposit a Gift (www.depositagift.com), couples can create a customized registry and Web site and ask guests to help build their dreams one dollar at a time.

Instead of shower or wedding guests showing up with a gift box or bag in tow, they simply deposit money toward an item the couple is saving for. This may be a new set of cabinets for their newly purchased home or a tool to place in the garage. With a brief description and a price attached to the registry item, guests can help fulfill the dollar amount needed for the couple to later purchase things they truly need.

Couples can use the registry as a savings account and watch the dollar amount grow. Later on they can go out and purchase the items they need or use the money for another purpose. There's no need to worry about duplicate blenders or engraved flatware that may never be put to use. Also, precious time doesn't need to be spent before the wedding sorting, storing and exchanging items that were gifted.

There are also advantages for the people doing the gifting. With the ease of a few mouse clicks, they're able to deposit money into the registry account. That means no fussing with stores or gift wrap, and certainly no lugging large gifts to a remote bridal shower location -- a task not easily done in heels.

A site like Deposit a Gift will charge a minimum service fee to oversee the bank account where the funds are being stored and for credit card and other processing charges. The fee can be paid by the person establishing the registry or the gift-givers. The money is held in an FDIC-backed bank account and can be withdrawn whenever you choose to cash out the account and the method of payment.

Cash registries provide a polite way of asking friends and relatives for the items you can really use to start your new lives together as a married couple. Furthermore, the same registry concept can be applied to any major events in life moving forward, from the birth of children to birthdays to holidays.

Learn more about cash registries at sites like DepositAGift.com, OurWishingWell.com and GoGift.com.