I recently turned 45, and I'm lucky enough that both of my parents and my wife's parents are still around, and they still send me checks for my birthday. Not a lot, but it's sweet, and it's very much appreciated. I always try to put it towards something I want but don't need, because that's how they intend it.
This year I knocked that #$%* out of the park! I owned, drove, worked on, and occasionally lived in a '74 VW Bus for most of my 20s. It was the first place my wife and I lived together in 20 years ago. Mine was never anywhere near this tricked out, but the memories it brings back are worth far more than the cost.
