Origami Money = Moneygami
A lot of people have been looking for ways to fold money. Like.. How to fold money into a flower… and How to fold money into a heart… How to fold money into a bunny… and How to fold money into a cross.
Lately, this subject has intrigued me, too. Mostly, I’ve been looking for ways to give memorable restaurant tips to servers and small gifts to the people I meet when I travel.
You’ve gotta admit… Small tokens of appreciation in the form of folded money make one heck of a first impression! Plus, even if the person doesn’t “spend” the money, they will also have a small token to remember our interaction.
The closest I ever came to folding money into creative shapes before this was in high school when we used to fold dollar bills into the shape of triangles. (I guess we didn’t know how to fold paper footballs). Then we would try to flip the dollar triangles through fake field goals. We did this whenever we were bored in class.
Perhaps this 3D modular cube made from $1 dollar bills could also be useful when making your own fun DIY games. There’s a big hole in the center that could be used as a “basket” to catch things in.
As a kid, I also made those folded origami paper games (often called cootie catchers or fortune tellers or chatterboxes).
We used them as random probability pickers in our childish games. We would all sit in a circle and the leader would ask someone a question. Then, she would start opening and closing the chatterbox repeatedly — as if to “shake the dice.” She would shuffle quickly through all of the possible ways that the various answers could land on top, only to eventually reveal ONE funny answer (that had previously been written on each portion of the triangles) that made absolutely no sense with regard to the question that was asked. Oh, those were the days…
Today, teachers use them as a fun way for their students to review course material!
Anyway, back to the point of this article…
I think that folded money (aka “origami money” or “moneygami”) is a great way to give money as a gift. It’s also a fun (and memorable) way to leave a cash tip for someone who’s gone above and beyond as a server!
Following are some really cool ways to turn your dollar bills into creative shapes for those two purposes.
How To Fold Dollar Bills (aka Moneygami)
My latest find while searching for unique money folding origami ideas is this collection of Folded Money Faces Wearing Hats.
I think it’s so cool that just by folding a dollar bill a different way (or using a different denomination of paper money), you can create an entirely different THING!
See how to do it yourself in this video:
But that’s not all…
There are SO many clever ways to do money origami.
I’ve saved all of my favorite money folding tutorials below — to help you make your own money gifts and server tips using folded dollar bills.
How To Fold Money Into Specific Shapes From A To Z: Tutorials
- Folded Money Airplane – Instructions / Video (here’s a concord plane and a fighter jet)
- Folded Dollar Alphabet (letters A to Z) – Instructions / Video
- Origami Money Arrow – Instructions / Video (here’s another arrow shape)
- Money Origami Dollar Boat – Instructions / Video (here’s a sailboat and a ship and a cruise ship)
- Folded Dollar Bow – Instructions / Video (here’s a full-size bowtie you can wear)
- Folded Money Bunny Rabbit – Instructions / Video (here’s another rabbit with bigger ears)
- Moneygami Butterfly – Instructions / Video
- Origami Money Car – Instructions / Video (here’s the $1 convertible)
- Folded Dollar Cat – Instructions / Video (here’s another cat)
- Money Origami Christmas Tree – Instructions / Video (here’s another style of Christmas tree and here’s a $4 Christmas tree)
- Folded Money Dinosaur – Instructions / Video (here’s another dinosaur)
- Folded Dollar Dog – Instructions / Video (here’s a cool bulldog and a shepherd dog and a dog bone)
- Origami Money Dragon – Instructions / Video
- Money Origami Dress – Instructions / Video (here’s a fancy dress and a cute dress)
- Folded Money Duck – Instructions / Video (here’s a swan and a goose)
- Origami Money Elephant – Instructions / Video
- Money Origami Fish – Instructions / Video (here’s a catfish)
- Moneygami Flower – Instructions / Video (here are some dainty flowers)
- Folded Money Guitar – Instructions / Video (here’s an electric guitar)
- Moneygami Heart – Instructions / Video (here’s an even easier heart)
- Origami Money House – Instructions / Video (here’s another style of house)
- Folded Dollar Owl – Instructions / Video
- Money Origami Pants – Instructions / Video
- Origami Money Peacock – Instructions / Video
- Moneygami Ring – Instructions / Video
- Origami Money Rocket – Instructions / Video (here’s another fun rocket and a spaceship)
- Folded Dollar Shark – Instructions / Video
- Moneygami Shirt – Instructions / Video
- Origami Money Skull – Instructions / Video
- Folded Dollar Snake – Instructions / Video (here’s another type of snake)
- Origami Money Star – Instructions / Video (here’s a small puff star)
- Money Origami Teddy Bear – Instructions / Video
- Origami Money Twin Towers – Instructions / Video
- Folded Dollar Unicorn – Instructions / Video (here’s another unicorn)
- Folded Money Frog – Instructions / Video (here’s another jumping frog)
How To Add Embellishments To Your Folded Money: Tiny Add-ons
Don’t overlook all of the tiny embellishments you could add onto your folded money creations!
Some examples:
- You could add googly eyes like they did with this funny bunny money origami.
- Or, add a heart or a star on top like they did with this money origami Christmas tree.
- Or, add a tiny little bow on top — like this DIY money box that looks like a wrapped gift!
- You could even put a coin inside of your folded money gift — like this moneygami heart with a quarter inside.
- Practically any type of 3D shape can be added onto folded money objects to make your creation look dimensional with a pop of color or movement.
I like the self-adhesive ones the best.
Oh, and when you’re shopping for these small pieces, the sizes can be deceiving at first — so make sure to get the right size for the exact spot where you’ll be placing it on your folded money origami.
Creative Ways To Fold Money As A Cash Tip For Your Server
This video shows lots of clever ways to leave a tip using folded dollar bills:
Or… just give a dollar bill with heart!
This one is a 2-in-1 heartfelt moneygami original:
Creative Ways To Fold Money As A Gift For Someone You Love
Origami money is also a really cool way to gift money without the need for money envelopes or bulky cards.
Or… you could just make your own DIY money tree!
Here are some traditional celebratory events where you can give the gift of cash by folding it origami money style:
- Graduation Money Gifts (like this folded money origami graduation cap & diploma)
- Birthday Cash Gifts (like these origami candy pieces made from dollar bills or these folded money gift boxes)
- Celebratory Lei Necklace Money Gifts
I dare you to find me a server at a bar or restaurant who wouldn’t love to receive their tip in the form of one of these folded money origami concoctions!
I especially like this small money box with a lid and handle and this money box with a sliding lid and this money box with a flip-top lid — this origami money box even has a cute bow! They’re the perfect size to tuck a small precious gift inside — like an engagement ring, a pair of earrings, or the key to a new car!
Or, perhaps a DIY small money bag that’s made with folded money is more your style. Or this small moneygami box with hearts on top.
By the way… You’ve probably heard of Edible Arrangements, right?
But have you heard of Spendable Arrangements? They’re SO cool! (pictured here as a flower bouquet made from folded dollar bills)
Everyone loves money as a gift. But giving cash in a card can be boring. Make it memorable with a REAL money bouquet that comes beautifully gift wrapped & ready to ship. It’s the gift that keeps giving!
Want to make your own flower bouquet from folded money to give as a gift?
Here are some fun variations…
Moneygami lily flowers are super-cute. So are roses. And these dainty folded money origami flowers.
This video shows how to make a rose money origami flower with no glue:
And here are some step-by-step directions to make your own flower bouquet arrangement using dollar bills:
Want to share the love with fellow Christians?
One final idea of the gift-giving kind is something that I personally like to do whenever I meet someone new…
As a Christian, I like to share my faith and my love of Jesus with others.
So when I’m traveling, I like to give away these $1 folded money crosses to special people I meet during my travels.
I like this particular style of origami cross — because it clearly shows the words “In God We Trust” across the center beam of the cross:
Along these same lines, here’s a pair of hearts moneygami example — that shows the “In God We Trust” inscription between the two hearts.
Another good idea in the Christian theme is these folded money angels:
The Bottom Line
There are SO many fun shapes that you can make using a simple $1 dollar bill!
I hope you’ve found these tutorials and videos as interesting and helpful as I have. Every time I make a new friend, I come back to this page to find something unique that I can make for them.
Here is my one final tip…
When you’re making fun shapes out of dollar bills, it’s easier to make well-defined creases if you use crisp new dollar bills. It also “looks” best to the recipient — when you’re giving these money origami items away as gifts or cash tips. Here are your options:
- You could exchange old used money for the same amount of brand new never used $1 dollar bills at any bank – there’s no fee.
- You could buy “fake” money that looks real on Amazon. Use play money that’s the exact same size for all of your practicing, then use “real” money for the final versions of all your money origami projects.
- You could use a regular household iron (set on LOW) to iron out the creases in older dollar bills that have been spent as money and are now wrinkled & worn. Be sure to either soak the bills in water first, or spritz them with steam from the iron. (Some say that soaking the dollar bills in a bowl of water first works best.)
Money folding resources that I’ve found to be helpful:
- DIY Origami Money App – for Android (free)
- DIY Money Origami App – for iOS (nominal fee)
- Fun Things You Can Do With A Dollar Bill – a list of fun ideas, many I’d never thought of before
- The Buck Book: Things To Do Will Dollar Bills Besides Spend Them – lots of unique moneygami ideas
- Dollar Bill Origami – dozens of step-by-step instructions for folding money into objects
- How To Fold Money Into Origami Gifts – everything from boxes and rings to bows and crosses
- Origami Resource Center – shows how to fold money into every shape possible
- Dollar Bill Origami On TikTok – everything from alphabet letters to a full-size crown to wear on your head
Always on the lookout for a good bargain, I consider myself a frugal person — but not cheap. And not afraid to spend money on the things that matter. I like to share good deals with others when I find them. One of my favorite ways to save money is to reuse items in ways other than their intended purpose — so I write a lot about outside-the-box ideas that most people wouldn't think of! When I'm not saving money or looking for good deals, you'll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
