I guess I'm cheap... Well, also young and raising small kids so expendable money isn't particularly plentiful. I give a gift(s) once, as in if I go to a shower, they get their gift there, and if I only go to the wedding, they get their gift at the wedding. I don't give two gifts. I try to use sales/ coupons/ discounted gift cards to buy things from the registry to be able to give more for less. I generally spend around $50 on close friends and family, but because of discounts, the value is usually closer to $75-$100. While it would be nice if I could give more, I don't feel guilty because it's what I can afford, and I try to include something homemade too, like candles, soap, or chocolates.
The last wedding I went to was for my dad and he received a really old pair of Vans shoes that I had worn for years that had duct tape over the toes because they were so worn out. I loved those things
. He hated them with a fiery passion
. So my present was to let him throw them away. He loved it! We didn't give them anything else, but he didn't give us anything when we got married either. It did cost us about $500 for the hotel and gas to go to his wedding though. And we spent a rather obscene amount of money on fireworks to launch during the reception (it was in his yard in the country), so I guess you could count that as a gift
.