Say you got a nice little tax refund..

16 years ago

(not that I have--I haven't even done my taxes yet!)

But say you did. What would you do with the money, if the only rule was that you had to do something fun with it? No paying down credit card bills, school loans, mortgage payment, putting it in your savings account.

What would you think of as the most creative use of the money?

(I'm still giving my ideas lots of consideration--pay for a school class to go to a movie after school once a week for a month? work with teachers to help students create their own stories and illustrations and then make them into books for them? blow it all on a plane ticket to someplace very warm, very quiet and with a great room-service chef? LOL!)

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Comments (26)

User
16 years ago
I'd go on a vacation, or at least go to the beach for a short visit, or maybe go see a friend.
carol_in_california
16 years ago
I would fly to NYC to see my son, my very wonderful DIL and my even more wonderful grandchildren.
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azzalea
16 years ago
We always get a refund, and it's NOT fun or found money. It's money you worked hard to earn, that the government took from you--some people say illegally since the income tax, when enacted was supposed to be just a temporary tax. When you are lucky enough to get it back, it should--IMO--NEVER be used as free spending money. It's money you need to use very responsibly.

When we get our refund, it goes immediately into our Money Market account, and it pays our homeowners and auto insurance for the next year, and generally about 6 months of utility/phone bills.

I don't get the premise that a tax refund is 'found' money that should be spent frivolously. But then, I'm a first-born.

Now, if you won a contest, or got an unexpected inheritance, then I could see spending a small portion of it for fun stuff. I've got an envelope right now, that's one of those, that I plan to use for something really fun. Just haven't made up my mind--maybe an electronic book, or a flat screen TV, or maybe a better jigsaw than I have now to cut my spoons with. Or perhaps a really nice sewing machine. Oh, or another Turner sculpture--haven't bought one in quite a while. But with him retiring, they're getting more pricey. Still, knowing me, I'll probably end up buying something for the house, that we need (kitchen table and chairs, utility sink for the laundry room, etc)
glenda_al
16 years ago
A cruiser, but would love to go on Crystal cruise, transatlantic. I'm a Carnival person. Would love to upgrade.
lilliepad
16 years ago
When I get any back it goes to pay my property taxes for the year.If there's any left we might splurge on something if it's not a big amount.Haven't even done mine yet.I doubt we will get any back,probably have to pay this year.
Sally Brownlee
16 years ago
I do the same as lillie. I have a separate savings account for my property taxes and insurance. I diligently put money in that account until I have enough to cover the whole year. Sadly that includes my whole refund...
molly109
16 years ago
Good grief - this was supposed to be a fun, light
question. Just to see what you would do for something
different and/or fun.

No wonder this Message Board is sneered about at other
ones.

Lighten up, people.

I'm sorry, Pammyfay. If I had some FOUND money with
no strings attached EXCEPT not to pay bills, etc., I
would go to California and visit my brother for a little
bit (of course, someone needs to get me off work) LOL

And, believe it or not - I pay income tax too!!!!
marilyn_c
16 years ago
I would spend it on my house...which may not sound like so much fun, but I'd love to get it finished. The guy who was working on it, ran off with $8,000 of my money.
Marilyn Sue
16 years ago
If I had some money no matter where it came from, I would fix up my house and yard. That would make me very happy.

Sue
linda_in_iowa
16 years ago
I would probably travel to Italy. I love to travel.
If you were talking about winning a lottery, I would donate some to Sonoma State University in CA, where I used to work. When I worked there, my coworkers and I used to joke about winning the lottery and donating money to a part of a new building and putting our name on it.
Sally Brownlee
16 years ago
okay Molly you're right, this was not supposed to be a serious thread.

Keepin' it light...Totally fun money??

I would go to Sweden and pick out a brand new car and have it shipped home.
And spend some time vacationing while I was there!
(such a dreamer!)

well, that's a BIG chunk...and my tax return is no where near that, so maybe I would rent a motor home and take a few weeks to travel around.
Mystical Manns
16 years ago
Oh, Marilyn ... that's terrible!

Typically our refund has gone to pay annual property taxes which is NOT FUN. LOL!

When we desginate 'fun money' DH and I split it and he buys what he wants, and I buy what I want. Sometimes we have a joint 'something' that we both want and we pool the money to get it. When we split it, we agreed years ago to not say ONE WORD to the other person about what they decide to buy. Don't care how silly it is, how unnecessary ... it's THEIR money and they don't have to answer to the other.

So! For me, this year, I've decided to shoot for a little vacation to California to be in the audience of the Ellen show. I'm saving for that, and if I got a refund I'd apply it to this trip. I've asked a dear friend if she'd like to go and she said YES. Now we need to decide a timeframe of when she & I can both get away so I can start trying to get tickets. I've never done anything so frivolous before, this is definitely going to be an adventure!
organic_donna
16 years ago
I would go to Marc Oster, who is a hypnotist. I want to try and alleviate both my chronic back pain and my bruxism. I also want him to hypnotize me into dealing with my last 5-7 years of work before I retire. I just can't seem to be able to get through those last few work years.
It would cost around $1500.00.
Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: Marc Oster
samkaren
16 years ago
I'm getting my refund next week. With it I am buying 3 CD's and a DVD. Not sure what I will do with the rest of it.

SamKaren
your resident DJ
susie53_gw
16 years ago
Since we are retired we no longer get refunds... BUT, if we were to get one I would stretch it as far as I could. I would share with the hubby but mine would go for flowers, a couple day trips, some items for our food pantry, a few things for the grandkids and maybe tuck a little back for a surprise or two.. Now you have me wishing for a refund...

Susie
good36
16 years ago
Oh my gosh.... I would go to Mexico for a week and be pampered. All inclusive and fun fun fun!

azzalea
Why don't you up your exceptions on your paychecks? Then the gov does not take as much. We very rarely get much if any back, but we always come pretty darn close. Just a thought since you mentioned it.
pris
16 years ago
This is my first year filing as a "retired person" so don't know what to expect. I do have the last of my mortgage interest to claim. Paid off the house in November. WooHoo. And I have out of pocket medical but it remains to be seen if it adds up to enough. I'm thinking it's going to be close because of the cost of insurance being so high.

So, to answer your question. Probably not enough coming back to have much fun. I'll probably splurge on some designer coffee. LOL
clubm
16 years ago
I'm sorry to hear what happen to you Marilyn. That's horrible!! We
haven't done our taxes yet but depending the amt we get back we will more then likely do a repair in the house.
trishaw
16 years ago
If I could do anything? Wow. Hmm, I think I would take a nice trip with DH & kids to California to visit with family. His family and mine are only a few hours apart so it could be done. We did it all the time when we lived there! I would make plans for the entire clan to do something fun. Like a day at Disney!

Trish
cynic
16 years ago
I'd probably hire someone to punch the person in the nose who made a rule I had to fritter away my money. That's the type of philosophy that put so many people in dire financial straits. Spending money on things they shouldn't, putting fun before practicality, resulting in the loss of their homes, cars, jobs, possibly marriage and raising havoc in their families in general. If you can't budget and have to rely on a tax refund as income, you should spend it on some education on how to handle money! LOL
azzalea
16 years ago
Good36--we actually purposely have extra taken out. It's intentional. For a number of reasons. If you read the contest/raffle thread, I enter and win contests. Taxes are not taken out of those winnings so it helps to have a little extra cushion on those years we need it. When we don't, we enjoy getting that nice refund. In this economy, the interest lost is peanuts, anyway. I know a lot of folks prefer to get and spend their money, we like saving--and do so in many ways. This is just one of them.
coffeemom
16 years ago
I'm doing alot of geneological research so I would love to go to Chicago and forage for family facts.
Now if I won the lotto....I'd like to go to the Czech Republic and visit the towns of my people...and drink beer.
okwriter
16 years ago
I read the instructions: it has to be something fun!

CRUISE!
mrsmarv
16 years ago
I'm with Linda...off to Italy I'd go. Do you think they'd give us a "group" rate LOL?
patti43
16 years ago
I want a great big fat check. If I got one, I'd buy this rundown big old Southern house in Macintosh, a town halfway between Ocala and Gainesville. I see it every time we go to VA and it's in just terrible shape.

It's a big 2-story place with pillars and a big front porch. The lot stands on a hill and has the most beautiful old oak trees on it. It needs someone to love it and I sure wish we could be the ones.

Harry and I did/redid an old house very similar to what Marilyn c is doing now and I love reading her posts so I can sort of relive the experience. It was a lot of work and hours and the most fun we ever had. I'd love to do it again, even though I didn't have a fingernail for years! :-) Of course I can say how much fun it was NOW!

Such a nice dream!
susanjf_gw
16 years ago
we havn't done taxes yet eiterh but am hoping our usual refund will go into the "take a first big vacation in 20 years", fund... lol..

kids gave us a small cert twards renting an rv...now dil, dd, and i are talking mt. rushmore!

Say you got a nice little tax refund..

Comments (26)

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carol_in_california

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