Refund check paying property taxes. Where's yours going?

[KSinTX]

Bush just announced the stimulus checks are "in the mail," so to speak and I realized that mine is going into the bank until county tax bill comes in. Are you buying stuff or paying bills with yours?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Paying bills, probably.

Or else throwing it into the Black Hole of Home Repairs.

[Chan790]

2. Mine is being pooled with my tax return and about $1500 in rolled change...

to buy the following things:

One Vespa LX 50 scooter (To get the fuck around. I don't have a license and the Vespa gets 90mpg.)

One Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi DSLR Camera w/EF-S 18-55mm II Lens (Aspiring art photographer...staged scene portraiture.)

Pay the security dep. and 1st mo. rent on an apartment. (I've been joking to my friends that I'm leaving the nest...again.)

and if anything is left:

Upgrade parts for my road bicycle. (combination transportation and exercise)

Aquatic center membership (I have bad joints and need to lose 100lbs.)

Espresso machine of undetermined make and model. (I'm a barista by trade...I need my daily morning triple 8oz. whole-milk mocha cappuccino.)

[KSinTX]

3. LOVE the Vespa idea

I have a license and a Highlander. That Vespa's looking better with every fill-up!

[kentauros]

5. A Canon Rebel XTi, huh?

I have one of those, and it's a great camera :)
There are some things I haven't figured out how to use and the autofocus can be a pain sometimes, but it's still a versatile DSLR. I'd like to get the macro lens for close-up photography, but it's about $400.

My "refund/rebate" check will simply go into savings; I have enough spare income to afford things for photography, such as getting a new printer, large format - Canon PIXMA Pro9000

:)

[DS1]

8. I have that printer

It's a beast, getting it to do 13x19 is tricky but the results are fantastic

[kentauros]

9. Yeah, I've had to make sure I have the desktop space for it

but my 6-year-old Epson is dying and I would like something that can take advantage of the 10.1 mp resolution of the Canon XTi.

I just have to figure out how to get pics of the Moon that aren't over-exposed. A friend in NZ has a Fuji Finepix and she's getting binocular-resolution images with a point-and-shoot! Drives me nuts :crazy:

[Chan790]

20. Nice printer!

For the time being, I'm relying on professional printing services...trying to not make a several thousand dollar investment in equipment until I know that I enjoy the work (I have a history of loving doing something right up until I'm getting paid for it.) and that people will pay money to hang my "vision" on their walls because it's non-traditional.

It's a career exploration in a sense.

[Deja Q]

72. I prefer the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 (pigment inks), but I was impressed by the Canon...

I won't get near another HP anytime soon...

[meegbear]

4. Actually will buy something with it ...

When I bought my condo back in 2006, one of the ammenities was a 32" flat screen TV (all units got one.) And, of course, mine is the one with the shitty pixelization.

So I plan to buy a new 32" for the living room and move that one into the bedroom. I have an old 26" I'll take out and I have just a cable jack there, so no concern what the quality is.

What blows is that I will get $600 less in next years refund, but I'm used to President Fucktard screwing me over "for my own good".

[Beer Snob-50]

6. first year of college for my son

i don't know if that is what shrub had in mind but still....

[sarge43]

7. Going into savings. Buy fuel oil this January. n/t

[crispini]

10. Well, I'm not getting a check,

but -- get this -- I actually got a refund check from my mortgage company FOR my property taxes. LOL. Apparently I overpaid the escrow account or some such. :rofl:

I'm socking mine in the Rainy Day fund, just in case. :D

[KSinTX]

14. Save it until they figure some "fee" to take it back! They're fun, no?

[cemaphonic]

37. Something like this happened to us

The previous owners of our house had only been paying the property taxes on the unimproved value of the land (fortunately, we caught this well before closing and made sure that the county wasn't going to get any funny ideas about US paying a decade of back taxes...) As a result, nobody knew what the property taxes would actually be, and title companies being the risk-averse cheapskates that they are estimated on the high side, both for closing and for the monthly payments. So we ended up getting over $3000 back in refund payments before the whole mess was straightened out.

[malta blue]

11. paying bills

[JoDog]

12. Towards security deposit

on new apartment/rental house. Someplace I can plop down and stay for a few years awaiting the outcome of a lawsuit.

[Sweet Freedom]

13. My attorney (divorce) /nt

[JoDog]

15. My sister's

is going to an attorney too. Bankruptcy.

[Phillycat]

16. I so enjoy the fact that ours is going into the fund for our move to France for September.

This country won't benefit from one penny of that money. :D

[Blue Diadem]

17. Ours is going for property taxes too. n/t

[NMDemDist2]

18. I'm gonna stash most of it. but am gonna use some of it to switch cell phone companies

I'm tired of getting ripped off for crap service.

[hobbit709]

19. Gas and groceries

It will supplement the unemployment money.

[KSinTX]

22. Are you unemployed following service?

Or have you been out a while?

[hobbit709]

31. My wife got terminated after 32 years on the job in Feb

I'm living on $600/mo disability. I got out of the Air Farce in 1973, so the only thing I get is my VA medical.

[KSinTX]

32. That is one big, fat shame. Sorry to hear it & hope all turns out well. nt

[Kajsa]

21. Paying bills.

I'm trying to whittle them down.

[Tikki]

24. Paying bills....

Even with insurance medical bills are brutal.


The Tikkis

[Kajsa]

27. Yes they are, Tikki!

They are a major portion of my CC debt!

:(

[flvegan]

23. Going towards attic insulation.

I expect it to save me $100/mo 7 months of the year. Plus, I'm doing my part to decrease how much energy I use. It'll help increase the value of my home, I suppose, as well in the long run.

Good investment, I think.

[Kajsa]

28. VERY smart move, Fivegan!

You'll be more comfortable, too.

I wish my landlord could see the good reasoning
for this.

:( :hi:

[flvegan]

35. I feel your pain.

My landlord (who I was lucky to get away from a year and a half ago) had the house I was renting almost UNinsulated. Florida during the summer, the a/c never shut off. $400/mo elec bill wasn't uncommon.

[Kajsa]

36. Yikes! That's really bad!

Our uninsulated rental house is like a glorified
shoebox.

Plus, with the 40 year old heater, the gas bills
come to $ 120.-$150/mo in the winter.

In the summer, the livingroom is a sweat house.


And this is in OC, Kahlifornia.

:(

[bertha katzenengel]

25. Getting out of my AT&T contract.

God DAMN, but AT&T coverage and service SUCK!

[NMDemDist2]

26. I"m doing the same with Sprint

Alltel is the company to go with around here

[bertha katzenengel]

29. we're going with Verizon, although i really don't know if that's the

best choice.

we just want to get away from sucky at&t

[Kajsa]

33. Hi AZ Dem!

My son did that last year.

He switched to T Mobile and never looked back.

I have to wait till my Sprint contract expires in
another year and a half.

:hi:

[NMDemDist2]

57. I'm not waiting for the contract to expire, I'm using my "stimulus check" to buy it out

they were fine in AZ but the coverage stinks here in NM

Hubby's had enough, I managed to talk him off the ledge with the promise we'd do it in May

:hi:

[Lyric]

30. Two months' rent (June and July), catching up with

utility bills, and buying groceries and cat/dog food with whatever's left afterward. I'm going to use the $$$ from my writing awards to buy a new air conditioner, because our old mobile home is literally an oven in the summer without it, and our old AC is busted.

Then I'm going to pray that we find jobs and transportation *fast*, in order to get through the summer in safety and health. My best to you and yours. :hug:

[BarenakedLady]

34. Paying off credit card debit.

[petronius]

38. Mine is going back into my savings account to fill the hole left by the

massive checks I had to write on April 14th. Apparently, my employer is not clear on the concept of 'withholding'... :grr:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

39. set of tires for the car....

[stuntcat]

40. my husband got a bonus at work, like untaxed or something :( so

so we don't get a refund at all :( While everyone else gets their check we have to remember ours was a few mounts ago.
Anyway we did NOT go crazy spending it, we put it in the bank.

[KSinTX]

61. I just barely broke even but what's left is going to county taxes

not much stimulus happening here!

[bikebloke]

41. Savings

Until I have to pay it back the next tax time. That's what was expected and happened with the last one.

[Inchworm]

42. Towards a vehicle

I have been without ride for 2 or so months.

It definatly sucks.

:hi:

[Iggo]

43. Direct deposit. I'll never even notice.

They should've given me cash. THAT I would've spent.

[RebelOne]

44. Probably into my savings account.

I was going to put it into my IRA, but because of the stock market fluctuations, I took a $400 hit in my IRA, so at this time I am afraid to put any more money into it.

[limit18]

45. Spend mine on pleasure

[texanwitch]

46. I am giving it to a friend to pay off her credit card bill,

Between the two of us the bill will be almost payed off.

It will be worth it to have my friend smile again.

She will pay me back a little at a time.

[KSinTX]

51. What a lovely gesture!

When it's paid off, she'd better be giggling all over the place :hug:

[Westegg]

47. It's already gone. This is Bush's plan?...

...That I'm gonna go spend money on something I don't need to stimulate the economy? Sorry, ass-wipe. That ain't my reality. Bush, in his final year (yay!) is presiding over an economy that is going to hell. The price of this war is obscene. Does no one remember the late '60s, Vietnam, the death of LBJ's progressive plans for this country? History repeating itself. No one talks about the pure financial cost of this fucking war! I don't get it.

[Iris]

48. paying back taxes.

I won't even see a check - it will just come of my back taxes bill.

[SeattleGirl]

49. Back to the IRS

MrSG works 2 jobs, and one of them royally screwed him in taking out taxes, so we owe $1200 to Uncle Sam. Our refund check should cover that.

Happy, happy, joy, joy. x(

[Initech]

50. I'm going to stimulate the beerconomy!

Keep that money in America - buy beer! :beer:

[CBHagman]

52. Dental bills.

I would have been spending it on something else if A) my insurance covered more of the expense and/or B) I hadn't needed the services of my trusty dentist and the oral surgeon. :cry:

[Adsos Letter]

53. toward next semester's tuition...all $1800...

[leeroysphitz]

54. I'm going to use mine to hoard rice. I'll keep it all in a shed out back.

What could go wrong?

[Hobarticus]

58. When you hoard rice, the terr'rists win...

Especially with a delicious lamb kebob and grilled tomato and green pepper.

[KSinTX]

60. Rice hoarding ... who knew my two faves would ever collide?

Food shortages and Wal-Mart. What a dastardly combo!

[grannylib]

55. Little of both. Pay a couple of bills and buy paint for the house.

It needs it a lot.

[cordelia]

56. Any credit card debt, or

extra principal on my mortgage. Or a combo.

[huskerlaw]

59. Half is going to pay down the car loan

Half is going in my saving's account.

[trackfan]

62. I had an emergency root canal this morning -

That $1340 more than eats up my stimulus check.

[Kool Kitty]

64. Ugh. Hope you are feeling okay.

Why does that always happen? As soon as we get ten extra bucks, someone or some furbaby gets sick or something needs to be fixed. Never can we say, hey-we have an extra buck here. Let's do something. On edit-ours is going in the bank. Because you never know.

[Left Is Write]

63. Not getting a refund. If you mean the rebate check - well, that'll be paying my tax bill.

[JackDragna]

65. I'm donating my cash to the poor.

A drop in the bucket for how badly the poor get screwed in this country, but it's better than nothing. To hell with Bush, Congress and anyone who gives money away as "stimulus" while continuing to enforce the policies that make everyone but the privileged few poorer.

[Scooter24]

66. I didn't qualify

:cry:

But yay to those who are getting one! Hope it helps. :)

[jerryster]

67. paying down credit card n/t

[Tabasco_Dave]

68. Get my clutch fixed

My mechanic is gonna a big chunk of my stimulus check. :cry:

[dembotoz]

69. to catch up

maybe save a little for a dinner out
happy meal

[Roon]

70. I am getting a new cell phone

I have been using hand me downs for a few years so it's going to be nice to get a brand new one.

[femmocrat]

71. I just decided this today.

We have two dead trees that need to be cut down. That is where the money is going.
Now is the time.

Hey bush, "Need some wood?" ;)

[Critters2]

73. Goin' in the bank

for whatever needs come along.

[sandsavage]

74. Back to square

one.LOL We are going to buy a new wood stove. Set up our old one last year. Burned wood all winter. It is older than dirt. But then so is Hubby and I.We are very fortunate to have our own wood lot on our property. Hubby and I are retired, do all the work ourselves. Actually it is kind of fun,once we get the kinks worked out in these old bodies. The log splitter and little tractor doesn't use much gas. We can sure use that refund. Wood stoves are expensive.Just when you think a wood stove is a thing of the past, it is now a blessing to use.

[spinbaby]

75. I'll just fritter it away...

...on gas and groceries. If there's any left over, I'll buy something extravagant. Maybe some socks.

[haele]

76. Just remember - any tax liablity gets taken out of the check -

As we ended up owing the feds over $900 between this year and last year, the stimulas check is pretty much going there. I'm sure they'll dig back far enough they'll find something owed from before we were married. If we get $200 out of the $1500 we supposedly were to get, I'd be suprised.

Haele

[triguy46]

77. Part of a down payment on a Civic Hybrid.