$600 (or more) in your pocket?

Have you received your check(s) in the mail yet? Your $600+ economic rebate check?

If not, I've heard they are on the way.

This leads me to another question: have you decided what you'll do with that unexpected money? As wise women striving to live intentionally, we should consider what to do with it before we see it in our hand or bank account, and decide on a whim to take friends or family out to dinner!

A CNN/Opinion Research poll found that 41% of respondents plan to use their rebates to pay off bills, and 32% will put the money in savings. Just 21% of those polled intend to spend the money, while 3% said they will donate the extra money to charity.

Our government is telling us to spend, spend, spend to get the economy moving. But I imagine that there are plenty of people who don't need any encouragement to spend this extra money.

So I'm going to challenge you to do something counter-cultural.....give it away.

"What? Give it away?!" I know it sounds crazy, but why not? You got an unexpected check in the mail. There are people in real need....give them a surprise gift! Send someone a Cub gift card. Mail a gas card to a family in need. Send a Target or Walmart gift card to friends in need. Adopt a child in another country - at $30 a month you could feed him or her for an entire year. Write out a nice check to the local food shelves. Give to a non-profit organization that is hurting due to a rough economy. Send some money to a family who is struggling to pay their bills.

Whatever you do, use it in a way that reflects your values and priorities. If shopping is a value then maybe we need to have a one-on-one discussion about priorities :)

If you're interested in reading about different ways people are planning to spend their money, check out this article: What will Americans do with rebates? While there are some unique and honorable ideas mentioned, it states that 70% of people are planning to pay down debt or put the money into their bank account.

This local video gives us taste of what Minnesotans are planning to do....



I challenge you: Is it about saving the economy or is it about contributing to a cause bigger than yourself? Pay down a little debt if that is the financially wise thing for you to do. But if you've got a roof over your head, food in the fridge and your bills are paid, why not use some or all of that money on a cause beyond yourself?