Fantasy spending the tax refund

[SlowButSteady]

It's that time of year...tax refund time.

I'm fantasizing about how to allocate my refund. On the agenda are having the door to my horse trailer fixed (tack room door blew off in a windstorm) and a laptop computer.

What's on your list?

[Veronica]

Paying off my mother's car insurance.

V.

[kat_h]

I won't be getting a refund so I'm in the opposite position - trying to figure out what I can sell to pay what I'll owe.

[tulip]

No refund. I don't like to lend my money interest-free all year...I'd rather save up (and earn a little interest) and pay a bit at tax time.

[sundial]

Hubby is eyeing a zoom zoom bike.

[KnottedYet]

paying down my credit card.

[Zen]

Refund has come and gone.
Paid off some bills which is always a fantasy for me.

[emily_in_nc]

No refund -- we owe. We always try to come as close as possible to getting zero back/paying zero, preferring to invest our money ourselves rather than giving it to the government interest-free, but in 2007 a couple of circumstances resulted in our having to pay this year. Fortunately, my bonus from work will cover it, so that's that. It would have been nice to use my bonus for something fun, but 'tis not to be. Oh well, I'm very lucky to be getting one!

Emily

[trickytiger]

my refund went towards my first payment towards grad school next fall (to hold my spot and creditable towards tuition), and a commuter bike....

both very good things

[Bad JuJu]

We never get a refund either, but the Chief retired last year, so we're still not sure how that's going to shake out tax-wise. Preparing and filing our return is on my list as a spring break activity (ooh, fun ), so maybe in a couple of weeks I can start fantasizing along with the rest of you.

[Geonz]

Spring break tax filing for me, too. For the past two years I've filled 'em out and sent a check... and gotten a bigger check back, saying I did 'em wrong. I DON't LIKE THAT AT ALL. What if **I** was right and they figure it out in 10 years????

THe first time I figured it was just a boo-boo, but this time I"m going to **try** to actually know what to put in the blanks. (Both years... I wasn't sure. I'm a business partner. My other partners pay big bucks to get their taxes done because they have a million other complications.)

HOWEVER, I do have a fantasy windfall, I *hope.* I've got this account that went into escheat in Virginia, and it's supposed to take 8-10 weeks for them to dig it out... and it's been going on 7 ... so I might have a thousand some dollars.

But... I've gotten a couple of big ticket items already, so I'll probably toss a bonus payment into my mortgage and ... think about somethng to get for the house since my crystal ball says inflation will be here SOON and so that toilet will be lots cheaper now than in a year, when the price of hauling it here will double. And storm doors, and locks. And maybe something for the yard.

[Aggie_Ama]

We stayed in the recommended small refund (or small owe) area. Our $82 refund went to buy me some new Keen Hiking shoes. When we got married and still had students we would get big tax refunds, one year we bought living room furniture that is still serving us well 4 years later.

What really stinks is we withhold at the higher single rate and still barely get in the black. I feel like we pay a ton in taxes and yet our refunds have been $101 and $82 the last two years.

[shootingstar]

Just sock the money away...

If I really want something, I just try to budget for it, regardless of whether or not I get a refund. But it is nice to get it.