What To Do With Your Tax Return?-Shay’s Top 5

This is the hardest one to do; save the money. Put it in a "rainy day" account. I'm more of a spender not a saver although with the economy the way it is it would be really smart to save the money. You never know when you might need that little bit of extra cash for something important. The experts say you should have a 3 month reserve to cover your "fixed" expenses, like rent, mortgage, & bills. You can open a savings account at local banks or credit unions. Here are a couple of suggestions.

Paying off your debt is a smart move, especially these days. The less debt you carry the better off you are. You should try to pay a little more than your minimum payment. You might not be able to do a lot but it will help a little and it's wise to pay off your highest interest rate card first. Using a credit card for purchases can actually cost you double and triple the price of item in the first place.

Investing money is almost as hard as saving it but it will show you a much better return in the long run. There are many ways of investing, but most of us have 401k's or IRA's. If you add a little extra money to those accounts it will be making more interest and earning you more money. Plus, as long as you don't touch the money you don't have to pay taxes on it. There are some great investment firms with branch offices and independent officers here in Abilene. For general information about their firms you can check out these websites.

This is the most fun way to spend your tax return. Take that long awaited vacation and relax a little. Last year I used my tax refund to book a week long excursion to Puerto Rico. We rented a condo on the beach for a full week, rented a car for the week and drove along the coast finding things to do. We zip lined, kayaked, snorkeled, swam and ice cold fruity drinks on the balcony every nite. You don't necessarily have to take a long trip like that but at least plan a nice little getaway somewhere long enough to relax and rejuvenate!! You can see more of my "tax refund" vacation by checking out the links below.

So everybody likes this one...just go spend it, you earned it! When spending, most everyone buys the high ticket items like electronics. TV's (big ones), kindles, game systems, stereos and laptops/tablets are some of those items. However, it's up to you as to how and what you spend it on that's the fun of it all! I can think of lots of places to spend my money as I'm sure can you. However, here are some suggestions if you need a little help.