$600 Tax Rebate: What will you do?
 

For those Americans out there who have the $600 tax rebate coming to you soon, what do you plan to do with it?

They started printing and mailing checks today, which means you could see a check (or direct deposit, depending on how you got your federal tax refund) shortly. EDIT: Looks like it's only direct deposit for right now.

The news keeps saying that most Americans will NOT spend their $600 frivolously, but instead pay off bills or save it.

So - what do you intend to do with your $600 tax rebate?

Originally I was going to pay the IRS off because I owe them some $450 this year (long story from some fuck in payroll changing my holding claim from 1 to 3).

I am going to buy a more modern ride (2000 Dodge Neon) that someone is selling for $600, though a tripple would have been nice :tpg:

I intend to use it to pay off the trip to Virginia Beach I just returned from. Sure, it's paying off bills, but I spent frivolously on the trip in anticipation of the refund, so it counts.

Yes, yes it does. =D (Did you charge the whole trip??)

At least you're not running out and going on another vacation with it. Not that $600 is a whole hell of a lot of money.

I spent 2 grand over the last few weeks, what with travel, and the car and so forth. This'll go straight to that.

When is that $600 due anyway?

Depends on the last two of your social. 00-20 are supposed to get it May 2. 21-75 at some point, and 76-99 on May 12.

Well, I guess you could say that I already spent most of the $600 that I will be getting shortly. I bought a pair of nice sunglasses and a PSP with a couple games. That doesn't add up to $600, but those are expenditures that I would not have normally made had I not been getting the stipend. I figured that because the government's intention was for me to spend the money frivolously to help stimulate the economy, I should probably do so. It's a win-win situation, I get stuff and I help others in the process. Mostly I just wanted stuff though. Sup materialism.

Between today and the end of July, I believe. The schedule is based on the first last 2 digits of your social security number. Here's the time table:

Direct deposit:
00-20: May 2
21-75: May 9
76-99: May 16

Checks:
00-09: May 16
10-18: May 23
19-25: May 30
26-38: June 6
39-51: June 13
52-63: June 20
64-75: June 27
76-87: July 4
88-99: July 11

Sass, what's your source? I browsed through a few links and found two charts both of which had different numbers. The last was usgov.about.gibberish, so I figured it was decently accurate maybe-ish?

But that chart had the first checks going out May 9, and the last deposits being received May 12, with July 4 being the final check.

I'm gonna get my passenger side car door repainted. It got keyed. :(

Here and here.

My rebate ($300) is going to fund illegal activities and purchase illegal and controlled substances. That is to say, I won't be handing that cash back to the gov't, hell naw.

It'll be nice to have some scratch out there on the pavement this time around, maybe the Beaner won't have to buy all the beer. And maybe Canada will give me more than a ten day Visa if I have some change in my pocket.

Or maybe it'll be long gone by the time I get into the Great White North. Who knows? Regardless, it's money that I didn't count on having, so I'm pretty freaking excited.

Food and bills. As much as I'd like to spend the money on, say, a nice HDTV, I think I'd better save the money for the necessities.

The article is pretty accurate. I'll be paying off bills and getting rid of my credit card (if at all possible). So, sorry economy: I've put off paying some stuff for too long now and this is just a perfect way to get caught up. I'd LIKE to say it would be spent on Hookers and Blow, but well, that's not something I can do at the moment.

I only get $300. All of it will immediately be used to pay bills.

In all likelyhood, I will just throw it in the bank and chalk it up as about one month's worth of rent, but were I to spend it, I would put it towards one of the following:

- Six Feet Under complete series DVD box set
- iPod Touch

Then again, I might not get one, since if your parents claimed you as a dependent, you're totally screwed out of one. My dad doesn't remember if he did, or if he even could, but I guess I'll find out. I would hate to lose that quick and easy $300 though, damn.

It's going directly into savings toward a car. I have to get a car by august so I don't have to take a 2-3 hour bus ride to school every day.

I think this whole thing is a pointless waste of money though. It wont help the economy. The majority will pay off debt or put it in gas/food. So they're printing more money for nothing. It will make things worse..

But hey if they want to give me free money go ahead.

Yes, I put everything I spent on my Visa card. That's usually what I do when I go out of town, so I don't have to worry about balancing my checkbook. I usually go to the beach in the spring and fall anyway, but at least this time I didn't have to worry about how much I was spending.

Apparently you get more money for each person you claim as a dependent. I'm not sure how much it is though, since it depends on how much they made last year.

Is it only me - or does the calculator on the IRS website not work?

Worked for me earlier. It's pretty straight forward, but you'll need your tax returns for 2007 on hand. (It asks your income listed, the form you used, so on)

Or, I think it's pretty safe to assume that provided you filed your taxes, owed nothing, and no one claimed you as a dependent, you'll be getting your check.

I'm not sure about this $300 business though. I should read more about that.

I think the $300 is for people under the reportable threshold or on benefits or something.

Well according to the calculator I'm getting 300$. I only made ~9k in 2007 though. Minimum wage ftw.

For a brief span, I had to add on a private loan with an outrageous interest rate to my suite of student loans, so this check plus my income tax refund is going entirely into making that go away. Fortunately there's no early repayment fee, so if I can kill it entirely with one fell swoop, it will make life a LOT easier down the road.