If you are planning on getting a refund this year you probably already have plans for how to spend it — maybe pay off the credit card, or buy those cute boots that have been calling your name — but you may not have thought of these ideas. Wait until you hear how a few SheKnows readers have spent their tax returns.
There are all kinds of practical ways to spend that tax refund this year, if you are lucky enough to get one. You could pay your bills in advance, start a college fund for the kids or even make an extra payment or two on that new car. But for every reasonable idea, there is an equally spontaneous or even outrageous idea that someone out there has thought of. Grab a notebook and pen and take a few notes on the fun these families had with their tax returns.
Designer duds
Sometimes there is that dress you just must have, and sometimes it’s a dress you will only wear once, but for a very good reason. Suzanne of Toulouse and Tonic confesses, “I spent my entire tax refund (and then some) on an expensive wedding dress that then got ruined before the wedding even began. It rained and then I went to the outside deck for pictures just before the ceremony and the hem of my dress dragged through all kinds of stuff. Dumb, dumb, dumb.”
Spontaneous splurge
Ever dream of just getting in the car and heading somewhere new? Courtney of Our Small Moments did just that, “last winter we drove over 1,500 miles in two days to show the kids the mountains in Colorado and then go back home again. It was crazy, but fun. We used our refund to help fund the gas and hotel room.”
Maybe your wedding dress isn’t tax deductible, but your makeup could be. Check out these six beauty products that are tax deductible >>
Fine wine
Before she got married or was bringing in a regular salary, Catherine confesses to spending her tax refund on expensive wine that she couldn’t afford at any other time of the year. “I still have a bottle that cost so much I couldn’t bring myself to open it… a little memento of my carefree and single days before I worried about our budget.”
Uplifting experience
A married mom of two, Mary* tucked away her tax return for plastic surgery. “After having two babies, what was left of my breasts was embarrassing. I discovered plastic surgery really wasn’t all that expensive or outrageous for me to consider. So when we got our tax return it was the perfect opportunity to make the purchase. For about $4000 I got my self-confidence back and feel as if my body is so much more proportionate,” Mary explains.
Still need to file? Try these 20 last-minute tax return tips >>
Whether you spend your tax refund on paying utility bills or stocking your wine cellar, enjoy a week or two with a plumped-up pocketbook. Life could be worse than splurging on surgery or a quick getaway — you could be paying instead of spending!
More on taxes
The new tax picture in 2013
5 tax deductions you didn’t know about
Just married? Get some tax tips before filing
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