I had to wait a couple weeks longer then some of my friends did for theirs, but my stimulus check finally arrived last Thursday. In today's blog post, I thought I'd share what I'm using my check for, and a few extra ideas for other things you can do with them. And I'm also sharing a fun and preppy spring outfit!
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Top // Skirt // Shoes // Necklace // Purse (old, very similar from same retailer here} // Watch c/o //
Anyways, over the past few weeks my thoughts have shifted a bit. Bottom line was that I was going to be getting a check (even though I didn't think I deserved one initially), and I wanted to view it as an unexpected blessing, and something to treat with care and thoughtfulness. This might be the only time in our lifetimes that the government just sends us money... for free, no strings attached! So I didn't want to be frivolous and irresponsible with it. As a Christian, I believe that God calls us to be good stewards of their financial resources, and this circumstance is especially unique. My check ending up arriving a bit later then the first round, but it gave me extra time to think and pray on how I wanted to use it. Here's what it'll be used for:
First and foremost, I knew I wanted to tithe a portion of it! I wanted it to be a special gift (different from the organizations that I normally support), and I prayed and thought about where I should gift part of it. God made the answer apparently clear to me... I ended up tithing a portion to the church I attended when I lived in Vermont. 😊The church community I found during my time there was one of the biggest bright spots in a really difficult year of my life, and I was never able to tithe very much to the church at the time I was attending. That church still means a lot to me and always will, so that was where I tithed part of my check!
The rest of the check will be going into my savings account until further notice. Even though I have been lucky enough to still have my job throughout all of this so far, a lot is still changing and shifting economically. Things could still get worse before they get better. While I'm hoping to still stay employed during all of this, if the pandemic has taught us anything it's that we can't predict what's to come. I keep hearing more and more stories of people in industries that they didn't think would be super affected, and now they're dealing with furloughs or layoffs. I want to save the majority of this check until I feel that it's safe enough not to (which I'm thinking will be a few months out?).
If things have improved greatly both health-wise and economically in the country by my birthday (first week of September), I'm hoping to withdraw a portion of the check and spend it on a big splurge purchase. I've had my eye on this bracelet for years now. I have two different dupe versions of it that I wear all the time, so I know that I would definitely use and get my money's worth out of the real deal. It's an investment jewelry piece and something I would probably have for the rest of my life! If I do end up spending any of my check, I want it to be on a thoughtful and meaningful purchase, not just something random like clothing or makeup. They also sell this jewelry designer at a local jewelry store right here in Charlottesville, so I love knowing that I'll be supporting a local business! My hope is to be buying the bracelet around my birthday! But obviously if things aren't great yet pandemic-wise, I'll probably keep all the money in savings a bit longer (aside from what I already tithed). If I do make the purchase, the remainder of the check will just continue to stay in savings!
So that's what I'll plan to be using mine for! If you're unsure of what to use your check for (and if you're in a healthy place with your savings accounts and still fully employed during this time), here are a few additional ideas I thought of:
- Put the whole check towards a debt- school or car loans, mortgage, credit card debt, etc.
- Plan to spend $120 of it per month (so it'll last a year!) at local businesses in your community.
- Challenge yourself to plan a trip for the future that costs right around $1200 with travel, lodging, food and excursions all factored in! (Just make sure if you book it now that it is 100% refundable if you will have to cancel.)
- Or try to plan a few different weekend trips for the rest of the year or 2021 using it- put a few hundred towards each!
- Pamper yourself by trying some new beauty or wellness treatments - great way to support local salons once they re-open.
- Invest it- add it to investments that you already have or start new ones.
- Save it to get the latest phone, computer, or other cool tech gadget.
- If you're engaged, put it towards your wedding dress or another fun wedding expense that you might've cut the budget on.
If you feel comfortable sharing, I'd love to hear how you're using your stimulus check! And if yours hasn't arrived yet and you are expecting one, remember you can check the status of it on the IRS website.
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
I'll be honest, I didn't feel one ounce of reservation about getting our stimulus check! But, I really do see your point of view. I was just excited for the boost. We needed new tires on one of our cars, and have been putting that off because it's such an annoying expense. So we did that, and the rest is in savings! I feel like it was supposed to stimulate the economy, so I'm not sure putting it in savings was the point, but that's what we wanted to do with it!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to read your perspective and how you decided to spend your stimulus check. It's funny because my husband and I file our taxes separately and everything from covid has REALLY effected his salary (but as a full time student hasn't done anything to my non-existent salary) but I get one and he doesn't. Not complaining of course, and obviously we will make a joint decision of what to do! I definitely plan to use the money to supplement portions of his income that are missing but if we were both working normally I love the idea of using it to help support small businesses, or saving!
ReplyDeleteFriend you are so responsible and smart- I wish I had handled my money that well when i was your age! We are using ours for the wedding- with having to add on a 2nd wedding this has come in VERY handy!
ReplyDeleteLoved hearing your perspective! We just got ours and haven't spent them yet. We owed on our taxes, so basically one of our stimulus checks went back to the government. Right now the rest is in savings.
ReplyDeleteLove how you think! I got mine today. Of course, I'm also tithing on it (to the church my husband and I pastor). This year I set on a "paying off all my debts" journey and we've paid off our car and 2 of our credit cards just since January. For the first time in a long time, I even have a savings! So, when this check came you'd think I'd throw it at some more debt. But, honestly, not only do I need a little pick-me-up after this situation, but I also want to do my part in stimulating the economy. After tithing, I'm going to be sprucing up our living room and purchasing things from some local boutiques and also some places online. It's both fun AND an investment into stores that may have seen some losses during the pandemic. This is the second stimulus check I've received in my lifetime. The first was like $800 thanks to GW Bush. If we continue on this trajectory, we may see it again while we're living. My word...I think I just wrote a whole blog post here! :)
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