If $3000 Was Just Handed to You At the Beginning of Every Year...

i'd do both splurge & put towards finacial situation...

Both. Actually, I'd put $1000 away in savings, use $1000 towards bills owed and $1000 on things I want or need to do. So, when are you going to start sending it to me??? LOL **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

Hello ParaTed2k, My personal and family expenditures are already well below our income. We don't use credit cards or buy something that we can't afford within our budget. So, an extra $3000 would be totally a bonus for me, and in my homeland that isn't a small sum. What I'll do with it? First off, I don't like getting anything that I haven't earned myself. So, my answer is a hypothetical one. But, it can be real for funds that are somehow related to my own work or income like work bonus etc. Given that it is not a small amount in my homeland, I'll look for someone who is capable and competent to run a small business but don't have resources to do that. And, there are many such people, trust me! I'll help him/her start a small business so that he/she is no more a liability on my national economy but rather a contributor. And, as this business would be set on profit sharing (between that person and me), I'll be getting my extra income from this business. Getting this much amount every year means setting up small businesses every year and an ever increasing mutual financial benefit! :-) I have done that before, though with the finances that I earned myself (i.e. not from Government or anybody else). It worked very well, not as much for me personally as it has for people whom I helped to start small businesses. They crossed from being receivers of help to givers. I am quite happy with that!:-)

I would use it to pay off some bills. And if we had any left over any year I would either put it back in savings or depending on our financial status take a small vacation.

If you are referring to receiving a $3,000 tax return every year, then it isn't free money- it's actually yours that you overpaid the govenment in your federal taxes. While it's nice to get that "chunk" of money, the government has held it for, free of interest and you'd be better off receiving the extra money in you paycheck, investing it in a Roth IRA and letting it earn some interest (interest you wouldn't have to report until you withdraw it from the IRA) As for what I would do with $3,000. I'd pay down my credit card and any other bills I have, put a small piece towards a vacation for my family and the bulk would go into my Roth IRA. Oh yeah, I'd take my hubby out to dinner...dinner for the two of us, no kiddies! LOL

i would probably use it to pay of a bit off of my mortgage - not a big one to splurge on something until I am sure all my bills etc are under control

..I'd definitely pay off some debt.. so our budget would be looser!

I would use it to pay off plastic, if it had a balance, then I would either use it to save for a new car or pay down the mortgage. Figure in 10 years, I could save for a mighty nice car.

here in the philippines, it is equivalent more or less to 120,000 pesos. with it,i can be able to pay some of my debts and some of it will be invest in a business in which i can improve my financial situation.

I'd either put it in saving or I would use it to pay off debt. I'm a simple girl

$3000 is a pathetic amount it won't go far at all but I would use it to pay bills.

First I'd pay off my car. Then I'd put it into a Roth IRA account.

I would do both. I would do something special with some of the money and I would put the rest on outstanding debts.

I think i would save it. I would save it depending on the situation, because you never know when you might hit a rough patch, but i might spend it if i had nothing that i needed it for specially. Maybe for something like a holiday or something important?

wow... and because i am from the philippines that would be 144,000 pesos. i have four children and i am a single mom. if that amount would be handed to me yearly well i wont have a problem on my childrens education.

3000 dollars, that's quite a chunk. I'd split it in half. So 1,500 would go toward my child her insurance, her college. And other things to improve her life. Another 1500 would go to our retirement fund and improvements to home and family time. That would be nice.

I would invest $2000 into some high-interest account for a 12-month term ech year and keep re-investing. Eventually it would make a nice profit, especially 5 years later when there is now $10,000 plus interest. The rest of the money ($1000 left at the beginning of the year after investing $2000) would go into an emergency fund.