Stimulus???

We were quite excited to find our Stimulus/Rebate check in the mailbox on Saturday. We were heading out of town & didn't get to deposit it, but yesterday it made our checking account look so FULL! THAT's a switch!

Here is where I'm not sure how this check is supposed to stimulate the economy. I suppose if we used it for purchases only it might do just that. However, according to the news I heard recently, we are going to use ours like most other Americans are: to pay bills. We know longer have credit cards, but we have medical bills (remember, the ER staff knows us by name). We'll pay on each of several medical bills we have. Somehow, the insurance didn't pick up much of our allergy testing done in DECEMBER when we'd already met our deductible & out of pocket expense. I'm not sure how that happened. So, we will stimulate our doctors' wallets with a government check. Makes me think socialized medicine might not be so bad!

We WILL spend a bit on ourselves. We're getting Six Flags Fiesta Texas passes, which we've done every year for several years now. We can't afford a vacation, and Phil has no days off (he used them all and borrowed some in January when his dad was ill), so heading to the theme park will have to do. Phil works about 10 minutes or so from the park, so he likes to run by after work & hit the coasters mid-week when it's not so crowded. The girls like a lot of rides and the water park. Me? I like shows and sitting in the water doing nothing. Mostly when we go I just sit in the heat doing nothing while they ride rides! I think I should take a book with me, except I think it would get wet. The library no doubt would frown on that! Oh, yes, that is yet another thing to pay: library fines. Last night I took things back so they'd be in before a fine incurred. As I got to the library, I realized the 3 dvd's that were due back were on my desk! We'll get them in today. If we look really pitiful maybe they'll have mercy & erase our fine from those!

What we'd LIKE to do with the money (besides the obvious spend it on fun stuff to do) is to use it to somehow help us earn more money or save money. Phil has been checking into converting a car to bio-diesel for awhile now. He's also looking at a bigger motorcycle (more reliable) to use for driving to work. They get WAY better gas mileage than the van or car.

So, after this stimulating reading, what are YOU doing with your stimulus check? Leave a comment & let me know!