Fascinating Site: howispentmystimulus.com is collecting stories and photos from people as to how they actually spent their $300 stimulus checks.
Its a crowd-sourcing project — people self submit photos of what they purchased, along with a description.
As you would imagine, some of the stories are terribly sad. . . .
I spent our stimulus check on the cable bill (which is north of a hundred dollahs a month) so I could watch the bottom pickers on the pump-monkey channel pick their bottoms, as they’ve been doing since last August.
Buy banks! Brokers and homebuilders too! Get in on the ground floor, my friends. Pick up some Fannie and Freddie, before they trade in the pink sheets. LOL.
I converted it to collectible silver coinage and hid it under the mattress; my own little protest vote.
1.) Cashed Check
2.) Placed cash in envelope; placed envelope in small pack with emergency goods and clothing (reside in earthquake territory)
3.) Feel very confident that buying power of cash will decrease a minimum of 10% by end of 2008
Mongo: Smart move. From personal experience in Katrina, there’s nothing like cash during a natural disaster. Got a few hundred from the ATM the day before, which I had never done before as I never had carried a lot of cash.
Now if I had just gotten my wife and me a pair of satellite phones….
Has anyone without kids received the max. amount of $1200???
I ask because my taxable income was way above the “guidelines”- which are pretty laughable to begin with-and I only got $600.
Starting to think here’s another sham to get you to think you are getting more so you “pre-spend” on the amount you think you will get….
Any input???
Ciao
MS
We spent our stimulus vacationing in Europe. Probably not what the idiots in Washington intended, but at least some restaurant and hotel owners in Amsterdam, Paris, and London were happy. I guess it’s at least better than Katrina victims spending their cash on beer and strippers…
Maybe I’m not being patriotic for not spending all of my money and then some?
I now consider myself and fam as “sheeple” since the wife & I got the whole $1200.
We put it in our Roth IRA.
1-1/2 income, empty nesters, 12 yrs to retirement. Our two married children trying to raise families in W. MI are struggling and using the ES money to make ends meet.
didn’t get my stimulus check yet but it should be $1,200. Going to pay down credit card debt and perhaps use that same credit card to pay for vacation in Jamaica. Im like 2000 miles away from 2 free round trip tix, so why not?
AIRE MON! See you at RICKS CAFE!
Yo! HCF! You think there aren’t people in the beer business? You think strippers don’t eat? Dollars thus spent stimulated the economy. As did the $600 I paid over and above my so-called dental insurance to get my last crown.
I bought a mossberg 590a1 pump shotgun(and some shells), a portable generator for the home, a bunker freezer for the garage, payed off my last CC and took my wife out for a nice dinner. Now I just need to buy loads of sale item meats in bulk and vacuum seal them. I already have loads of pasta , rice, and canned goods.
If the Mormons believe in having a years worth of food on hand why not me.
My garden looks great and I already have all my canning supplies on hand.
I bought some Hermes shoelaces at $150.00 a piece. Now I don’t feel inferior anymore.
Eco
Wyatt –
Just a clarification… I’m not hating on beer makers or strippers. They both do a great service for this country. I’m just making the statement that it’s not what most of the morally uptight government officials intended for the rebates to be spent on! =)
I went short 3 lots of aug crude @ 140.50….
Pray for me…..!
Blame the speculators….
Eco
Just covered @ 140.90…… Ouch….!
Eco
Clicked through to Speed Dating link on Adult Friend Finder, filled in my actual attributes.
econ-
Madness to short crude…..
I know you are aware of what is coming…..
There will be a time however I’m sure we will both get the “Not available” crap at that moment.
Seen that before.
Ciao
MS
I didn’t get one. But my tax dollars paid for many many people to go out and do their American duty of overconsuming relative to their income. I look forward to President Obama taking even more of my hard earned money and returning it to my fellow citizens so they can continue to live lifestyles far better than they should be able to afford given their productive output.
What stimulus check? We filed an extension and still haven’t filed. Looks like I got something to do over the 4th.
However, I actually just got my fiscal year bonus this AM. Wasn’t bad. :-)
I paid my taxes and all I got was a bag full of rocks!
A couple of days after the check arrived, my son said, “Dad, the car’s making a funny sound.” Then the cat got sick. So I guessed I stimulated the economy by making my mechanic and my vet happy, but it sure didn’t do much for my consumer sentiment.
Schumacher, yes. Got the full $1200 quite early. (Forget when, exactly.)
Immediately added it to my humble trading account.
“Madness to short crude…..”
I know…. More like madness to trade crude at all…… I’ve made it a rule to never trade crude or currencies (except for arbitrage). However, I was standing by the crap table with a load of chips in my pocket and I said what the F—. Just a little jobbing… I’d better go back to what works for me… I’m bored today, that’s the problem….
Anyway, thanks for the advice Michael, I’m going to take you up on it…
Econolicious
I sent it to a friend in L.A. who has been out of work for the last nine months to keep his car for another month so he can keep looking for a job.
We filed electronically by 4/15, but since my wife had to file a 1099, we owed about $1,200 which we paid electronically. For some stupid reason if you owed tax rather than received a rebate, you are forced to wait for the rebate check in the mail. We expect the full rebate of $1,200 so essentially we made a 3 month loan to the government. (Not that we can collect interest.)
If I really had $1,200 of disposable income I agree with David and would opt for the shotgun, shells and freezer; although you’d have to buy used with only $1,200. I prefer solar panels and a geothermal heating/cooling system to the generator. Generators require leaving the compound in search for diesel, and you’re liable to use up all your shotgun shells on people instead of food.
My wife and I just got our stimu-less check. We’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination. Yet the $42 wont even get us dinner out someplace (unless that place involves a drive thru or counter service).
Stimulus checks are sent out according to last two digits of your SSN – with mine being “88” – won’t get check until July (see IRS website).
Have already purchased solar panels and 24v DC submersible pump for second well on the property for irrigation purposes. Am doubling size of garden this spring from 400 sq ft to 800 – plan to double it next year again.
Tip for home gardeners – need a grain to survive? Look into Amaranth and Quinoa.
Me’n Goldilocks had some fun with some crack and a bottle of Jack
It will heat my house for about a month this winter. [censored]
Cashed the check. Took my wad of “folding money” to Grand Cayman for a scuba trip. Still looking to spend the last US$60 here in the transit lounge at GCM. Perhaps a rum cake or four?
Wanna hear something funny? Couple years ago I had a little tax problem. So I’ve been paying off that year’s taxes (with interest) on the installment plan. Had it down to about a grand.
So my $600 rebate? They kept the whole damn thing! Applied it to my balance.
True story.
Yeah, I know I owed them but Geezus, have a heart, no? Split it 50/50? Or at least send a guy enough for a bottle of Bushmills and a carton of Marlboros.
It looks like the check is helping to stimulate the economy of foreign countries also. People are spending it in Mexico, Europe, buying Japanese laptops, cars etc.
I didn’t get a check. I’m one of those who has to shoulder the burden for the rest of you.
Nice to see everyone had a good time partying and buying stuff they didn’t need on my dime.
Redistribution of wealth is a bunch of BS and will run this country into the ground.
Bill…the government would like to encourage you to work less, produce less, earn less, and thus be able to consume more….get with the program.
Gold.
Gold.
wow, I didn’t qualify but it is very interesting reading these. I like the person who used it for vacation in Europe. Were you able to buy half a pair of jeans in London with it?
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
We used ours to pay down the car loan. Didn’t stimulate anyone’s else’s economy. We just gypped the banking system out of some interest. I think W will be sending someone out to break our kneecaps.
$100 to food bank
$100 to World Vision
$100 to Episcopal Relief and Development Fund
$100 to Obama
$100 to Demo National Committee
$100 still to go to local charity