posted on May 5, 2008 03:52:47 PM new
I will do my part and spend mine as soon as I get it. It might not be the answer to our problems in this country but I am an American and will do my part.
posted on May 5, 2008 05:04:36 PM new
I'm with you toolhound. Spend it before they take it back. The little bit of interest it will earn it you save it will be taxed again, any way, so do your part and spend the darn thing!!
posted on May 5, 2008 05:23:27 PM new
Claude, I very much doubt you got an economic stimulus check.
We didn't either.
Didn't matter; I can't think of anything to buy.
I doubt it mattered to the owners of an open house yesterday. It's a short sale as they are in default on the mortgage. Bought it in 2004 for $2.1 million; offering it now for $1.795 million or please-please-please make us an offer.
In the post-bubble days of 2002 we called people like that "former Webmasters."
fLufF
-- Now updated daily. Jewelry news, views and pretty baubles for those with low impulse control.
I haven't gotten the kids' returns back from the accountant yet (we file extensions), but I think that they'll get stimulus checks. No Wii games for them, though: the checks will be deposited right into their college funds.
BTW, where is it that CPAs go right after April 15? Mine is always really close to finishing the return by the 15th; we file an extension, and here we are in May with no word from him.
Not being able to think of something to buy is a wonderful place to be, Fluff, but it seems Un-American. I'm somewhat there with you; I can't think of anything reasonable that I want... maybe a Nikon D3 camera body, but I think I'd look like a wanker using it.
posted on May 5, 2008 06:09:09 PM new
One of the advantages of having survived to middle age is that one's illusions about brand names are stripped away.
It's also one of the disadvantages.
When you understand that a brand is pretty much nothing but marketing hype, one loses the compulsion to identify oneself with that brand by acquiring many branded objects. But what, then, do you lust after?
I do have a 70-something aunt, though, who adores all things Coach, so it's not a universal rule, but at least it makes her easy to shop for.
fLufF
--
Now updated daily. Jewelry news, views and pretty baubles for those with low impulse control.
posted on May 5, 2008 07:45:56 PM newBTW, where is it that CPAs go right after April 15? Mine is always really close to finishing the return by the 15th; we file an extension, and here we are in May with no word from him.
Possibly taking a much needed break or catching up on "other" accounting stuff, like my husband.
posted on May 5, 2008 09:43:13 PM newSpend it before they take it back.
Don't worry, they won't take it back until next year's refund. THEN, they'll take as much of it as they can get, right off the top. Fool yourself all you want, one way or the other, you're gonna spend this money on increased fuel and food, not on goodies you want but don't need.
posted on May 6, 2008 04:49:30 AM new
Zippy, I hope it's Hawaii for all future years.
Deichen, I was hoping that they had a secret rendezvous somewhere, with secret handshakes and big bonfires.
Fluff, you want to know what I've lusted after for the past 25+ years? I've wanted to get up on the weekend (when I wake up, not to an alarm), get the Times off the driveway, and spend a couple of hours reading, drinking coffee, eating bagels, talking with my wife (and kids) without thinking that I had to get ready to drive somebody to a practice, game, etc. It has happened a few times, and it is very relaxing. So, I lust for that to happen as the norm rather than the exception. I know that, once I get there, I'll long for the days when the kids were always around, needing rides, etc.
I'm glad to say that my kids have proven to be mostly immune from brand-name fetishes, with the exception that we're a Nikon family. Given the cost of lenses/flash/etc., it does make sense to settle on a camera brand. There's also less "re-learning" time when going from one Nikon to another.
FWIW, the majority of our TVs (and projector) are Sony. I never intended it that way, but it worked out like that.
posted on May 7, 2008 04:19:59 AM new
We're not getting one here, but if we were I wouldn't be spending it on fun things. I'd be spending it on the $700 heating bill we have here. I still don't understand where the federal government got the money when we have such a huge deficit! They're robbing Peter to pay Paul again.
"I still don't understand where the federal government got the money"
It's simple. They can (figuratively) print as much money as they care to.
If you "print" more money than you have goods to back it up, you have inflation (i.e., too much money chasing too few goods).
This in turn means that your dollar is worth fewer Euro, Yuan, etc. Which means that, ultimately, as a COUNTRY, there really was no increase in buying power, you just "front-loaded" the spending by sending the checks.
Even globally, with billions of people on the planet, there still is no such thing as a free lunch.
