Tax Refund Ideas

Hi, hello, how's it going? Sorry about missing y'all on Monday. But to make up for my laziness busyness...I have a fun post for y'all today. So I've mentioned it before but this is my busy season at work, tax season. Full disclosure this is my first year filing my taxes all on my own. My jobs before this were either a) Babysitting so I didn't have a W2 or b) an hourly internship that my Mom filed for me, thanks Ma!

#AMEN

Filing your taxes can be way overwhelming but utilizing the multitude of online resources makes it so much simpler. So when tax filing is easy you can spend more of your time focusing on what you're going to do with your return! I'm going to break it down into some ideas...

ONE: Practicality

Of course you can always use your return for practical reasons. This is a great opportunity to invest it so you put your money to work for you. Can you tell I'm in the financial industry? Ha! If you haven't contributed to your IRA for the year, this might be a good move. You could also use your return to pay down any debt, do that home project you've been putting off, or put it into savings for a rainy day.

Are these the most fun ways to use your return? Of course not. But sometimes it's good to be practical and use this as an opportunity to "get ahead." 

TWO: Experiences

Well it's no secret here that this girl LOVES to travel. I truly don't think you can put a price on exploring the world around you and taking it all in. I've had the opportunity to see some great places. For all my recaps look here:

1. San Diego Part 1 & Part 2 

2. Russia 

3. Belgium Part 1 & Part 2

4. Spain Part 1 & Part 2

My sister and I in Spain!

5. Washington, DC

But experiences don't have to be expensive trips. They can be fun activities like amusement parks, zip lining, hiking, etc. Just grab some friends and put that money to work in your city. There are so many activities to get involved in.

Zip Lining recap here

One idea that I had for my tax return was a DIY spa day. I planned on going to my local spa and salon and getting a massage, a facial, and a blowout. You could always throw in a manicure/pedicure if you're feeling very adventurous! For those local to the Charlotte area I love Re Salon and Med Spa. 

THREE: Material Items

Of course you could always splurge and get some of those material items that you've wanted for awhile but just couldn't justify spending the big bucks on. If I had some money burning in my pocket I would splurge on these items...

I've been drooling over these TOMS Booties for awhile...swoon. 

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I love this bathing suit so much. I'm on a one piece kick and I never want to look older than my age so I think this one fits the bill. 

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I've been eyeing this beauty for a long time but can't pull the trigger because of the price.

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I love a good jumper. It's cute and casual and an easy statement piece. I love the pattern and shape of this. It gives you some shape while still being cool for the Carolina summers, which by the way I'm already dreading. 

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For me, I got a pretty good tax return this year because I was a student in 2015...thanks lifetime learning credit! I had original plans of doing the aforementioned DIY Spa day but a little furry creature grabbed my attention instead...

Gigi has sucked my tax return DRY but she's been worth every single penny. 

Overall, tax season is crazy for everyone. But instead of getting bogged down with the not so fun part it's best to utilize the resources available to you to answer any questions you have and/or file your taxes and spend the rest of your time brainstorming your refund treat :) Did y'all get good returns back? What are your plans with your returns?