A refund check from the government...part of that just doesn't sound right from the beginning. But let’s be clear. The refund check that the federal government may send you is not designed to spark the economy. The only purpose here is to make us “feel better” about the economy. Sen. Bob Corker has it right: “While I am always happy to see Americans get refunds from the federal government, especially when so many of our citizens are struggling, I do have strong reservations about the economic stimulus package. I find something inappropriate about a deficit-ridden federal government borrowing money from our grandchildren and sprinkling it across the country for a short-term fix that will do little, if anything, to jump-start our troubled economy.”

So what to do with that check? 

1.       Buy something from a local, small business, not a chain.

2.       Be compassionate and send the money back to Washington. Based on the explosive spending patterns of DC since 2002, Members of Congress need the “spending fix” more than you do.

3.       Open a savings account for a child. College is expensive.

4.       If you’re a husband and get the check, give it to your wife for Valentine’s Day. If you’re a wife and get the check, tell your husband he can add the refund to what he was going to spend on Valentine’s Day.

5.       Give the money to somebody who needs it worse than you do.

6.       Buy a tank of gas.

7.       Pay your healthcare deductible; buy two prescriptions not covered by an insurance plan.

8.       Buy a computer for a child. He or she is going to need it.

9.       Take a course in Spanish.

10.   Pay your taxes.