# Stimulus Check, what are your plans?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 11, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543 "2020-04-11T02:01:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 17\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/81 "2020-04-17T01:29:22Z")

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Right now it will go into covering some nonrecurring but unavoidable necesssary expenditures that happened or are happening this same quarter.

And I agree that if there’s any uncertainty as to what the rest of the year may bring, to hold on or use it only for what is necessary.

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**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/82 "2020-04-17T14:25:19Z")

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I’m one of those who don’t really need the stimulus money. And I didn’t approve of the Congressional bill. The stimulus funds cleared my bank on April 15th. On the 16th I sent the entire amount to [pay.gov](http://pay.gov) to help pay off the National Debt.

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/83 "2020-04-17T14:38:13Z")

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I ordered a Le Creuset dutch oven for my youngest son, who is an accomplished cook. Williams-Sonoma has them on sale for 20% off, and a good cook needs good tools.

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/84 "2020-04-17T18:21:31Z")

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I put half into my personal checking, half into business checking. It will help a little but isn’t life-changing by any means.

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**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/85 "2020-04-17T22:12:09Z")

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> [@ASGuy](#):
>
> I’m one of those who don’t really need the stimulus money. And I didn’t approve of the Congressional bill. The stimulus funds cleared my bank on April 15th. On the 16th I sent the entire amount to [pay.gov](http://pay.gov) to help pay off the National Debt.

Don’t forget that donations to the federal government (as well as most state and local governments in the US) are tax-deductible if you itemize.

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**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/86 "2020-04-17T23:30:25Z")

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It’s in savings for now.  
Mr. Celtic Knot is an essential worker, so his income continues. My part-time public school job will still pay me through what would be the end of the school year. My other part-time job will be suspended as long as the current shut-down continues. The CARES money will make up for 4 months of not working job#2. I’m hoping I can go back to work before 4 months so any money left will help us with our many debts.  
I am not expecting any splurge purchases with it. We may need to use some to buy new clothes since we are both losing weight.

**ASGuy** , I admire you. I don’t approve of the crazy spending by the gov’t, and many others say the same, but I don’t know of any other who actually does something constructive with the money they don’t need.

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**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/87 "2020-04-17T23:44:06Z")

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If and when I get my half of ours I intend to put it into my savings account. Hurricane season is right around the corner and I may need to use it for that.

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**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/88 "2020-04-17T23:57:51Z")

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Half to savings, half to Joe Biden’s campaign. I like the idea of taking money given me by Trump to help get Biden elected.

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**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/89 "2020-04-18T00:35:27Z")

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I don’t expect to get it until mid-May, and that’s _way_ to far in the future to make plans. 😃  
(Seriously, though, it feels like I’m talking next century, here)  
It’ll depend on the situation then. If I can, I’ll probably split it between paying down family debt, Meals on Wheels, and the RSPCA. Something like that.

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/90 "2020-04-18T00:55:59Z")

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We have ours squirreled away in the bank until this whole situation settles down. Already lost thousands on our investments, and who know what else will happen before this is all over and done? We’ll decide what to do with it afterward.

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**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/91 "2020-04-18T07:19:55Z")

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Two months rent and car insurance which kind of sucks to pay when we haven’t driven the car but two short trips in the past month, but Allstate needs their money. Luckily my work for Amazon is still fairly steady for now but I wonder how the next school term will be. Since the biggest chunk of my work revolves around college research studies it may start getting tighter soon.

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**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/92 "2020-04-18T08:19:15Z")

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> [@Dag\_Otto](#):
>
> Just received a notice that the funds hit the bank today. All $2,400 of it.
> 
> But I am not happy about it. The funds didn’t go into my account. They went into my parent’s account, which would be fine except my parents passed away in 2019 and 2020, and this is an estate account. And it’s such a pain in the ass to maintain an estate account that I was going to close this account just as soon as the 2019 taxes were paid. Which they were, federal taxes earlier and state taxes today. Fuck it, Donald J Trump insisted that his signature be on the check, and if he’s dumb enough to pay it to the deceased, well, who are the dead to complain?
> 
> So I’ll deal with that clusterfuck eventually. In the meantime, our stimulus money is still just a promise.

According to this [article](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-irs-is-sending-1200-stimulus-checks-to-dead-people-and-their-loved-ones-are-allowed-to-keep-the-money-experts-say-2020-04-16) the survivors get to keep it.

> [@](#):
>
> In Florida, tax preparer Adam Markowitz has also seen examples among his clientele of the IRS sending stimulus money to dead people this week. (He declined to go into more specifics to protect his clients’ privacy.)
> 
> What’s more, it appears the survivors can keep the money, Markowitz and other tax experts told MarketWatch.

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**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/93 "2020-04-18T11:16:52Z")

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This thread made me think about spreading money around, and supporting the community, so after looking at our finances after the property sale goes through, we realized that we don’t need the Spartan living we had planned. It’s not a bad idea, given that we don’t know how long this will last, but we can certainly afford to support local businesses we normally use, if not at the “old” rate, at least to a small extent-- after all, in helps ensure that they will be there when this is over.

Specifically, it rained yesterday morning, and was predicted to rain all day. Not great for getting the dog out. So I took her to daycare, the place I use when I work long days when I’m working. She just stayed half a day (they price half days, and whole days), but that was still 5.5 hours, and came home exhausted. I put a bigger tip than usual on the tab as well. This is a truly local business. They have two locations, but it is very much a local business.

Also, we ordered out for the first time. Our son has a pizza place he loves, and he hasn’t had it since lockdown, and has been jonesing for it. So we got it for lunch yesterday. Or, got it for him, for lunch. He can eat a small pie himself. Gave the driver 150% of our usual tip, which is normally generous. It’s a franchise of a chain, but it delivers. If that franchise should close, there wouldn’t be anyone to deliver to us, so it’s worth supporting. And a franchise means there is a local person in charge, who depends on it the same way an independent business person would, so it’s sort of a local business. It also represents several local jobs, including one Deaf person they took a chance on-- and discovered that now ALL the Deaf people in the area go to that store; and a transgendered person they don’t hide in back, so it’s an OK place.

We’re still being careful, using money for what we call “unnecessary but _non-frivolous_” expenses that help the community, and keeping them to to a minimum, and calling them that-- in other words, we wouldn’t take the dog to daycare because we were too lazy to walk her-- it’s an inclement weather option only, and we are still keeping non-home-cooked food to one order a week, but we have decided to support local businesses of franchises, particularly ones we want to survive the lockdown.

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**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/94 "2020-04-18T12:45:04Z")

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The money was deposited in my checking account on the 15th. It was a weird amount. $653 and change. I knew I didn’t qualify for the full $1200, but that is an odd amount. Anyway, I’m keeping $200 for mad money, and donating another $200 to charity. The final $200 will go into savings.

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**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/95 "2020-04-18T13:30:58Z")

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> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#):
>
> According to this [article](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-irs-is-sending-1200-stimulus-checks-to-dead-people-and-their-loved-ones-are-allowed-to-keep-the-money-experts-say-2020-04-16) the survivors get to keep it.

That would certainly make things easier, I hope the tax preparer’s opinion becomes the IRS position.

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**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/96 "2020-04-18T15:53:24Z")

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Does anyone know what the paper checks will actually look like with Trump’s name on them and all? Maybe they will become valuable collectibles in the distant future. I will probably just deposit mine in the bank so that some day my children can spend it all on beer and cigarettes.

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stimulus-check-what-are-your-plans/851543/97 "2020-04-18T18:46:02Z")

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My payment will be by check. However, I got the HHS notice yesterday that I received my provider check for seeing Medicare patients. That’s $30 that will go to my admin clerk, who’s doing a lot of extra work sorting out telehealth.

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