CNN Money has an interesting article today entitled Don't Spend Your Rebate Just Yet. With all the talk of recession and the craziness of the market this week, it's hard to imagine that anyone in their right mind would be contemplating how to spend a spare $600 that may be coming at some point in the future.
Why not create our own "rebates" this year by starting a Christmas fund of a minimum $50 per month in savings that can be drawn upon next December to make cash purchases for Christmas. I'm sure these stressful economic times are felt even more acutely by the many people who have recently received the credit card bills from their December purchases.
Productive families don't contemplate how to spend speculative money they might possibly receive. We economize, control our expenditures, recognize the value of saving and investing with a long-term perspective, and teach these traits to our kids.
