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It’s that time of year again: tax season. It’s hard not to get crabby with all the bill organization and filling out forms and mathematics. But after the number crunching is done – or you’ve visited H&R Block – you have one thing to look forward to receiving: you tax refund! Now, how are you going to spend it.

It’s always a good idea to have some extra cash put away for when the unexpected happens. You’re car breaks down; you’ve lost your rent check – it doesn’t have to be only for bad things. Maybe you just found out you’re expecting! Either way, having a backup stash makes life easier.

Student loans, credit cards, you name it. Let’s be honest; being in debt kind of sucks. The faster you can rid yourself of it, the less financial stress you’ll encounter. Also, if you are only paying minimum payments, chances are you’re probably only paying on the interest. Bigger payments make credit scores better.

Even if your tax refund isn’t that big, you could always invest in your home by using it for your house or rent payments. Or, maybe you’ve already paid your bill for the month. How nice would it be not to have to worry about rent for next month?

Driving a clunker? Time to upgrade. You could fix problems with your car or use the tax refund as a down payment on a new one. Sometimes dealers even have special sales and programs going on during tax season.

Maybe you’ve wanted to donate to an organization or relief fund for sometime now, but haven’t had the means to do it. Now’s your chance. You don’t have to donate your entire refund – unless you want to. Maybe you could commit to donate a third of it, or maybe $100. Organizations and funds are always glad to get any amount of donation – everything counts.