18 Smart Ways to Spend or Invest $1,000

Finding yourself with an extra stash of cash—whether it's a bonus, a gift, an inheritance or simply savings that have languished in a low-interest account— is a nice problem to have.

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Finding yourself with an extra stash of cash—whether it's a bonus, a gift, an inheritance or simply savings that have languished in a low-interest account— is a nice problem to have. And you may have your own priorities for what to do with it: Pay off credit cards, add to your emergency fund, put it in an IRA or pay off your mortgage. If none of those things excite you, consider our ideas for how to put $1,000 to work.

Our suggestions range from buying government bonds to making your home "smarter" using new technology to donating to a Kickstarter project. Take a look.

Have more to spend? You can also check out these great ways to use $10,000 and $100,000