6 Money-Smart Ways to Spend Your Third Stimulus Check

If you don't have to use your third stimulus check for basic necessities, consider putting the money to work for you. You'll thank yourself later.

picture of person putting coins in jars with plants growing in them
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Under a new stimulus bill signed by President Biden, millions of Americans will receive a third stimulus check in the coming weeks. Third-round payments will be for $1,400 per eligible person, plus an additional $1,400 for each eligible dependent (use our Third Stimulus Check Calculator to see how much you'll get). Many families who have lost income during the coronavirus pandemic will need to use their checks to put food on the table or keep a roof over their heads. But if you're still fully employed and not financially distressed, consider putting your stimulus check to work.

With many restaurants still closed and most events shut down, it's more difficult to "waste" your third stimulus check on vacations, eating out, attending a concert and the like. So, instead of spending your third stimulus check on something you really don't need, think about investing, saving, or donating the money you receive from Uncle Sam.

Here are 6 ways you can make your third stimulus check work for you or help your community.

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Sandra Block
Senior Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Block joined Kiplinger in June 2012 from USA Today, where she was a reporter and personal finance columnist for more than 15 years. Prior to that, she worked for the Akron Beacon-Journal and Dow Jones Newswires. In 1993, she was a Knight-Bagehot fellow in economics and business journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has a BA in communications from Bethany College in Bethany, W.Va.