"The payments will not reduce your refund next year," the IRS said in its release. "In fact, if your stimulus payment is less than the maximum amount ... it is possible to receive an additional credit amount, up to the maximum, on your 2008 tax return. If your advance payment is more than the credit calculated on your 2008 tax return, you will not have to repay the difference."

Maybe you'll get to spend some of that money after all, Barbara.

A friend of mine, Wendy, wrote in an e-mail that she plans to deposit her rebate into savings.

"I guess Americans more patriotic than me will have to shoulder the awesome burden of stimulating the economy," she wrote.

Come on, Wendy! Do your part! At least buy a new power tool!

My mom's plans aren't much more "spendy," as she would say. She sent me an e-mail to say she plans to save the windfall to help pay for a trip she and my dad will take from their South Dakota home to Europe with their church choir next summer.

"Will that help the U.S. economy or Europe's? Maybe a little of both," she wrote.

I say, spend it all at home, Mom! And if you're having trouble deciding how, send it to your son!

(Can you tell that I still really want that TV?)

If you want to share how you plan to spend your rebate, it's not too late. In a few weeks, I plan to ask some of the financial advisers I consult regularly for their recommendations on what to do with the money.

Or, if you have a financial question, I'd love to hear that, too. Just send an e-mail to gkratz@desnews

.com or a letter to the Deseret Morning News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.

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E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com