10 wacky ways to spend 'stimulus' money

Anyone can spend responsibly. Can you creatively blow it? We could.

By John Egan

Are you among those pondering what to do with that check from Uncle Sam's economic stimulus  plan? While there are wise ways to spend the stimulus money, there are some really zany ways, too. Here's 10 wacky suggestions on how to blow the windfall:

1. Spend a day treating 175 strangers to a free Big Mac at your local McDonald's.

2. Take a seven-day cruise from Seattle to Alaska on Holland America in May.

3. Offer to give your neighbor with the incessantly barking dog your entire rebate for a month's worth of quiet -- payable in daily $20 increments.

4. Put a down payment on the largest 1080p flat-panel LCD HDTV you can qualify for financing for -- and make sure it is bigger than your neighbor's.

5. Go down to the local animal shelter and pay the adoption fee on as many pets your rebate will fund and surprise your significant other with all your new pets.

6. Take your whole family skydiving.

7. Invest every dime in the videotapes of that fabulous real estate infomercial guru who says buying real estate with "double reversible indemnification notes" will let you work two hours a day and will make you rich, rich, rich!

8. Play the state lotto, putting $100 on the birthdays of yourself, your ma, your pa, your brother, your sister and your ex (that’ll teach her!)

9. Take your family's entire rebate, and without telling your spouse, splurge on one or two pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes.

10.  Three words: Beef bullion futures.

See related stories: "Will you really use economic stimulus money to pay off debt?," "10 wise ways to spend economic stimulus windfall."

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Published: February 13, 2008

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