Apparently, it’s rude to ask people about money.
I’ve been told this before, and yet today I chose to ignore it and ask 10 women what they received back on their tax return and how they spent it. Because really, isn’t how much money people earn and what they spend it too much fun to be avoided because of some silly nod to manners or etiquette?
I found out that while a few women got less than $500 back from the tax man, many were receiving thousands of dollars from their return, prompting me to wonder who their accountant is and how I can contact them…
(NOTE: While these women were happy to share this with me, not so much with the rest of Australia, so I’ve given them all aliases. Like spies. But… the accounting kind.)
Kate
Kate received around $1500 on her tax return, which was less than usual thank you very much. Unfortunately, she had to spend the dosh paying off credit cards this year.
“I usually spend it on shopping for non-essential non-urgent things I’ve wanted for a long time like handbag, shoes, books that I never read.”
Emily
Emily got a shock when she received less than $200 on her tax return. Normally it’s enough to put towards a holiday, but this year it only just covered the cost of an unusually large phone bill.
“I usually spend it on travelling – it’s a way to reward myself at the end of the tax year.”
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Sam
Of course, some would just like to get anything back. Sam is used to paying a tax bill, but this time it was around $500 – “a lot more than I usually have to pay”.
Georgia
When Georgia got a whopping return of almost $3000 she was sensible with it, putting $2000 towards paying off her HECS debt. “The rest went towards boring stuff: flights, dentist etc.”
Sarah
A chunk of Sarah’s return of around $2000 went to the dentist as well, with rest going to car registration. unfortunately, this left none for the holiday she normally puts at least part of it towards.
Sandra
Sandra bought a new Louis Vuitton handbag and an Apple Mac Laptop for work – but hey, when you receive more than $5000 back you can afford to splurge. She says she normally saves the whole lot, but because her return was more than usual this year she treated herself before saving the rest.
Caitlyn
Despite receiving about $3500, Caitlyn says it all went to rent and general living expenses.
“Last year I put my tax money towards flights to Europe,” she says.
“Getting tax back is a nice bonus and I usually like to spend it on something out of the ordinary. This year, however, I had more living expenses, so just put it towards daily expenses.”
Lauren
Lauren’s usual return of around $300 just went into daily spending.
“My return isn’t enough to do anything exciting with.”
Ami
Ami’s return of around $3000 came at the perfect time to pay off her credit card debt.
“I usually put it towards my savings. It’s an easy way to have a decent amount of money in the bank for our next holiday.”
Deanne
Saving for holidays and paying off debt is a common theme. Deanne spent her roughly $2500 paying off debt from a holiday she took to Europe last year.
“Usually, I pay off debt or save it for necessities.”
What did you spend your tax return on this year?
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Top Comments
I got $6000..... I'll put three quarters in the mortgage and spend the rest of something for myself.
I got a $45 bill (change in income resulted in a HECS repayment shortfall). I'd rather pay the correct amount of tax throughout the year than rely on a payout at the end. I work a standard 9-5 with no uniform so have no claimables other than charitable donations.