by Chrystina Trulove-Reyes

Created on: August 26, 2008   Last Updated: March 22, 2010

While some government rebate checks (also known as 'kickers') have already been sent out, our government has noticed no real change in spending. I believe that there are several reasons for people not spending the money they have received. This is probably due to the fact that prices have risen to a very substantial amount.

Three years ago, five dollars of gas would have lasted us a week, twenty dollars would have gotten enough food for the same period of time. Utilities are charging for things that they don't need to charge us for, or have also raised their prices to awkward amounts. It doesn't help that those same companies outsource so that when people try to contact them for information they are not only charged for the phone call, but they have to speak to someone who doesn't speak English. (I won't even get into the fact that if they kept the jobs in America, it would actually help the economy.)

In the old days, it was common for a household to have one parent working to create income. It was easy, back then, to have a stay-at-home mom/dad. Now, that is perilously close to being a society urban legend. Very few households can allow only one parent to stay home. The income generated by one person is barely enough to cover basic necessities; such as food, rent, electric and water; but what about the other expenses?

Due to rising prices, people who were barely making it by before will now find the task almost impossible. A government rebate check doesn't change that. The government believes that the ‘free’ money will be spent buying unnecessary items. That is not the case.

If a person were wise, they would place their money in a savings account. Or they could set it up for investments so that they will have some form of extra income later on. However, the majority of people who are receiving the checks will pay on their bills.  

Many people have chosen to pay off their debts so that they can move forward with their lives. More jobs are making it so that a person has to get a background check in order to be considered for employment. The background check actually involves their credit history. This makes it hard for many people who have debt to get a job. Anyone using their rebate to pay off debt is wise.

Many people are determined to fix their lives and work hard. Some of them never seem to get out of the "hole" they have created, even when they never miss a day of work. Their debts and bills make it impossible for them to even take vacations.

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