Did you know that last year, Americans’ received an average refund amount of over $2800? While obviously that number varies from each individual, knowing that your refund check could be almost $3000 can leave you itching to make some purchases. Splurging on a vacation or a fancy new piece of tech is always one way to spend your refund, but if you’re looking to invest a little more wisely this year, we’ve come up with three great ways you can get back as much as you give this refund season.

Pay Off High Interest Debt.

It certainly isn’t the most glamorous way to spend your tax refund, but paying off debt could certainly be the most profitable in the long run. Whether your refund check covers your whole balance, or just eliminates a healthy chunk, you’ll be spending less on interest, which means more money in your pocket all year long. Wouldn’t it be nice to have extra cash all year, instead of just at tax time?

Invest in Your Home.

Even if you don’t plan on moving any time soon, investing some money into your home can be huge benefit to you. Put in a new backsplash in the kitchen, replace some of the old sconces in the bathroom, or even redo the roof; anything that can increase your home’s value. If you do plan to sell the house, these small details can really increase your home’s sell-ability; if you don’t move, you’ve increased your home’s value, meaning you have a more established asset in your portfolio.

Give to a Worthy Charity.

Some people might treat helping worthy causes as a no-brainer, but for some of us, when things are tight, giving to charity isn’t exactly our first priority. When you do find yourself with extra income, consider giving back to your community. Plus, you’ll be able to claim the tax deduction when you file your taxes next year. (If you aren’t sure what charity to donate to, check out this great site that can help you search by keywords and state!)

What do you think is the best way to spend a tax refund? Let us know in the comments below!  

The weather is warming up, the pollen is coming out and summer is approaching fast – which means baseball season has finally blossomed! This year, FCU plans to celebrate the sport by being a sponsor for a University of Florida game. Join us at 1pm on Sunday, April 28^th at McKethan Stadium for FCU Day at Gator Baseball vs. Tennessee. 

Doing the Gator Chomp from the stands isn’t enough for you? Then you should enter to throw the first pitch on FCU Day! Submit a story, video, post, image or anything else you can come up with through our entry form on our “FCU’s First Pitch Contest” Facebook Page Tab by April 25^th and tell us why YOU should bring the heat on FCU Day! You can even nominate someone else to be the pitcher – is your child a huge Gators fan? Maybe your boss played baseball in college? Let us know in your entry!

We’ve already gotten some awesome submissions, but there’s still plenty of time to enter for yourself!

Think you should throw the first pitch? Give us a preview of your entry in the comments below!

Do you like FCU contests and giveaways? Check out some of the fun challenges we’ve done in the past here: http://bit.ly/FCUCommunity!