Projo Offbeat Blog

Spend that tax rebate check. It's your duty.

It's up to you, the almighty American consumer, to jump-start the economy.

Sure, you could use the money to pay down debts as some have suggested, but that won't help the economy. And the credit card companies wouldn't be able to collect big bucks in interest from you, so that would actually hurt the economy.

You could save the money for a rainy day, but it's already pouring. You'll earn next to nothing in interest and what fun is putting money in a savings account?

Besides, retailers want to help the economy, too. Stores are making it easy by extending all kinds of offers to help us spend our tax rebate checks.

You say you've really don't need anything, that you've already got the big-screen TV, the iPod and the laptop.

And you call yourself an American consumer.

Here are just a few ideas for those of you who think you have everything:

A Sonic Bomb alarm clock. Apparently it's capable of waking the most dedicated barfly with its "turbo-charged" alarm and pulsating lights. If those don't work, its "super-charged bed shaker" will.

The Fishpen. No, this pen-sized fishing rod isn't just for little people or little fish, but for anyone who wants to be ready anytime or anywhere the fish are biting.

And for the pet owner, there's DoggySteps. This lightweight, portable set of steps helps dogs climb up to cars, doggie beds or those other hard-to-reach places like, say, the cupboard, where all those tasty human foods are stored.

If those don't work, just turn on your TV, log onto your computer, or do it the old fashioned way -- walk into a store -- there are all sorts of opportunities to help the economy.

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