Did you ever think you could say that, even after tax time? Well, look in your mailbox this May and find out for yourself! Some of us are going to be getting some serious cash back from the IRS. A few lucky individuals will get a check for up to $600. Some lucky married couples could get up to $1200 back. And this will come in a check mailed right to your home!

Check out http://www.irs.gov/ . All the details are there along with a cool calculator to help you figure out if you are getting some moolah back.

Why the nice gesture from the IRS? Well, Uncle Sam is giving us this generous cash gift so that we will go out and spend it in the effort to help stimulate the seemingly slumping economy.

The problem is - if you are like me - you don't really need to be spending any more money this year, especially with holiday debt still looming from behind that holiday tree that some folks (like my neighbors) still haven't put away!

So where is the best place for you to put your money if you get some back? Let's look at your various financial buckets.

Money Buckets to Fill

Should your debt bucket or your emergency fund bucket get the money? How about your short term savings bucket, or maybe your longer term retirement bucket, or your kids' college fund bucket? Maybe your new house down payment bucket? Hey, there's a sale going on at your local Ford dealer! How about the new car bucket?

Now here's the tricky part. Not everyone is in the same financial situation as the next guy or gal. So the answer to this question is different for everyone. But have no fear. This just calls for some personal discernment and decision making. And hey, that's the fun part!

Here are some basic "rules of thumb" to follow which will hopefully help you make the right budget savvy decisions as to where your money should go:

Debt Bucket: If you've got higher interest rate credit cards - let's say anything over 9% - then first, BY ALL MEANS, call the credit card company and ask for a lower rate! You'll find their number on your last statement. Yes, you can really ask! Second, throw some money in this bucket because if you have debt compounding AGAINST you at 9% or more a year, it is really hard to get ahead.

Emergency Fund Bucket: Just how recession proof is your job? If you aren't so sure, work at getting at least 6 months of monthly expenses saved up in your savings account for that rainy day....or month.

Savings Account Bucket: This could be a great place for your emergency money to live. Also, do you know of any bigger expenses coming up? If you're like me and needed new tires on your car, oh, 30,000 miles ago, throw that IRS money at this bill and let them pay for those new tires!

Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Account): Have you ever thought about how much money it will take to eat 3 meals a day during 30 years of retirement? Multiply 3 meals a day, at $5 a meal, times 365 days a year for 30 years. OUCH! That's a lot of dough. If you can, start a Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Account). It lets you put in money that has already been taxed so that when you hit retirement after age 59 1/2, you get to take that money out, plus earnings, completely tax free. This bucket only holds $5000 this year if you are under 50 years of age ($6000 if you are over 50) for 2008. So start filling it. There are salary requirements to be able to start one. If you make under $116,000 as an individual or under $169,000 as a married couple filing taxes jointly, you can go ahead and open one up for each of you. Then, get busy filling it! Looking back, you will be so glad you did. There's nothing like the assurance that you'll be able to pay that food bill in retirement!

Work Retirement Plan: If you have some extra cash coming in, then maybe you really can afford to take some of your paycheck and put it into your company retirement plan (401k/403b/457,etc). If you start automatically taking some of your check and putting it in this bucket, it will help lower your tax bill each year. So save some money for your future self and save on taxes now! Again, there's nothing like knowing you can retire someday! Pay yourself first and start funneling some money to that plan.

Now, if at the end of the day you know that all your financial buckets are full, and you know how much you'll need to stay retired and healthy for 30 years, and are confident you'll have it, then why not take a little trip down to that car dealership. But remember, only to the one that's is having the big sale. That is the Budget Savvy way, of course! Uncle Sam will be really glad you did.

Crystal Dykstra is a Financial Advisor living in San Mateo, CA who truly believes smart spending leads to rich living.