So...this is the first year where our bonuses are not spent before we had received them! Haha!
The first two years of married life we were both just digging out! The next year we were planning for DD and last year we were planning to finish the basement!
This is the first year where I may get to have some fun with my bonus!
What do you do with bonuses? How much goes to savings? Fun things? Items exclusive to you or items joint?ETC...
pomelo / 5720 posts
We have done different things with DH's bonuses over the years but we usually use some to do yearly home renovations, an annual vacation, put a chunk in the kids college funds, and then we save/invest the rest.
honeydew / 7230 posts
We usually put at least 50% in savings, sometimes more. One year we used the remainder to pay for IVF. We also used bonus money to completely pay off my student loans, We bought our cars with cash with bonus money too.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
It just depends on the year. Sometimes it's for a bigger purchase, sometimes to pay bills, sometimes for kids' college accounts, and this year, we are (fingers crossed) closing on a house Dec. 15 so any bonus will be used to replenish savings.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
We usually put it into savings. This year we need to buy a new washing machine so some of it will go towards that.
pomelo / 5720 posts
@winniebee: congratulations on the new house! I hope it goes smoothly 
grapefruit / 4545 posts
I am hoping this years bonuses are big enough that I can do something somewhat fun. I really want birthstone rings for my LOs...if my bonus still pans out how I am hoping I would be able to put a nice chunk aside to cover my maternity leave, put a couple K in savings and maybe splurge and buy myself the birthstone ring for DD1 before DD2 arrives...
We had a good year and did not have to tap into our savings at all. We completely renovated our house in 2014 and did the basement in 2015 - so we have no house projects...still I just feel guilty for some reason!
nectarine / 2115 posts
we usually put some of it in savings, each take a little for fun money, and then designate the rest for specific expenses we might have coming up.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
We invest it all. But we spend pretty freely throughout the year, so there's nothing really that either of us are dying to buy. If we were, I wouldn't hesitate to use some of the money for that.
nectarine / 2521 posts
My work bonus is only a few hundred, so we have fun with it - nice dinner out and shopping for example. DH's bonus is much much larger and it goes into savings. This year it goes to put a new roof on our home, yippee.
eggplant / 11824 posts
I’m the only one who gets a work bonus, and I only started getting them again last year. Last year I split mine between spending several thousand to pre-buy propane for this winter (adulting really sucks sometimes) and then I splurged on the LV bag I have been coveting for years. I also put a small bit into savings.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
Yeah, I'm the only one who gets bonuses, and it's a Christmas bonus which is once a year. It's not enough, we just put it in our checking account. it helps balance out the Christmas spending with a little bit leftover. Last year we took our daughter to a hotel with an indoor waterpark as a fun mini getaway.
pomelo / 5660 posts
College savings account, savings and house projects. DH has potential for 2 bonuses. If we get the second bonus we are talking about getting another investment property.
apricot / 358 posts
@simplyfelicity: Joining your no bonuses team (government employee).
pear / 1616 posts
we used to just put it directly into our "allowance" aka fun money. but now with a bigger house, kids, etc we just put most of it into savings 
we do get a bit of fun money but not like before heh
persimmon / 1364 posts
We put them into our saving account but we use the money in savings for BIG expenses like travel, vehicle purchases, etc.
pomegranate / 3863 posts
In the past it all went into savings to purchase our "forever" home. Now that we've purchased that home, it all goes into savings for renovations/emergencies/college and/or maxing out 401K.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
My end of year bonus funds my IRA. Whatever is left over just goes to general savings. My quarterly bonuses either go into savings or if there is a major expense we will pay off that portion of it on the CC bill.
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@yoursilverlining: this was a splurge item I have wanted...and then this year the interest is just gone...what is happening to me?!!?!
@Tanjowen: the joys of homeownership!!!
I am thinking about allowing myself 10% of the pretax amount....the rest will go to savings/maternity account!
apricot / 428 posts
@Mrs D: he gets a Christmas bonus so a big chunk of it goes toward the holidays- deco, gifts, travel. he also usually buys himself something he's been wanting since the kids and i can kind of do that anytime during the year and this time it's more about what he wants!
watermelon / 14467 posts
If by bonus you mean a $25 gift certificate to Kroger, we usually spend it on a holiday meal for a needy family.
Other than that, neither company gives bonuses.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
We usually save half then put the other half towards home improvements or vacations.
pomegranate / 3032 posts
I get a christmas bonus and a "production" bonus in june (based on years sales) Christmas usually gets spent on gifts and the june bonus is our vacation money at the shore we go the week after the bonuses are given - they're usually only a couple hundred dollars
Hubs gets a bonus in March that usually goes to savings/paying off CCs/replacing big ticket items (appliance/car maintenance, etc)
pomelo / 5607 posts
Interested in these answers! We've never gotten bonuses before, but DH's company instituted them starting this year. He's gotten promoted twice in the last 4 months, so surely his will be good? We'll have to figure out what to do with it. Some will go towards LO's savings, but not sure what else. We're planning to sell our house and get a newer one, so maybe we'll just hang on to it for a better down payment.
honeydew / 7444 posts
I use a small portion on a personal shopping spree/splurge (DH doesn't get bonuses), and we will use the rest for a family vacation and RRSP purchase.
pomegranate / 3658 posts
Our annual bonuses are a significant chunk of our annual income, so they go straight into our investments. We usually allow ourselves a small indulgence, like a $50 bottle of scotch or something, but that's it.
Totally separate from those, I occasionally get a surprise merit-based spot bonus that is pretty tiny (~$200-300), so I don't feel bad spending most of those. I like to blow it on a nice dinner out for the two of us.
pineapple / 12793 posts
@winniebee: that's exciting news! Congrats!
I don't get bonuses. Instead I get two weeks off around the holidays. Good enough for me!
DH is self employed and doesn't regularly draw a salary. We keep everything in his company account and withdraw as needed for tax reasons. It was more fun when he was bringing home five figure bonuses but he's making a ton more now.
We used to put most of it towards my student loans (paid them off!), savings, and if there was anything left we'd go to a fancy dinner.
Never anything really exciting.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
It has been years since either of us got a bonus.
pomegranate / 3375 posts
DH is getting a tattoo (he's wanted a specific one for years), and the rest will go into our savings account for our down payment. We've always had to put his bonus into our checking account, so this one feels really special.
I'm self-employed, so no bonus for me.
nectarine / 2148 posts
Last year I was pregnant with DS and I used the bonus to buy myself a Lily Jade diaper bag, because I knew I wouldn't buy it with my own money. I then used the rest for maternity leave savings.
This year it will go towards bills.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Save, or use it to pay off something that we have in mind like loans or car payments.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
My husband gets a bonus every month and so far we've just been saving it. We're going to Disneyland in December so maybe we will bring that months bonus along? We're boring though.
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