Over the next three weeks, most Australians will be getting a $900 stimulus payment from the government. The idea is to keep the economy from stagnating as we all buckle down to save money during the recession.
Personally, I think the money would have been better spent on infrastructure like renewable energy, public transport, hospitals and education. But since the household payments are going to happen, it’s a good opportunity to look at how you can spend windfall money in the most useful way.
For a lot of people, the money will go straight to paying the bills, credit cards and mortgage. You can’t go wrong with that!
But if you’ve got your regular budget all sorted, consider spending your stimulus payment in a way that helps green your life and boost the green jobs sector.
The Greens MPs blog has a post from Senator Scott Ludlum on eco-friendly ideas for spending the money, along with the rebates for eco-friendly equipment you can buy. For example, once you take the rebates into account, a Western Australian can get a mid-sized solar hot water system installed with their $900. The end of the post has lists of rebates in other states.
Other ideas include:
- a new bike
- insulation for your house
- some eco-friendly fashion
- a complete vegie garden
- a rain-water tank
- a small greywater system
- an electricity-use meter
For myself, I’m not sure yet if I’m going to spend it on roof repairs (so we can get a solar hot water system up there safely), a dual-flush toilet (our house didn’t have one when we bought it) or waterwise fittings for all our taps and the shower.
How about you? Got any green plans for your free money? What eco-friendly improvements haven’t you made because you couldn’t afford them before? Leave a comment with your ideas!
Hi Julie,
Kim and I are planning to buy a second rainwater tank. I just did not have enough water to keep the veggie patch alive during summer.
Gav
We’ll be saving it, I think. Possibly paying off some of our HECS debts.
I wish we owned our home so that we could do more green things with it, like install a tank, improve insulation and such.
Yeah, it’s a bit hard when you’re renting. All the green stuff has to be day-to-day actions rather than investing in your house for the future. But getting rid of any amount of HECS is a good thing!
what ever you spend the money on make sure it is australian made, support aussie jobs…..
I’ll be buying a nice new bike to ride into work/uni with
Sounds great!
My husband and I are aiming at spending money to save money by investing in solar panels and roof iinsulation, it will help us as well as support local Australian businesses who are trying to do the right thing.
That’s a great idea!