I received a $1,000 stimulus check from the government — here's exactly what I did with it

My stimulus check happened to arrive on my birthday, so I wanted to use some of it for something fun — but in a more intentional way than just going on a shopping spree. I decided to commission a piece of pottery from a local artist I've loved for years, Liz Kelly, and reached out to see if she could make me a statement planter for my newfound houseplant obsession.

While an expense like this would normally feel too hefty for something so frivolous, the extra inflow of money made it possible. Plus, I was excited to use some of this cash to support the livelihood of another female small business owner in a creative field, while getting something to spruce up my home while I'm stuck in it forever.

With the rest of the money I'd set aside to spend on the local economy, I decided to get on the bandwagon of supporting my favorite local restaurants by buying gift cards.

As my partner pointed out to me, even if my income does slow down eventually, I'm going to have to eat. These gift cards give local restaurants I love cash flow now to stay in business, and give me money I can use on a "luxury necessity" down the line.

Inspired by people who were pledging their entire stimulus check to others, I knew I wanted to donate some of mine. I targeted mutual aid funds so the money would be distributed straight into the hands of the people who need it most right now and might not have received a check (e.g., because they're undocumented) or who need much more support to cover their needs for the duration of this pandemic.

There are so many worthy funds out there, it was tough to choose, but I ended up splitting my donations between the Freelancer's Relief Fund to support others in my industry and the Au Collective Fund, which a friend of mine helped start to support those who were already in the financial margins before this crisis (like QTBIPOC folks).

Yes, I said investing. Even though the markets are scary right now and I'm avoiding looking at my account balances, I'm trying to remember that I'm young and my money can stand to go through some ups and downs. I use Ellevest, a robo-investing platform that handles managing a diversified investment portfolio for me, so I just set up an extra deposit for this month.

If I didn't have an adequate emergency fund, this probably would have gone there, but instead it's going toward my future to hopefully help me weather any other storms that may come.