As we stay at home, isolating ourselves from our family and friends as well as the people located around us, we are constantly thinking of our community. Our community is much bigger than our geographic neighborhood. 

We are staying in touch with our family and friends everyday, and listening to personal stories about how this difficult time is affecting people’s lives in unique ways. The common thread is that huge numbers of people in the US and all over the world are dealing with all sorts of medical, financial, and emotional issues right now. The issues with COVID-19 are serious and this virus needs to be taken seriously – we personally know people who have tested positive for COVID-19 back in the US. The financial issues are also real. People are worrying about losing their jobs and businesses, about losing their homes, and about how they’ll pay for food and basic necessities. We personally know people back in the US who have lost their jobs in the last couple weeks.

Congress is getting close to passing a $2 trillion stimulus bill to provide help for people struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and to boost the US economy. As of the time we are writing this post, the full details of the bill have not been released and we are still waiting for Congress to approve the bill. Details of the proposed plan discussed using tax filings from 2018 where individuals who earned $75,000 in adjusted gross income or less would receive checks for $1,200; and married couples that earned up to $150,000 would receive checks for $2,400 (plus an additional $500 per child under age 17).

We don’t know how much longer Congress will take to approve the bill, and we also don’t know how long it will take for people to actually receive their stimulus checks. We do know – We do not need our stimulus check and we are giving that money to others who do. We want to use this stimulus bill as an opportunity to help others. And we want to encourage other people to share their stimulus checks if they can.  #Shareyourcheck

For everyone who receives a stimulus check, you should use it in whatever way helps you the most. We aren’t waiting for actual checks to be cut. We have young people in our lives who have just graduated, are burdened with student loan debt, and have been laid off from their service jobs. They are applying for jobs now but the truth is they are stuck on hold until things improve enough for them to find new jobs and go back to work. So while we are sitting here at home in Mexico today, we used Venmo to send cash to them back in their homes in the US. And we are encouraging our community to do something similar if they can. There are so many people who need our financial and emotional support during this difficult time, so we all need to do whatever we can to help others.

Bottom Line

Most of the people receiving stimulus checks really need them right now. If you do not need your stimulus check, please consider sharing your check with someone who needs it more than you. Some people are ordering more take out food from restaurants than usual, just to help support small businesses. Some people are dropping off supplies for the elderly people in their neighborhoods who are unable to leave their homes. There are many different ways that we can help others right now, sharing your stimulus check is just one of them. Please do what you can. 

#Shareyourcheck