23 ways to spend your tax refund that can make you happy and the world a better place.

Feel good about your splurging.

It's April, which begs the question how are you going to spend your tax refund this year?

(If, of course, you're fortune enough to get a refund. My condolences if you end up owing Uncle Sam.)

Bills need to be paid. And the zeroes in your student debt total should, at least in theory, keep dwindling. You should probably stock the pantry while you're at it, and make sure the gas tank is filled, too.

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5 random things we spend our money on that make global aid look like pocket change.

$2 billion actually isn't that much when you put it in perspective.

The amount we all spent on airline baggage fees last year is more than the amount needed to save the lives of 2 million little kids.

Isn't that pretty wild to think about?  

Together we spent $3.1 billion on baggage fees in 2016 — on top of our actual tickets — so that U.S.-based airlines could transport our crap (what an industry!). That's a billion more dollars than what's needed to stay on track with our global nutrition targets.  

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Gates Foundation: The Story of Food

Lessening how much stuff you have can bring you joy. But it can also protect our planet.

Have you ever thought about how much stuff you have?

Think about everything — from furniture to appliances all the way to that shirt you bought on sale that one time that you swear you're going to wear one day. How much do you estimate it adds up to? (Don't worry, we'll wait.)

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76,000 bank transactions led researchers to some interesting insights on spending.

A recent study found that money can, in fact, buy you happiness. Well, kind of.

There's been a lot of research lately showing that spending money on experiences or other people leads to more happiness than spending it on stuff for yourself. In other words, there may be a "right" way to spend money.

This study, titled "Money Buys Happiness When Spending Fits Our Personality," took that a step further by looking at how individual personalities factor in. Researchers examined 76,000 bank transaction records and found that "people whose purchases better match their personality report higher levels of life satisfaction."

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