Save your tax refund.

 Do you really need that hot tub? It's a reward for surviving the tax year right? By taking that tax return that is an irregular income to your family and investing it directly in a savings goal you can really jumpstart your goals. If this sounds really depressing, consider saving 3/4 or 2/3 and using part of it as a reward but not all of it. In reality you need to adjust your withholdings with your finance office so that your tax return is quite small and you are getting access to that money every month instead.