Happy Tax Day! Here’s to hoping you’ll get a nice tax return this year. This is the first year I received one worth getting excited about, and I spent a few days trying to decide how to best use it.

The big question you have to ask yourself is, “Should I be practical with this money or treat myself?” It’s a tough call. I ended up doing a combination of the two: I replaced the tires on my car, plus bought some plane tickets to visit family later this year.

You may want to choose to invest or save your money, and we think that’s definitely a responsible choice. But if you want to spend your tax return, here are a few suggestions:

1. Buy an Annual Pass
I live in Orlando, so there are tons of places nearby offering annual passes. However, you don’t have to live in tourist central to snag a worthwhile annual pass. Become a member of your local zoo or museums. These places are fun for all ages and often have reasonable annual pass prices.

2. Enjoy a Weekend Getaway
Sometimes you just need a break. Leave the errands and chores behind and spend a weekend away from home. No matter where you live in the U.S., you don’t have to drive far to find a relaxing getaway. You can also save by finding out which hotels offer hotel coupons near you!

3. Take a Cruise
Admittedly, you’ll need to either live near a port or have gotten a pretty big tax return to pull this one off. Cruise lines often have last-minute trips available for amazing deals, so you can take a quick getaway from ports like Canaveral, Galveston, Baltimore and Portland.

4. Get Your Car Detailed
They say there’s nothing like new car smell. The next best thing is getting your car detailed! Start the new tax year with that new car feeling. Driving with a clear car is more relaxing and more safe, so whether you’re commuting, running errands or taking a road trip, you’ll appreciate this bonus.

5. Buy a New Camera
It seems like cameras are continually getting smaller, more powerful and have tons of added features. At Drive the Nation, we really do believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, so why wouldn’t you want to capture the sweetness of life with a new camera?

6. Upgrade Your Phone
OK, if you weren’t on board with the camera idea, you’ll probably be more interested in a new phone. Especially because these days, your new phone is also a new camera, camcorder, ebook reader and computer. Oh yeah, it’s a phone, too.

7. Purchase Tickets
There are so many possibilities when it comes to purchasing tickets! Plane tickets, train tickets, concert tickets, season tickets… no matter what you’re interested in, you can purchase tickets for an event that will make you very happy you got a tax return.

8. Learn A New Hobby
It can be surprisingly expensive to learn a new hobby. You’ll need supplies, books and time to devote to your new interest. I recently took up crocheting, and while I love it, there were some start-up costs involved – and that’s for a relatively inexpensive hobby! Think about all the things you’ve been thinking of trying some day, and go ahead and try them.

9. Adopt a Dog or Cat
Of course, you should first make sure you’re ready to handle the responsibility of owning a pet. But once you do, adopting a new dog or cat is an ideal way to spend your tax return. You’ll have a new companion that loves you unconditionally, plus you’ll give a sweet pet a much-needed home.

10. Use it for Spring Cleaning
Is it a coincidence that Tax Day falls in the middle of prime Spring Cleaning time? I think not. If you’re the type of person who feels more relaxed when things are clean and organized, then spending your tax return on Spring Cleaning is a definite treat. You could purchase supplies, or even hire a little extra help to get everything spick-and-span.

How will you use your tax return? Let us know on Twitter using @drivethenation!