Is a tax refund a windfall?

From Investorwords.com

Definition
Money received which was not expected and not a direct result of something the recipient did.

So - The answer is no. But...I still messed up some pretty nice lump cash sums in the last year.

$1,000 (From my Grandparents for furniture)
$800 (for a "plasma"/"flat screen"/"HD" TV or whatever shiny new tech toy is out there from my mother. Funny thing is - I don't even WANT a TV.)
$300 (Chinese New Years red envelope money from G-parents)
$1,000 (2006 tax refund)

Of the $3,100 in unexpected cash - I saved exactly ....zip-zero! And I feel like the biggest ass ever.

So one of my 2008 goals is to save $5,000 for a savings account. This is more than 10% of my salary.

Good thing my tax preparer e-filed today and said to expect $2,417.

The remaining amount to my savings account goal would be $2,583.

Divide that by the 9 months left in the year - and I should be saving about $300 a month.

$150 a paycheck. That sounds more do-able. $150 is about comparable to 3 nice dinners for bf and I.

I am going to stick to it. Seriously....