Getting a tax refund does mean, technically, that you gave the government more money than you really owed over the course of a year. But that's not usually a bad thing, as personal finance writer Ramit Sethi points out.

One popular strain of tax wisdom goes that you're giving that money away during the year and letting the government hold onto it, rather than banking the money yourself. That's true, Sethi admits, but it likely doesn't make much difference:

Let me break this down for you.

The average tax refund is about $3,000.

How much interest are you losing if you get a tax refund? $2.50 per month. Yes, you read that right. Two dollars and fifty cents a month. I have that much money in my shoe right now.

What's more, if you'd had that money, you almost certainly would have spent it.

Sethi goes on to point out that tax refunds, arriving as they do in a lump sum, are more often invested, and that trying to time your witholdings perfectly is not an easy task for anyone with anything less than a perfectly stable income and tax picture.

Are you due a refund this year? What will you do with it, and do you plan to adjust your witholdings or just live with the tradition?

Your parents are delusional about tax refunds [I Will Teach You To Be Rich]