If you get paid biweekly, that’s 26 paychecks a year. That means that twice a year, you’ll get three paychecks a month.

Nicole Middendorf of Prosperwell Financial says to really think about it.

“There’s three opportunities for me to get a check this month. What am I going to do with that money?” Middendorf said.

Make sure you have three to six months in cash for emergencies. Then, consider any high-interest credit card balances you have.

“If you get this extra check and have a credit card that’s charging you 17% interest, you need to pay it off,” said Middendorf.

You can also pay the additional money into your 401K or maybe save it for a special trip. Middendorf says make those two paychecks work for you and make sure you can say where it goes exactly.

“If you are getting this third paycheck and spending it or you are just getting that raise and spending it, then you are not putting yourself in a better financial state.”