April 1 was the deadline set by the Internal Revenue Service for employers to reduce federal tax withholding to provide a tax cut of $400 per worker, $800 per working family. With the changes, the tax cut will be dribbling your way paycheck by paycheck over the rest of the year.

In general, single workers are seeing their paychecks rise by about $10 a week. With about 40 weeks left in the year, the weekly $10 should provide them their full $400 tax savings by the time the year is out.

For families, it's more complicated.

Withholding changes are increasing paychecks for married workers about $15 a week.

That means a family where one parent works will see its take-home pay increase about $600 this year. The family would see the rest of its $800 tax cut when it files its tax return next year.

But for families where both parents work, the combined withholding change amounts to about $30 week and $1,200 for the year, exceeding the $800 tax cut the family is due.

While such withholding would give two-worker families that much more extra cash for now, the difference between the $800 and $1,200 would need to be accounted for next year when the family files its income taxes.

For most, it would be in the form of a reduced refund (more than three-quarters of all taxpayers receive refunds).

But two-worker families that normally owe taxes might want to eliminate the withholding change for one worker to assure there's no added tax bill next year. Single workers with more than one job or young workers still claimed on their parents' income taxes may similarly want to visit their payroll offices to make adjustments.

Unlike the big rebate stimulus checks the Bush administration sent out last year, many of which were hoarded or used to pay debt, the Obama administration is hoping that delivering this year's dollars through paychecks makes it more likely they'll be spent -- the whole purpose of a consumer stimulus. Nearly three-quarters of the U.S. economy is rooted in consumer spending.

Obviously, there are endless ways to spend an extra $10 to $15 a week, and even more if you combine your stimulus savings over several weeks or months. And just about any way you spend it could provide a boost to the economy.

But some types of spending do deliver a bigger bang for the national and local economy than others, said University of Nebraska at Omaha economics instructor Mark Leonard.

If you spend it at the store on something made in China, the retail outlet and its employees would receive some benefit. But much of the money would ultimately be bound overseas.

However, if you spent it at a local restaurant or with your local hair stylist, the money stays in the local and American economies. It's also more likely to be re-circulated, spinning off even more economic activity.

Leonard's suggestion for the ultimate stimulus: take several weeks worth of stimulus cash, go to a local club, pay to see a good local band and have a couple American-made beers.

"All the money stays right here."