Taxing

I've had our tax information ready for about a month.  Well, most of it.

Our taxes are kind of complicated because I'm technically self-employed so I've got deductible business expenses to keep track of, which I do a pretty good job of throughout the year.  We also have a couple of rental properties with their deductible expenses, which I also do a good job of keeping up with throughout the year.

Its those darn retirement accounts!  Spouse has like 3 of them from previous jobs and I have 2.  They send quarterly statements but of course I can never find the end-of-year one when its time to prepare the tax spreadsheets for the accountant.

Maybe I'll just make up the missing info this year.

Tax day

So today is the deadline to file your federal tax return.  For whatever reason, many states' deadline is the end of the month.  I don't know why they don't just make them both due the same day, but whatever.

Our taxes are pretty complicated so we don't prepare them ourselves.  We own 2 rental properties, we own a 3rd property with another couple, and I'm self-employed so there are WAY too many deductions, prorations, etc for our comfort range.  But we have a good accountant we've worked with for years so I summarize our income, expenses, deductions and such on spreadsheets and email them to him.  I scan and email our W2 forms, 1099 forms, etc too so I've not actually seen our accountant in probably 15 years.

So our returns are filed and the checks are in the mail - literally.  Since no tax is taken out of my real estate commission checks I pay estimated quarterly tax and then always end up paying more by tax day. While its the same amount of tax either way, it always hurts to write out those checks to the IRS and state for thousands of dollars.

Tax day

Here we are:  April 15, tax day.

Like millions of others I suppose, we usually aren't ready to file by April 15 so I end up emailing our accountant and requesting that he file extensions for us, buying us a few more months to get our stuff together.

Our taxes have always been complicated.  We own 2 rental properties together, we own a 3rd rental property with another couple, and I am self-employed.  There are all kinds of depreciations and exemptions that we couldn't possibly keep up with, so we give all our financial stuff to our accountant and breath a sign of relief that it isn't US who has to make sense of it.

However, this year is different.  I actually got motivated in late Feb to collect and summarize our stuff for 2013 and sent it off to the accountant early.  We got our returns back from him in mid-March, signed them, attached the W2s and payments, and mailed them in right away.  It felt good to get that done and out of the way, early for a change.

Yes, we have to pay.  Since I am self-employed and only pay estimated quarterly taxes, and since our marriage in 2013 is recognized not only by the State but also by the federal government, Spouse no longer gets refunds either.  But as I told Spouse when I was writing out the checks, we should be happy that we are employed and able to pay taxes.  There is still a lot of unemployment and underemployment these days.  We feel fortunate to not be among those groups.

Have you filed yet?  Are you getting a refund?  If so, what will you do with it?

Filing fun

Yesterday I spent almost the entire day getting documents together for our accountant so he can prepare our returns.

I will admit that despite my love of organization, I am not the most organized when it comes to paperwork.  I tend to toss papers on my desk that I know I will need later (for tax purposes or other purposes) and then when the stack begins to get unruly, I will throw them all into a big envelope.

Not exactly a scientific approach, I know.

"How hard can it be?" you may be asking.  Well, keep in mind we have documents and receipts for our primary home, 3 rental properties, and my real estate business, so there's a LOT of paperwork.

So after separating, organizing, and documenting all of the paperwork for the accountant, I decided to start 2014 off right.  I labeled an envelope for my business receipts, one for our home receipts, and another for the rental property receipts.  So going forward, rather than tossing papers into a heap on the desk, I will slip them into the appropriate envelope. Hopefully this will cut down on the amount of time needed next year to get our tax stuff ready for the accountant.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

A friend sent me this, which cracked me up!

We've all seen the 'People of Walmart' photos. My friend and frequent blog hilarity contributor Jared sent me this hilarious video about Walmart and Homeland Security!

Our state tax refunds arrived in today's mail! It took less than a week from the date of e-file for them to issue and mail the checks. I will happily deposit them this evening on the way to dinner.

Today is housecleaning day for me. I should split it up and do some cleaning over a few days, but instead I'm doing it all today. Man, do I miss having a housekeeper.

My friend Wayne sent me this hilarious video! Enjoy.

Have a great weekend!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

This week I organized the tax refund info and sent it all to the accountant. Today he emailed me with our refund totals and I believe I emitted an audible squeal! Those refunds will come in very handy to pay bills until I start making money. He's e-filing for us this year so our returns were electronically submitted today.

My friend Jared didn't disappoint with this timely cartoon.

A friend posted this on Facebook and I just had to share it with you all. Oh how I love cheese!

About 2 weeks ago or so I was looking through a local publication and noticed a large ad for an independent mortgage company, along with names and photos of the people who work there. I recognized 1 of the names as a guy I'd met about 15 years ago doing volunteer work. Sure enough, when I looked at his photo I could tell it was Joey. Since the place is just a few miles from our house I drove over there and asked to see him. I introduced myself and told him that I'd seen the mortgage company ad and remembered him from our volunteer days. We exchanged emails and made plans to meet for lunch today. Now that I am becoming a realtor, its great to have a friend in the mortgage business who had access to several lenders and can recommend just the right mortgage option to my future clients. But the best part was the fact that he's just a really nice guy. I can see us doing social things together in the future too.

Tax day freebies and discounts

Tax day freebies and discounts to ease the pain of filing your taxes

What a load of tax day freebies for 2010! You can eat and drink away the pain of writing a check to Uncle Sam with these fantastic freebies and discounts.

• Pick up a free taco from Taco Del Mar on April 15 when you share your name, email, and zip code. You can opt out of its newsletter if you want and still get the freebie.
• Get a free cup of coffee at Starbucks when you bring in your own reusable mug on April 15.
• Exclusive! Get a free 3-day trial VIP membership to Chemistry.com starting at 12:01 a.m. April 15, 2010. No credit card is needed to get the free pass. Set up your profile, make a date, and prepare to jump into a new tax bracket with someone special.
• Maggie Moo's is giving away free slices of its new Ice Cream Pizza from 3 to 7 p.m. April 15. Find a participating location near you.
• Snag two free cupcake bites from Cinnabon from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 15. While supplies last.
• Munch on a free cookie from Subway on April 15, reports NBC.
• In the South, select Whole Foods stores are making April 15 a tax-free shopping day. So far stores in AL, GA, NC, SC, TN are participating. To find out if your Whole Foods is in on the deal, go to its Web site and scroll down to find your local store is in on the event for April 15.
• In Baltimore, McDonald's will be giving away free coffee drinks, reports the Baltimore Sun.
• Get 15% off your food tab at P.F. Chang's on April 15. Excludes alcohol and any happy hour deals. Join the restaurant's warrior card program to get the deal.
• McCormick's and Schmicks has $10.40 dinner and drink specials on April 15, then a CPA appreciation event Friday, April 16.
• Get $10.40 off a purchase of $100 or more at Kelly's Running Warehouse on April 15, 2010.
• In New York City, get a free lunch at the healthy fast casual eatery Energy Kitchen on April 15 when you buy any beverage. The deal lasts from noon to 2 p.m. on tax day. The free meals include Bison Cheesesteak Wrap, California Wrap or Buffalo Chicken Burger.

Crush du Jour: Scott Evans

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

My cousin Hilleary will be visiting me this afternoon. He lives in CA but spends 2 weeks on the East coast every Aug to spend time with this parents and siblings. He's been at the beach for a few days, and will stop by our house this afternoon to chat and then go to dinner with us, similar to last summer. I'm looking forward to visiting with him and 2 of his sons.

My neighbor Claudia's fig tree is producing like crazy, and Claudia generously brought over a bunch of sweet, delicious figs for us! They are wonderful to eat plain, but can also be fabulous stuffed with goat cheese or wrapped with bacon. Until living here I had never eaten a fig, unless you count those Fig Newton snacks.

My friend Bill sent me this.

I think its funny because it suggests an older woman would try to 'trade in' her clunker/husband, but it also demonstrates how so many lazy Americans don't read or learn the facts. Confusing a car trade-in program with health care reform is completely believable, considering what we hear coming out of some of the Town Hall meetings. To rebut them, I offer to you this:Isn't that poignant?

I am in love with Ohs cereal. There's something about the balance of graham, honey, and oats that I find delicious. And as an added bonus, it is the least expensive cereal on the entire isle at just $1.99.

Despite my early reluctance, I have really been enjoying Facebook. But my enjoyment has not been without some trials. Early on I located a friend from high school named Tim, with whom I was very close. We spent time at each other's houses, and he wrote a very nice tribute in my senior yearbook. Soon after reconnecting on Facebook and exchanging some 'nice to see you again' kind of messages on each other's walls, I noticed he dropped out of my friend list. I sent him a friend request again, but it was ignored. After finding and friending several more friends from high school who were also friends of Tim's, I tried yet again to friend him, but he as ignored the request. I'm sure now that he does not want to be friends with me, and I suspect it is because he now knows that I'm gay. Whatever! Its his loss. I finally had to de-friend a former high school friend named Christa. Somehow, she turned into an ultra-conservative racist, and I got tired of seeing all her anti-everything posts. It was like watching Fox News. So I de-friended her. I am still enjoying Facebook though, despite these minor trials.

Our accountant was too busy to complete our Federal and State tax returns by April 15, so he filed extensions for us. This week we got our completed returns from him (to sign and mail) and were delighted to see that we are still going to get sizable refunds, despite having sold our house in VA last year. YAY!!

I saw this lovely video over at Kelly's blog and had to share it. Who knew the Golden Girls were so ahead of their time?!?!

A friend posted this link on Facebook and I just had to share it. Doesn't this aptly named 'Double Bypass Burger' look delicious?

Its a hamburger topped with 5 slices of bacon, 4 slices of cheese, 2 fried eggs, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion stacked between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches. Seriously. I'm drooling. Who's with me?

The forecast indicates we're going to get a bit of a reprieve from this oppressive heat this weekend. We're going to drive Big Ella to a Corvette show at a Chevrolet dealership on Sat. We've been to this show before and have seen others drive their non-Corvettes for car enthusiasts to see and enjoy. In the afternoon we're going to the beach. Sun we're going to a birthday party.

Have a great weekend!

Crush du Jour: Adam Tucker