Taxes are done, and I never thought I'd be happy for a house fire...

[politicat]

Those of you who follow my every move with bait breath* will recall that we lost a house in December to a fire. For the rest of you, we had a fire in December. It was bad. Gutted the property.

For various and sundry reasons that I won't go into, the insurance has so far not paid up, and isn't likely to do so. (The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away...)

I'd been thinking we were going to have to pay taxes this year (one of the reasons I got certified as a tax pro) so I've been procrastinating, but I finally sat down and did the damn things tonight.

There's some money that WON'T be going to pay to kill Iraqis. And we're not paying.

(Big sigh of relief.)

Here's my certified advice:
Itemizing is your friend. It's a pain in the ass, but it's worth it.
Don't have a disaster, but if you do, make sure you document EVERYTHING.
Put money in your IRA. If you don't have one, start one. As little as $20 a paycheck can make a huge difference in both your future quality of life and your tax status.
Write down everything you donate to charity, and get a receipt. That nice shirt your kid wore once and then grew out of is worth $12 FMV.
Keep every receipt if you live in a high sales tax state. Ours is 8.25% and itemizing helped a lot.

I have no issues with paying my fair share (and we do - we are in a fairly high tax bracket) but right now, my "fair share" isn't a fair share - I'm subsidizing corporations that hurt people and the planet, criminal behavior and an illegal, immoral war.

So damn right I'm going to be pleased that the Feds have to cut us a check.

*yes, I know the term is bated breath. I just think bait breath is more descriptive in a twisted sort of way.

[NMDemDist2]

1. *pant pant pant*

:rofl:


but glad you got good news, we did too!

[politicat]

2. Especially because it means we can replace the shed.

The garden shed is in sad shape - tin roof rusted, doors getting saggy, and it's not going to repair easily.

Costco has those nifty snap-together ones, and it's just the right size for the space we have for it, and a bit bigger than the one we have now.

I hate to do it, but it's better than replacing the push mower and the ladder and the bicycles every two years.

[NMDemDist2]

3. I have a Rubbermaid shed and am VERY pleased with it

I'd love to take it with us, but Mr K doesn't think we can get it apart and back together after it sitting in the AZ sun for 3 years :(

but we've kept our records in it for the biz and they stayed nice and dry and not dusty through all the weather 2 years ago

I highly recommend them!

[politicat]

4. Thanks for the recommendation!!!

Mr. P was a bit skeptical when I said plastic, but I don't want to build. (He thinks I'm nutty, but I think they'd be great for extended, but not permanent camping.)

I'd check the seams on yours. If they're not cracking or warped, you can probably take it apart and put it back together without a problem. We have one of the small ones on the back porch, and it's been exposed to wind, rain and snow as well as sun and dust for three years now, and it's still coming apart and going back together fine. I think there may even still be cigarettes out there, though after 17 months without them, I'm not going to look....

[NMDemDist2]

5. Mr K is concerned that there is a tad of roof sag

he said he'd do it if I insist, but it was a bear to put together (he did it himself, two people would have been better)

i don't know if he's just gunshy or what. I think the other thing on his mind is the size of the truck we'll need to move......