2012 Tax Jubilee!
Yes, jubilee. Because the Hoombah was organized and ready. Taxes are commonly associated with unpleasant phenomenon such as death, laws and prison. The actualization of these associations is optional, of course. Please allow me to explain.
The Tax and Tea Lady
It was Tammy’s first year to be the Tax and Tea Lady. I am always the Tax and Tea Man except for this year. Tax and Tea because of how the 1773 Boston Tea Party from which The Tea Act came essentially eliminated all taxes on tea. And because I almost always make the tea and do the taxes. And because it is fun to call each other the Tax and Tea Man or Lady.
What? You do not indulge in such silliness in your private moments? Of course you do. But I digress – both here and later in the post.
Moreover, I was once called the Tax and Tea Man a few years ago because I was bold enough to ask Tammy a tax question while she was trying to study for her comprehensive exams to earn a masters at University of Houston. It just so happened that I was making tea at the time. She obviously wanted to body-slam me in front of the kitchen sink and follow up with a firm choke hold, but rather said, Ok, Tax and Tea Man! Tammy brought it off quite well this year, but may lose her post as Tax and Tea Lady in 2014 for matters not concerning her and quite beyond her control. Ha! Just kidding. I will make sure she never loses her position because that would mean I have to step in.
Super CPA
Dawn, or as we affectionately call her, but not to her face, Dawnsy, handles our taxes with grace and a bit of panache which is a huge bonus – the panache, that is. We really have no business having such a talented tax wizard working for us. I am certain she does taxes for those whose homes we ogle on the way into downtown. Still, Dawnsy answers all our questions no matter how silly or how many and in short makes us feel as if we own one of those mansions on Memorial Drive until, of course, we are informed that we owe taxes.
The Tax Bed
Most people probably have a file or shoebox or the like for their taxes. On the surface, this seems perfectly reasonable, but may I suggest a bed? Much like a whiteboard which, for some reason, seem to be all the craze as of late, the bed provides taxes at a glance. Neat paper-clipped stacks of categorized receipts, carbon copies of checks and estimated tax payment forms cover more than half the bed. When the time comes, we simply toss all the stacks into a manila folder and wait for various agencies to mail or email our tax forms. This year, they held the whole process up, so prepared were we.
Tax Cafe
Show time was 2.3.2013 this year, our earliest yet. It is not uncommon for Lady Hoombah and Sir Jolly to drag their feet until April, bringing death, laws and prison into the realm of possibility. Not this time. Tammy had added up the receipts and printed Dawnsy’s tax organizer/worksheet. I had been printing and gathering tax forms, so when the time came we simply swiped the stacks from the tax bed to be tucked away in a nice manila folder. Off to the coffee shop we went with all our tax materials in a backpack.
Then in an industrious flurry of papers, pens, pencils, passwords, an ailing 15 year old calculator and a heap of jesting profanity we performed a tax miracle. It was done in little more than an hour, even with frequent coffee refills, restroom breaks and plenty of staring off into the sky from the large, merciful windows.
The Tax and Tea Man and The Tax and Tea Lady then took their antics from the cafe to lunch where they congratulated themselves with a hearty feast. Most Jolly Reader, have you any tax tips? Tax tips of the sort that might ease the discomfort of this heavy burden and lend it some levity? Please share in comments.
Jolly Good People, Posts and Ideas
Anthony (Tony) Mazzocchi of You Only Do This Once is a master of personal finance and his easy to read, ultra-useful posts are addictive.
Emily Wenstrom of Creative Juicer is a fine writer who provides top-notch content on writing and topics related to creativity and career.
18 comments about "2012 Tax Jubilee!"
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We are Tammy and CJ, and we are tickled pink you chose to spend time with us. Frolic about
a bit, poke around, and get
your snicker on. Now, get over here, so we can pet you and
feed you nuts.
Congratulations on getting it done so early! Any day now, Hubby will suggest an appointment with the accountant and I will scramble to get my paperwork up to date. (Too much paper for a woman who is so easily distracted by passing butterflies and changes in air pressure.) Like you, we always have a hearty feast afterwards.
Rosemary recently posted..Newlywed and Think Your Marriage Was a Mistake? This is Normal!
Thanks for your comment, Rosemary and for the congratulations. It felt fabulous to have taxes done before April 14th this year. Passing butterflies and subtle changes in air pressure are far better and more interesting items for our attentions anyhow. Good for you!
So appreciative (as always) for the mention. Funny…I still don’t think of my blog as personal finance! Hilarious, really…
As for taxes, there is nothing fun about ours…at all. Can’t wait to knock these out…probably next weekend!
Tony@WeOnlyDoThisOnce recently posted..A Beautiful Story About Following Your Passion
Thank you for you comment! It is our pleasure to mention your dynamite blog to any and everyone, Tony! May you and your wife go bravely before the Tax Titan and triumph!!!
I do my own taxes. I use an online filing program which makes it … almost… painless. For years, I’ve been ready the second the program opens its doors – so early, that I usually have to wait for my state to add its module to the program before I can finish filing.
The last couple of years, I’ve had to wait for the makers of the program to update, because congress waits until last second to decide what the laws are going to be.
I made good use of my refund this year. Later this month, I’ll make the last payment on my student loan. Yay! I’ll be a federal debt slave no more! lol
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
Lori, thank you for your humbling comment:) We have much to learn from you about taxes and life in general. HUGE congrats on the end of the student loan too. We are very close to the end of ours (mine), just a 1/2 a year or so away.
If you ever would like to share with us what this magical tax program is, we’d love to know about it!! -cj
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/plindex.asp?welcome=ZB7971917
It’s saves last year’s information to make the following year easier to fill out. I’ve never had a complaint with their service. It makes filing very predictable if your tax picture doesn’t change much from one year to the next.
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
Thanks Lori!! You are marvelous. Poor Dawnsy! But she probably cannot wait to be rid of us and our piddly account anyhow.
No way. She’ll miss you just because you’re such a fun couple.
Congrats on being very close to having your student loan paid off too! I plan to focus on paying off my car next. I’ve only ever had one vehicle in my life that didn’t have a loan on it. I want to make this one number two.
I think you’ll like the program. It asks questions and fills out the form or prompts for the information it needs based on how you answer. And if you don’t understand the question, there’s a way to click to get more information of what they mean.
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
Ah, Lori, you are too kind. But perhaps she’ll miss our antics. We seems to be a very similar path with our debts. We’ll attack the car loan like wild, blood-thirsty beasts once the student loan bites it. And thanks again for the tax program info. (BTW, Dawnsy has not yet completed our packet!!!)
Don’t worry. She has a whole month yet.
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
Yes, yes, even so…. But we were done so early – for us, that is. What a pity. An The Tax Bed is already filling up for next tax season. Oh well, we still love Dawnsy and only wish lovely things for her and all her clients! Thanks for the good cheer, Lori!
I’m not sure that I have great wisdom to share, considering I fell behind on my taxes by a few years, but during the catch up phase, I learned to actually enjoy the process. Documenting everything in excel, categorizing appropriately, then leaving it to our tax wizard was fantastic. I was so relieved to get it all caught up in our last tax cycle.
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Thank you for your comment, MAD! Sounds as if you and Jess have evolved far beyond the Tax Bed, eh? So happy to know you are all caught up and can escape death and prison and the gravamen of spectacularly unpleasant laws!
I just recently started an excel sheet for my business stuff. Although I need to get receipts together and out of the huge pile sitting in front of the filing cabinet waiting to be filed. I’ve been debating picking up a cheap accounting program. I used to be a bookkeeper in a previous life. So I know at some point I’m going to want a more traditional accounting setup as my business grows and becomes more complex.
Congrats on catching up!
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
Ah ha!!!! You could do our taxes! You’re even better than Dawnsy;)
Just kidding. We’d never want you going off to prison on our account. But one thing is for sure: you are a woman of many, many skills and talents.
Have a fun Thursday!
Yeah, I should put together a list like MAD published recently. It truly has been all over the map as I explored my multi-passions.
And now I’m branching out into podcasting and dreaming of an awesome camera I’d love to have so I can explore video.
My geek side finally gets to meet my creative side. One way or another, I get to use all of my skills for this blogging thing.
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
And you are doing a bang-up job at that. Your list of skills is staggering to say the least. And I love to hear that someone is utilizing their skills, all of them, on meaningful endeavors. I am pretty limited over here. I have the guitar and my asinine antics. Poor Tammy!