Tax season

We have been busy every weekend running around doing fun things. It is easy to let the taxes slide. Tom figures we will be getting money back so he is not in that much of a hurry to stress over it. We are always waiting on documents and important papers until the end of February. By the time March roles around we are into spring break and spring sports. Just finding the time is hard. It takes hours to plug in all the little numbers. The program spoon feeds you the questions but you still have to find the papers and type everything in correctly.

Tax weekend was also the weekend of our favorite auction, CASA, Court appointed children's advocates. Independent auditors for going into homes of children in the court system or social services and seeing the living conditions and helping where there is need. They throw a great fund raising party. Wine flows, paddles raise to bid up prizes for a good cause. We have a great group of friends that attend and party with us.

It is probably just as well that we are a little slow the next day, so we can focus on the taxes. Tom doesn't feel up to golf. He can sit at the computer and fill out those forms that need to be submitted. He is grouchy anyway, might as well have a reason.

I flutter around waiting for him to call out the paper he can't find and needs. Keeping a low profile. By afternoon the late night at CASA catches up to me also and I go upstairs for a nap. The end result of my disappearing is Tom orders really expensive pizza for dinner, delivered, and our taxes are not finished.

Tonight we will tackle them again. Thank goodness they owe us, so no penalties for being late. Other than they hold on to our money that much longer. Tom did finish the business taxes. The family taxes may not be as simple, with the move and the rental house. I found all our charitable donations receipts. I write in big bold highlighter on those papers, CHARITY 2011. They are hard to miss in the stacks of papers as I sift.

I can't wait until everything is done. I can feel the shadow hanging over us until we are finished. I saved a really nice expensive bottle of red wine from our Gearhart trip to celebrate the end of taxes. I am chomping at the bit to try it. It is my positive motivator.

Tom always says the day he can't do our taxes I can put him in a nursing home. That is his motivator. Taxes should not be so difficult that a person can not figure the forms out for themselves. I can see wanting to pay someone to do them if you don't have the time, because they are tedious. These programs on line; Turbo tax, or Tax act, or H&R Block, or any of the others will walk you through it, step by step. But it is taking us several days even with the programs to enter all the details of our last year so we can get credit for every little expense.

I love the idea of a flat tax. No more loop holes or write offs, but at least you know everyone is on the same playing field and committed to the same rules.