ceebeegee | (no subject)

Taxes, so tedious. But this year I got smart and started a spreadsheet and entered the receipts as I generated them. In categories. I know, right? That's 8 hours of toil saved right there (well, not really saved, I just did it in bits and pieces over the past year--but that means I get my refund THAT MUCH FASTER. Woo hoo!

Because ladies and gentlemen, I am extremely poor. Really, really poor. I am now on the Nicolae Ceauşescu Austerity program to Pay Off ~~Romania's foreign~~ Clara's school debt. No going out and dropping $20 on drinks, no impulsive sushi purchases, no *sob* impromptu dinners at Indian Road Cafe. Cannot. Afford. It. Srsly. All socializing will have to be done at someone's apartment, or at the park or something. Maybe a splurge of a cup of coffee, but it won't be Starbucks.

Speaking of which, our start-up again of Drunken Knitting this weekend was so much fun--love to do it again soon! See, you can have a good time without dropping lots of money! Let's think about another one in a month or so.

Had my first class today--woo hoo!

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Never a borrower and a lender be...

Or something like that. Tax refunds suck. That's your money that you loaned to the government at 0% even while paying interest (likely to a government backed entity). Better to claim more allowances, take home more (and use it to pay down student loans faster!) even if it means having to write a check on April 15. I kick myself when I make that mistake (like the past two years...) Taxes should be planned the January before!

But aside from that, congrats on the start of classes, and I love the new icon!

I know, I know you're right, we have this conversation every spring :) It's just a thing I have to do, it's a nest egg of sorts. When I panic in January (the holidays are always lean), then I remember I have a big refund coming. And hey, at least I tithe to my savings account! First rule of financial hygiene from The Richest Man in Babylon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Richest_Man_in_Babylon_(book)#The_First_Cure:_Start_thy_purse_to_fattening), save 10% of all you make.

I love the icon too...I was trying to capture a picture of that statue that's all over the homepage but I couldn't quite get it.

East Podunk Savings and Loan pays better interest than the federal government...that's all I'm saying. And yes, I'm guilty of same lately, as taxes get nicely complicated when marriage, children and a house get in the way.

But it's a philosophical thing with me, as you know :-)

Thanks for the link to that book!

That's a GREAT book, the nest time you're at my place you can look at my copy. My Dad gave me and all my brothers copies for Christmas, as his Dad for him and his siblings. It's so commonsense, so easy to break down.

As for East Podunk S&L, even they're not paying anything--like nothing! Thank God I have a CD and a high-interest savings account.

Yay for class and refunds!