Tax Time

I dread dealing with our income tax every year.  Absolutely dread it.  And I hear of all these people who get theirs figured in January....really...how is that possible?  I don't even have all of the stuff I need from work and interest statements let alone my own stuff I need to find.  Every year I say I'm going to do better tracking what we give to church....like actually writing down the check number in the check book, but that lasts through March.  Instead I'm trying to match up check amounts to cleared checks from our online statements.  At least we typically write one check a month so I probably have less than 15 checks to deal with.  Now that we are paying daycare again it's something else to keep track of...or more than likely wait and deal with next February.  Life gets too busy...how it doesn't seem to get too busy for others and they can keep perfect track of everything I don't know.  Actually, those kind of people who can have theirs figured January 1 makes me a little sick.....and highly annoyed.

 I used to think it was hard when I only had to find church and daycare check numbers.  Then we started with the cattle and I had to track farm expenses.  Which basically came down to adding up a mound of feed bills and hoping that Jay got all the receipts in the designated envelope.  Oh, there has been lots of eye rolling over the years when it looks like there is a big gap in the receipt dates.  Then I'm never sure of some of the receipts we have....Like when the Amish butcher our fair chickens...is that a farm expense?  It's so complicated!

But nothing has compared to this year with the Icebox.  Jay is a great husband, a great father, a great teacher....but he stinks at anything finance related.  Which I don't understand because a big thing he teaches with FFA is record keeping.  I'm going to have to get him his own big blue book to keep at school.  When he tells the kids to update their books he'll need to work on his own.  In 2010 I kept the records up to date with the Icebox, but as you know 2011 was a different story.  I didn't do anything with the Icebox.  Which was obvious Saturday morning when I pulled out the envelope and found two receipts in it.  Two receipts....  Jay tried to tell me that was probably all there was this year.  I don't think that was the case.  Then we had to pay sales tax to the state every quarter and after a big event.  None of those got copied.  So I'm trying to gather our information and I have hardly any expenses, no idea of how much income we claimed or how much we paid in taxes to the state.  I asked Jay for his check register so I could try to find what was paid for vendor fees from that.  He didn't know where the register was.  I thought my head was going to pop off.  I will say it again, I DO NOT LIKE TAX TIME.

Over the years Cade has heard us squabbling over taxes this time of year.   Every year it makes him ask questions about taxes.  I'm sure someday he'll tell his wife that I got really crazy during February.  This year he apparently has been watching the tax return commercials because after Saturday he had some tax advice for me....
Cade:  Do you know Jackson Hewitt
Me:  Yes
Cade:  Who does our taxes
Me:  Kevin
Cade:  Why don't you use Jackson Hewitt, I think it would be easier.  Jackson Hewitt can do it.

Yeah, if only Jackson Hewitt would keep track of the receipts all year long.  I'll need to have a talk with Camryn someday.  Instead of dreaming of a tall dark and handsome husband she needs to think more practical.   She needs to dream of a tax accountant.....