So I finally got back to work on Friday. It was an insane commute, and of course, maybe 15% of my coworkers were there. So I chatted a lot, cleared out e-mail, did a few tasks, and then sat around. When you go on vacation, it’s normal to come back to a lot of work, but so many of my projects are collaborative, which means that since no one was at work (our office doesn’t really allow telework – who wants to bet that changes!) there wasn’t a whole lot to do.
Today’s a holiday. And it’s supposed to snow again. I’m hoping that it’s not too bad.
Over the weekend, I discovered that my federal tax return was deposited. Fast! My state return arrived last week, which means that my dealings with the tax man are done for the year! And it’s not even March!
I’ve been reading blog posts about what people are doing with their tax returns, and I’ve decided I must be boring. I’m having a little bit of fun with it, I guess! Just delayed fun. I put most of it into savings, and a chunk of it went into my vacation fund. I’ve got two trips planned for the year – a wedding in May and a half-marathon in September. Unfortunately, the flights for both are going to be fairly expensive.
I also decided to put some into my running fund. In cleaning out my drawers and closets, I’m realizing that a lot of my running gear is more worn out than I thought. It still has some life left in it, but as I have to start replacing things, it will be nice to have the money set aside for those purposes.
As I have mentioned, I decided not to mess with my withholding to try to get less money back. I think this year was a bit of a fluke with the markets not being so great. I don’t have a whole lot of money invested, but those dividends add up come tax time. I’m hoping that 2010 is a much better year – which would lead to owing more taxes.
Plus it does feel good to get money back as opposed to owing a chunk. It’s not ideal, and if I could figure out how to break even, I would. Sadly, I can’t see into the future. I will work on that skill for next year.
I wish I could put my into savings! (Way to go!)
Unfortunately, my tax return is going right out the revolving door again in September to help blunt the pain of the school tax bill… I wonder how many homeowners end up taking windfalls and using them to pay for their tax bill?
I live in New York state and people are fleeing in droves to avoid ridiculous property taxes. I’m lucky to live in a town with relatively low property taxes, but the school taxes are insane.
So much for getting ahead this year 🙁