Oh #$@% It's Tax Time!

When I was in college I did my own taxes. When I got my first "real" job, I did my own taxes. Eventually I started to make more money and at that point I hired out the task . I guess I thought things were getting more complicated with home ownership, pre-tax health care savings accounts and the like. But after the past couple of years and more contact with the IRS than I would have liked to have had, I feel like a fool. I have been paying some yahoo who took a weekend workshop in 1993 to muck (I'd prefer to use another word here but am trying to quit cussing for the sake of the infant) up my taxes. I paid these numb skulls a few hundred dollars a year to put me on the IRS's frequent filer muck-up (again the other word would be more poignant) list. At this point I imagine that these IRS guys actually pull my annual files for kicks just to see who can find the error the fastest. And this was all for what?

In the 90's I had an excuse to want out of tax filing. I had never heard of Turbo Tax, and had to make a trip to the public library to pick up a form and a booklet, and extra forms for when I made errors. I would read through copy more boring than (insert most boring thing you've ever read here) and fall asleep every three pages, even with 6 shots of espresso under my belt. I actually recall taking 2 days off of work to do my taxes; of course I spent the first one procrastinating and drinking Bloody Marys. But as difficult as it seemed to me, I was never once contacted by the IRS. Now .... they have me on speed dial.

So this year, I decided to get back on the "proverbial" horse and file our taxes myself. I bought Turbo Tax for $59. I got together all of my paperwork and on a Monday night, on my own time, I filed our taxes. And after 2 hours and a glass of wine, I was DONE! It was very simple, even with additional medical, short term disability, having a baby, home ownership, and 401Ks. So here's the math ($239-$49= $190 saved this year) and here is the most humorous part of the saga.

Last year we went to have our taxes filed. The woman filing them got confused when looking at our HSA (healthcare savings account)distribution form. She asked us to wait one moment which turned into 20 moments while she walked from cubicle to cubicle in the office trying to find someone who could help her understand the document sent by the HSA manager. So, when it came to this document I was a bit leery. I was afraid it was going to be uber confusing, but guess what, it wasn't. As far as I can tell, she was simply (how do I say this nicely) not the sharpest knife in the drawer. And three years ago, Chad (that's what we'll call him) forgot to tell us we needed to file in Iowa because of a home sale. And two years ago, Chad II forgot a critical piece of information that we needed in order to file correctly. Now I know what you are thinking, because as I am writing this, I am thinking it too. Per Albert Einstein the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result". At this rate I am a raving lunatic; but this year I took back my sanity. And this year, when the IRS calls because I made a silly error, or I mistyped a number, I won't feel like a complete ass, because at least I #*$@ed up my taxes instead of paying someone to do the job for me.

Next Article.....The Generation that Can't Define Poverty