"Much Better on Time" than "Better Late Than Never"
Yesterday's big goal was to start and finish my 2004 taxes, but I guess a subliminal part of me wanted to procrastinate. I had everything I needed with me in All-Day Detention at school except the charger for my laptop. So when I got home from actual teaching at school today I fired up the laptop and got started ... scanning the headlines, checking mail, and reading the comics.
Eventually I settled into doing my taxes while watching a DVD of various Halloween episodes of The Simpsons. H&R Block TaxCut got the job again and without any fancy work I paid $81.00 electronically (for a premium of $2.02) but opted to mail in paper forms for the heck of it.
Then I thought about downloading the state version for $24.95 (only!). Instead I thought "Well, let's download the paper forms and send them in." Good thing, too. I found out that residents of Penn's Woods can file online for free (that's a $24.95 savings). Turns out I owed $1.00 and they don't collect that.
But the local taxes -- or at least the income version due April 15th -- set me back some $165.00 because in mid-year all the municipalities raised the rate. And they'll probably contact me and tell me I owe more, but that's fine. Then maybe I'll direct them to get all the local taxes that my employers take out for other still other municipalities. By April 30th I have to send in personal taxes and real estate taxes totaling almost another $30.00 in total.
Satisfied with a job well done, I wrote the checks with aplomb and to the erstwhile accompaniment of the every topical "For the Love of Money" by the O'Jays (Philly Super Soul Hits). Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
