That sucks, flea! I did mine last night but didn't finish them (online TurboTax). I can't figure out the whole home-office deduction thing. Every year it tells me I didn't spend enough to get the deduction, but that it'll carry over or something, but then I can't see that it carries over, at all. So I'm wondering if TurboTax is screwing with me, and I'm missing something, or if I just don't get to deduct anything even though I work 100% from a home office. I also can't figure out why the "sales tax deduction" amount keeps going DOWN, even if my income went UP a little bit (it makes an estimate, since in WA we don't pay state income tax--but in 2012 it estimated like, 4K, and in 2013 $3800...and last year, $3700, or something. Very weird). But I should at least get some money back.

the company owner choosing the drama llama over me, etc.

bonny, your fears and anxieties are pretty reasonable given the situation. Of course, that isn't to say that they would stop you when you decide the time is right to act. But this bit of what you said stands out to me. Please understand that it isn't the company owner making a conscious decision of value - it is a matter of water seeking its own level. This person is not in good mental balance. Nor does she crave wisdom and balance with her whole heart the way you do. The repeated refusal to respect your expertise shows that she she lives and breathes drama. It is her air. She can no more choose you than she can choose to grow gills and breathe the ocean. You staying with that business is leaving you a fish out of water. You can do it as long as you need/want, but it is draining you without replenishing what it takes.

meara, and everyone else here who dreams of finding that special someone - that kind of loneliness sucks so hard. I wish I could wave a wand at it for you to make the hurt go away, and then wave it again to make the right persons appear.

flea, I hope you don't have to scramble too hard to pay that.

I didn't file yet, because 1) mr. flea likes to look them over and B) if you owe money, you file on April 15, right? That at least gives you time to find the money.

In other depressing tax news, the millage rate in Cincinnati is significantly higher than in the very wealthy suburb of Boston where my mother lives. I know this because I was griping about how much high the property taxes (which we're about to start paying) are here than they were in Georgia, and my mother said, "Oh, I am sure ours are much higher" so I looked and actually hers are a lower percentage of home value (though of course their homes are higher value, because East Coast). While I approve of most of the stuff the property taxes pay for (for example, the public schools my kids attend) it is still not that fun to actually pay them (they're going to be about 1/3 of our monthly house payment.)

We also owe a painful chunk for a good reason this year (Bumped to a higher tax bracket. Yay! Failed to adjust our withholdings. Err...) I feel like it would be easier to be one of those anti-tax crazies who bitches about having to pay anything at all, but I'm totally down with paying! Just not with having to pay it out of pocket right now!

meara, I say save yourself the potential hassle and buy a new umbrella.

I'm awesome and single. Except I'm sort of single by choice, so maybe I don't count. Most of the time I'm fine with being single, but I'd love to have someone to hang out with and do friend things like help move furniture and drive each other to the airport and stuff. I've made a few local friends, through the Board Game Club, but they're all married and/or have children, which cuts out their freedom to go do fun stuff with *me*. Doing dinner and/or a movie every three months or so is fun, but that's about all I get to do with them. I miss having a partner.

I'll do taxes next weekend when my sister comes to visit. She has Turbo Tax and I've been using hers every year. I never have managed to take a home office deduction even though I also work 100% from a home office. I don't know what that's about - what's the point of even having it when it's impossible to actually claim it?

I think I've misplaced all the paperwork already. Subconsciously I don't want it.

I'm still finishing scanning all of the receipts from last year, then I need to make sure I've categorized them all correctly. Then Pix and I will spend pretty much an entire day making sure that everything is reconciled in Quicken and that we've accounted for cash purchases so that they don't get lost on the write off/business loss side of the ledge. After all that is done then we get to meet with our amazing tax accountant and hand it all off.

I'm a bit delayed in filing this year. I totally forgot to file last year, for reasons. Then I got the letter from the IRS asking about it. So I found the info and put together the return for 2013 and they owe me over $3K. But now I have to wait for them to get that return into the system before I can file 2014.

I should make an H&R Block appointment for the week of my vacation. I have no idea how Hubby being gone will affect the taxes.

I'm awesome and single. Except I'm sort of single by choice, so maybe I don't count. Most of the time I'm fine with being single, but I'd love to have someone to hang out with and do friend things like help move furniture and drive each other to the airport and stuff. I've made a few local friends, through the Board Game Club, but they're all married and/or have children, which cuts out their freedom to go do fun stuff with *me*. Doing dinner and/or a movie every three months or so is fun, but that's about all I get to do with them. I miss having a partner.

This is it.