Yay, Gizmo!

My real estate taxes aren't over $10k anyway, fortunately.

The 10K limit covers both property and state/local taxes though - that will catch a lot more people. My property taxes are also paid through escrow, and while I don't think there would be a way to have the mortgage co pay them early, if you paid them early now, it would end up reducing your monthly payment down the line when they do their annual escrow reevaluation.

Good news, Gizmo!

Glad the medicine is working, -t!

My property taxes don't get anywhere near 10k, so I'm going to leave it alone and cross my fingers.

I know how to be financially responsible. I just don't do it, most of the time. My family has no idea how much I've fucked up my finances in the past. I'm doing okay now, I have a few credit cards to pay off, and I'm really trying not to get into a mess again. It's a combination of anxiety/depression and a stubborn reaction against being raised in a household where the money motto was "don't spend any money". Don't buy anything you can live without, buy the cheapest version of everything, everyone is out to rip you off. My mom would say, "It's not how much you have coming in, it's how you let it go out!" which, idk mom no. We'd have benefited more from learning how to handle having more money than basic survival needs, but none of us knew that. The Great Depression hung over our heads forever.

We don't have state income tax in Florida. Just real estate and sales taxes.

Just got the word that tomorrow is a short day. Hooray!

I think I may re-invent myself as a Rational Calendar Reform crackpot. 12 30-day months with 5-6 days of Non-calendrical time at the end of the year.

Mom was amazing with the fiscal responsibility. She was also raised by her Irish immigrant grandmother and born in 1921, so different mindset. Yeah, I know how to do it, but don't. What is worse, my sister pays my bills and does my books so when I eat out someplace crazy expensive, or do something financially reckless I tend to take out cash to do it so I can lie to her! I am a 63 yo teenager hiding stuff from my big sister.

At this age I am starting to think about it more. Mostly in wanting to have a paid off house and renewable energy and that sort of thing to have a minimal monthly nut when we retire. Still working on getting DH to live on a boat. That could happen too.

Living on a boat is one of the options I like to daydream about. Would require getting rid of a lot of my stuff, but that's probably a good plan regardless. My parents have the paid off house with solar panels, it's a good goal.

To muddy the waters a bit more on the property tax issue the IRS released guidance yesterday that prepaying 2018 taxes is only deductible if they have been assessed in 2017.

Yay Alabama! Bye Bye NoMoore.

I have so much to say on this topic, but I'm in the midst of the Great Filing Experiment at the bakery, and surrounded by paper I need to have put *somewhere* logical before I leave at 4 p.m.