The Adventures of Being Me

Thought to give out tax tips before tax season is upon us again. I do tax preparation in addition to full time jobs to earn extra money. Here are some tips before getting our taxes done. 1. Know the difference between Independent Contractor and Employee. Employees fill out W-4 forms upon being hired to declare how much taxes to take out of their paychecks. They get pay stubs along with their paychecks spelling out the deductions taken out. Employers are required to issue W-2s by Jan 31. Independent contractors don't have taxes taken out of their paychecks and receive 1099-Misc forms if they made over $600, which means they must pay estimated taxes and/or self employment tax if they made over $400 income (meaning Sales minus Expenses equals Income). Independent contractors need to keep records of expenses, business miles driven, and separate car/home office expenses into personal and business uses (insurance, electricity, phone, etc.). Then there is self-employment who usually ...

Merry Christmas to my dear friends and family. My New Year began with getting two kittens from a relative. Unsure if they were male or female so called them White Nose and Gray Nose until gender was established. Two days after picking them up, they had eye goo and vet diagnosed them with a respiratory infection. Vet affirmed their gender to name White Nose as Bilbo and Gray Nose as Misty. My ferrets were bigger than the 6-week-old kittens and would drag them under the sofa. Started tax preparation with an income tax preparation company. Lost female Beta fish Ananke that I got as a baby and was growing bigger every day. Took Mom to my Dad's cousins’ reunion at a pizza place. Lost male Beta fish Atlas Jr that I got full grown. My ferret Luthien was dubbed The Brave when she was the only ferret to go outside during the polar vortex, then I knew it was freezing when even SHE refused to go outside. Got new Beta fish Aeneas and Pandora, both full grown. Adopted 2 Bonded Bud...

After a hail storm, had 2 roofing companies drive by asking to inspect my roof for damage. Sure why not. One company I never heard from again. The second one had me call my insurance company to make a claim. The insurance guy came out to inspect the damage and guessed my roof was 12 years old. He must have called the roofer cause they showed up at the same time (and I know I didn't set that up). Insurance guy agreed to a new roof so got a new roof. Roofers broke my gutter guards so waiting them to be replaced. With all this snow and cold, I might have to wait a while for that. I informed the insurance guy of my plight and he agreed not to release any funds until I am satisfied. Canceled the cable and sent back the box. It is weird watching antenna TV and some channels don't come through. I notice a lot of rerun channels that play reruns from 50's, 60's, 70's, etc. all day. Bought concert tickets to see Elton John with my nephew. Paid nephew a few times to rake le...