Sometimes things happen that mess with your tax situation. For instance, last year we got back a $2700 refund because of education credits. I left my withholdings at 1 since it is just my wife and I with no kids. Typically what happens is she makes so little money, they never take out federal tax. So the 4 or 5 thousand dollars she might make in a year goes completely untaxed and I have to make up for it.
Well this year she made less money, but I made more. When I made more, they took out booku federal tax. Added onto that the enormous amount of money I paid for my teaching credential classes that went down as a credit, and what do you know, the feds owe me $4100!!! The PRK owes me $1025! Cha-Ching.
Yes, my brainless self knows that the government got to hold onto my money all year long. However, was I supposed to know that I would be the temporary Education Director at my facility for 4 months and get paid for it, that my wife wouldn't work the last half of the year, and that I was going to spend all of that money on school? I guess so. I need to get better at telling the future. I guess I should go ahead and adjust my taxes now so I can take into account that huge refund, especially since I have a new temporary job and my wife isn't working but she might be working soon.
Sometimes, people just don't have the same job they have had for the last 20 years to adequately plan out their tax year. What people do know is it is 10 times worse to have to find a large sum of money to pay back to the government because you were short than take back your money that they held onto for the year.
Ok, all of that being said. I want to get a Kel-Tec SU16 with mine and the wife will get a Daisey Rock Guitar. The gun safe idea is a good one too, but I also need to pay down that 2nd. Boy the spend mentality is not good. I most certainly need to fix or replace my cooler too and that is going to be 1k to 2k. Decisions, decisions.
