Taxpayer asks: Where I live, you prepay property taxes by 6 months. So in 2012 I paid taxes In Jan and then in June. In July, I sold the house so at the closing I paid (I guess to the seller) the taxes for Jan-July that I occupied the house. Can I deduct these taxes…
My son starts summer camp tomorrow. And this is what I have learned as a parent about summer camp: it’s expensive. Super expensive. Last week, I took all three kids to Dick’s Sporting Goods to stock up on camp items: shin guards, mouth guards, cleats, shin guard covers (who knew?), new hockey stick… The list…
Taxpayer asks: I’m confused by part of the notice I got from the IRS about my 2010 taxes. The first part was clear – I apparently never got a tax form for some interest so didn’t declare it, and I have no quarrels about paying the tax plus penalty on that. However, the second part…
J is for Job Search Expenses. Despite recent news that seems to hint that the job market might be recovering, many Americans are still out of work. The prospects, however, of finding a job seem a little brighter as the U.S. continues to add jobs. If you’re one of those still searching, take heart. And…
D is for Deductible Taxes. (Admit it, you thought I was going to say depreciation. Nah, that was last year.) It feels like everything you touch these days is associated with some kind of tax. You can get socked with taxes for doing anything from working to tanning to smoking. It can add up. Surely…
I’m back in North Carolina for the second time in two weeks, this time with Nurse Kate (my daughter) in tow. My mom had heart valve replacement surgery last week and it wasn’t without her complications: her lung collapsed the day after the surgery and the resulting 24 hours was quite stressful. Mom is back…
I love Halloween. I do. I love the camp, the excess, the whole over the top vibe. I dress up every year. I make my kids’ costumes for our school parade. I bake ridiculous amounts of cupcakes and make silly snacks that are meant to look gross like hotdogs that look like bloody toes in…
If you read the blog regularly, you probably already know a little bit about my maternal grandmother. If you don’t, let me fill you in… She made the best vegetable soup in the world. She raised eight children, including an invalid son whom she refused to institutionalize even though everyone told her different. She dyed…
The snack lists have already come home from school (my first parent snack day is September 22 – someone remind me so that I don’t become that mom who forgets). Snack day is a lot more tricky these days than in the past. I’m sure you’re thinking of the obvious reason but as a mom,…
My kids started school today and already the cry for volunteers has started. I’m not complaining because I get it. Schools are increasingly the target of cuts in spending (deserved or not is another question) and as a result, they are in a scramble to make up for missing programs, teacher shortages, and funding. Fortunately,…