Doing Income Taxes

I finally got around to doing my income tax forms today.  I had started in early April, but the software kept refusing completion.  Try as I might, I could not figure out why.  But knowing there was an extension, I dropped the matter intending to get back at it "in a few weeks".

Of course I didn't!  I my career, I was a natural self-starter and never needed a supervisor to ask "How is the X Project going".  And around the yard and house, I normally do stuff when needed on my own (like who else is there to tell me to do anything?).

But set a deadline on something I don't really want to do, and I will use all the time available to do things I think more pressing.  So here it is July 12th and taxes are due in 3 days, so I sat down to figure out what had bedeviled me in April.

I opened the existing Federal form and went through it step by step.  Everything seemed accurate.  This time, the software said a review found nothing wrong.  Well, that's because the software believes what you tell it.  I got to the end and realized it said my gross income was about $19,000.  Whoa, way wrong.

I managed (somehow) to miss the part about my retirement annuity!  No wonder the software was unhappy in April.  Why it wasn't bothered this time is beyond me.  But after I got all that part in, the results looked right and normal, and the software allowed me to complete the Federal and State forms, and print them out.

I owe, I owe, so off to the checkbook I go...

I need to increase my withholding slightly for both, but at least it isn't so much that I owe an underpayment penalty, but I think it was close.  My goal is to make it a tiny refund on both just so I don't have to bother writing a check to both. 

But I just HAD to tell you about the really silly mistake I made the back in April.  If you can't laugh at yourself, you have no right to laugh at others for any reason!

BTW, I did discover one sad fact.  I donated my old car to a charity a few days ago.  It turns out that, with new tax rules, the standard deduction is way more than my charitable giving.  Like by $12,200 (standard deduction) to $3000 (charitable giving) and the fair market deduction for the old car ($2,000?) isn't going to get me above THAT!  So the maybe $1500 I could have sold the car for is lost money. 

Well, in a financial sense, so is the $3,000 I gave to other causes, and I will treat it the same way.  Good deeds...  In fact, I think I will give more this year. 

At least my taxes are done for another 9 months!  And I don't mind them.  They (mostly) go to good purposes.

I'll add an image in slight jest, though...



And as long as I'm here and typing, I'll mention George Carlin about class and taxes.  He had one routine where he "explained it all".  Basically, the Upper Class doesn't do any work and runs off with all the money and doesn't pay taxes. The Middle Class pays all the taxes and does all the work.   The Poor are there to scare the heck out of the Middle Class.

Funny stuff, though I will say he ignored the unpleasant and hard work of the Poor.  No analogy is perfect...

OK, time to play with The Mews before dinnertime.  I wonder how Laz will react to wand toys and the Red Dot!

Goodbye Old Car

I have had mostly good luck with cars, new and used.  I even got good service from a used Chevy Vega hatchback and a new stripped-to-the-bones Chevy Chevette Scooter (How stripped was it, you ask?  Tires were nearly an "option").  No used car lasted less than 4 years, and my last 4 new cars lasted 40 years.  The new cars following the Chevette Scooter were a Ford Taurus SW and then a loaded Eagle Vision (nearest thing to a sporty luxury car I ever bought).  The last, a beloved Toyota Highlander lasted 15 years.

But last year, the dealership advised me that the timing belt and other pulley belts needed to be replaced just due to age, the charging system was unrepairable and needed a full replacement, the tires were suffering age fatigue, and a lot of tune up and such.  Probably $5,000 total work.  And the dents and dings and paint scrapes made it nearly multi-colored. 

But it only had 30,000 miles on it, so I considered a full do-over.  But then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and according to Consumer Reports (CR) magazine, TV news reports and radio car expert spots, car dealerships became desperate to sell anything to anyone at nearly any price.  I decided it was a good time to replace it.

I like SUVs for the driver-view height, and I do have to tow a utility trailer for mulch, garden soil, and lumber sometimes.  And I've mentioned the negotiations for the new Subaru Forester previously.  I would have bought a Mazda CX-5 if there had been a dealership near me, but the 2 are about the same in the ways that matter to me.

I'm mentioning this because I donated the Eagle Vision to a charity named "Vehicles For Change".  As I understand such things, most charity sites immediately sell a donated vehicle to a mass-auction site for just a few $100s.  Not much benefit to them for that.  Vehicles For Change (VFC) has a program where the donated vehicle is repaired as training for ex-cons and others needing jobs and THEN the repaired vehicle is given to peole who need a car to get to a job, to transport kids to day-care, or just to be able to shop for groceries out of the urban desert.

I'm not pushing VFC and I get nothing from them, but they seem "different".  And it is sure easier than selling a car yourself.

And one thing I have learned from previous trade-ins for new cars is, that by the time the salesman plays with the costs enough, you actually don't get anything for a trade-in.  So, my previous car went to Vehicles For Change. 

Yesterday, the old Toyota Highlander took the same route.  I was assured by several VFC emails that it would be repaired as training for mechanics and body-repair trainees, and sent through State Inspection before being donated to a needing family.  And I get to write off the full fair market value from my taxes.  That's not why I do it, but it helps.

The Highlander only has 30,000 miles on it.  I hate driving and carpooled regularly.  They even emailed me about "is 30,000 miles accurate"?  I told them I had repair tickets showing the gradual mileage to prove it.  They were thrilled.  In the car biz, that's called a "cream puff".

So it was picked up yesterday.  The associated towing company called 30 minutes before and arrived right on time.  The towing guy was experienced and checked my VIN and my title transfer and gave me a detailed transfer of ownership. 

So going...

Going...

And gone.

I hope some mechanic and body work trainees get good experience from renovating it and that a deserving family gets a benefit that makes life easier.  Sometimes good things come from the top down (like tax breaks and social benefits for those who need it) and sometimes from the bottom up (like a donated working vehicle).

May my old loved car be of benefit to many...