{"id":3773,"date":"2012-04-16T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2012-04-16T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theamateurfinancier.com\/?p=3773"},"modified":"2012-04-16T00:49:15","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T04:49:15","slug":"celebrating-tax-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theamateurfinancier.com\/blog\/celebrating-tax-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the End of Tax Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ah, so it’s April 16th. The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, and throughout the country, people are relieved and excited that April 15th has passed, and with it, Tax Day is now officially over. Time to celebrate!<\/p>\n

Alright, not quite; with the 15th falling on a Sunday this year, taxes aren’t officially due until April 17th, and with many people waiting for the last possible minute to file (either because they want to put off paying their taxes as long as they are able, or simply due to procrastination), there’s likely to be some people still working on getting everything finalized, even as we speak.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Yup, you can put aside the tax books (assuming you've filed them, of course...)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Picture by David Reber<\/a><\/span><\/h5>\n

Whether you filed as soon as the last of your forms came in around February, waited for a few months like me (I finished my taxes on April 1st; Happy April Fool’s Day, IRS!), or are still waiting for the absolute last possible moment to get your taxes filed, chances are you’re ready to treat finishing the sometimes tricky task of tax filing as a time for great celebration and enjoyment. So, in that spirit, here are some ways to celebrate the end of tax season (at least until next year…):<\/p>\n

Read Some Tax-Related Humor<\/strong>: I realize that with the possible exception of undertakers, tax collectors are considered some of the most humorless professionals in the country, but that doesn’t mean that isn’t some tax-related humor floating around out there. One of my favorite humor sites, Cracked.com, shared a list of people who have managed to take absurd tax deductions<\/a><\/span>, from deducting the cost of your car (after crashing it while drunk) to deducting the cost of FF-sized breast implants (no, I am not exaggerating) to drugs (yes, the illegal kind; and no, you can’t do that anymore, as deducting anything related to trafficking illegal substances was made illegal itself back in 1982). Go on, have a read, have a laugh, and have a look at some of the things that the people reviewing your tax return have to go through.<\/p>\n

Enjoy Some Deals<\/strong>: With tax time considered such an unenjoyable time by so many, more than a few companies are offering savings over the next few days<\/a><\/span>. From Arby’s to Cinnabon to Hooter’s, there are more than a few places you can visit to take some of the edge from having to spend hours gathering paperwork, filing out a tax return, and double-, triple, and quadruple-checking it. Be aware, though, that many of them nowadays require you to also do things like ‘Like’ them on Facebook. Fun, no?<\/p>\n

Work to Simplify the Tax System:<\/strong> Alright, so this isn’t really ‘celebrating’, per se, but let’s be honest, if you aren’t ready to see quite a few simplifications of the tax system right after you last filed, you’re never going to be. There’s lots of ideas floating around out there, from making substantial modifications to the existing system<\/a><\/span> (but leaving it more or less intact) to ending the income tax entirely<\/a><\/span>. While a complete listing of all the options floating around could fill a blog (to say nothing of debating all the pros and cons of each), all have the benefit of simplifying our current muddle of a tax code into something that doesn’t require a substantial industry to exist simply to help us figure out how much we owe. It would definitely be a good idea to contact your Congressperson and\/or Senator and let him or her know you’d be much more willing to support them if they spent more time trying to simplify the tax system, and less time adding new clauses to the tax code.<\/p>\n

Prepare for Next Year’s Taxes<\/strong>: I know, I know, if there’s one thing even less celebratory than trying to affect changes in tax policy, it’s planning for next year’s taxes while assuming that the tax code will remain the same, or (as it often does) get even more complicated. Still, if you hope to benefit as much as possible from the many advantages found within the tax code as it currently exists, you should start arranging your finances now, if you haven’t already. I’ve already shared some tips<\/a><\/span> on how to do so, but you’ll have even more success if you don’t wait until the end of the year to get started.<\/p>\n

Plan What You’ll Do With Your Tax Refund<\/strong>: Alright, let’s get back to the fun stuff: what to do with that tax refund. Granted, if your refund was fairly sizable, you shouldn’t spend all of it on fun and games; there are plenty of ‘useful’ goals you can put a several hundred (or several thousand) dollar check towards, from retirement savings to paying down debts. But at least a portion of your refund money should be spent on something you enjoy; you’ve given the government an interest free loan for the bulk of the year, the least you can do is have some fun when they repay it. From going out to the movies to taking your sweetheart to dinner, there’s plenty of ways you can have a little fun, while still leaving most of your refund to sigh legitimate purposes. (And if you aren’t getting a refund, try to take some pleasure in the knowledge that you were able to enjoy that money throughout the year, and that if you have delayed paying your taxes to this point, you’re doing a pretty good job of managing your money.)<\/p>\n

There you go, a few ways to enjoy yourself once your taxes are paid (and few ways to possibly make tax time more enjoyable in the future). How are you planning to spend Tax Day? Any celebrating planned?<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, so it’s April 16th. The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, and throughout the country, people are relieved and excited that April 15th has passed, and with it, Tax Day is now officially over. Time to celebrate! Alright, not quite; with the 15th falling on a Sunday this year, taxes aren’t officially due 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