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Get Organized for the IRS by Gathering Your Tax Return Information Early

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Finances, Taxes

Just like every other aspect of your life, “doing your taxes” can be vastly improved by a bit of planning and organization. The best time to get organized for the IRS is BEFORE tax documents start landing in your mailbox, or online accounts. Spending 15 minutes the first week of February will save you time when it comes to meeting with your tax preparer, certified public accountant, or sitting down with TurboTax. It will also help avoid potential refund delays or IRS penalties if you end up owing this year. Here are some tried and true tips on getting organized for the IRS.

  • Make a List. Write down a list of all of the tax documents you know you will need to file your tax return, including those receive from employers, clients, health insurance companies, investment brokers, mortgage companies, and the like. Note the source of each document next to it on the list. Does your employer mail W-2s, or post them on an HR website? Will your investment broker send you a paper statement, or an email with a link? Having a list of what you need and where it will come from will ensure you don’t forget something important when you sit down to do your taxes.
  • Create a Capture File. Use a basic file folder, hanging file, or folder with pockets to hold your tax document list and hold paper copies of your important tax documents, including any receipts you may need. Each time a document comes in, put it in the file and cross it off the list. This way you will be able to see immediately anything you are missing when it comes time to file your tax return.
  • Book Early. If you plan to use a third party to complete your tax return and file your taxes, make an appointment to meet with them as soon as you can. It’s okay to make a future appointment before you have received all of your tax documents. Just make sure the appointment is for after you know you will have everything you need. Tax professionals’ calendars fill up early. You don’t want to risk not getting an appointment.
  • Provide Complete Information. Whether you are using an online tax return filing program, a professional tax preparation service, or a CPA, provide complete, accurate information when preparing your tax return. If you’re using software, have everything you need in front of you when you sit down at the computer. If you are using a tax preparation service or a certified public accountant, take your complete capture file with you. Do not leave anything out. Doing so could delay filing of your tax return, delay of your refund if you are eligible, and potentially result in penalties if you owe taxes. Having complete information when you file your return will help ensure it goes through without a hitch.
  • Don’t Embellish. Provide only correct information to the IRS, no matter how you file your tax return. Do not try to save money by claiming tax deductions you do not have documentation for. These include charitable donations of material goods you don’t have a receipt for, use of a personal cellphone for business, or business expenses you don’t have receipts for or that were reimbursed by your employer. The IRS is known for coming back and challenging such deductions. If you don’t have documentation, you could potentially delay your tax refund, receive an IRS notice for more information, or be subject to tax penalties. Being honest is the best way to go.
  • When In Doubt, Ask An Accountant. If your tax return is more complicated than a couple W-2s and a few interest statements, you may need a professional. You should also consult with a tax professional to answer any questions you may have about your taxes. Certified Public Accountants undergo regular training to keep them informed of the latest tax filing laws. They also have access to extensive tax research databases. Doing so will potentially save you headaches in the long run and could potentially save you money as well.

Do you have a great tip for preparing and filing your taxes? Do you know of an Accountant in the local area who excels? Tell me about it in the comments!

Today’s blog is from Cristina M. Miller, Freelance Writer and Editor and Proposal and Grant Specialist. Learn more about her work by visiting TheWriteStrategy.org.

Photo Licensed from Adobe Stock.

How Do You Handle Unpacking After a Trip?

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Travel

I just returned after a two and a half week vacation. Do you think I still have my suitcase packed or unpacked? 

As I arrived home at noon, I did spend the time to unpack my suitcases. I usually do as I personally do not like looking at my suitcases just sitting around. I also need certain items that night like my glasses so I can take out my contacts to name an example of items that I do not have duplicates of for traveling. How do you handle unpacking after a trip?

A client of mine shared an interesting article that gives great suggestions. Rather than repeating her ideas, I will share this post with you. Enjoy!

From the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/completely-correct-guide-unpacking-after-trip/

Photo: Pixabay

Tips for Getting Organized To Send Holiday Cards

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Christmas, Holidays

Whether you send cards to family, friends, business associates, or clients between Thanksgiving and New Years, being organized will streamline this important task.

  1. Enter the names and addresses of the people to whom you send a card in a database program. You may already have such a list, and keeping it updated is an important task to maintain through the year.
  2. Don’t hand address each card. Use your computer to print out the mailing addresses on label paper.
  3. Order your holiday cards with your message and/or photo already on it to save time writing an individual message or attaching/inserting a photo on every card.
  4. To save even more of your precious time, don’t wait in line at the post office. Go to shop.usps.com and order your stamps.
  5. Finally, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get around to sending holiday cards this year; rather, resolve to begin inputting your contact information now so that it is ready for you next year.

When you have the addresses printed out on labels, cards with message and/or photo, and stamps, it will be a cinch to get your cards in the mail!

Photo: Pixabay

The Semi-Annual Clothes Swap

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Closet, Clothes, Fall

If you live in a climate where summer and winter vary enough to require you to have two sets of clothing, then it’s that time again for the semi-annual clothes swap! Here are some tips to help you finish this task.

For some of you, it may be the happiest time of the year when you can bring out your favorite turtlenecks and sweaters, putting away the sleeveless tops and sandals. For others, it is a very sad time knowing you will be forced to be bundled up in order to keep warm. Regardless, it is a necessary evil that we all must face two times a year.

Clean Clothes – Make sure all your summer clothes are clean before putting them away. Food or body odor attracts critters, and you don’t want your clothes ruined. Take inventory of any item that needs to go to the dry cleaner and run them over while washing all remaining summer clothes.

Decisions – Before just putting your clothes all away till next summer, look at what you have and decide what you really don’t like anymore and what doesn’t fit, or is stained. Letting go of such garments now will allow you to be able to grab what you want next season. Why store items that don’t make you happy?

Storage – Where your clothes are being stored will determine the best storage container. To keep your clothes dust free, they need to be in a covered container. Cardboard boxes are OK but plastic bins are better. They are can be sealed tighter to keep out critters and dust. Please label what is in each container to make it easy to grab items if you need certain clothes or shoes earlier than others.

If you are fortunate enough to have a closet or drawer space that allows you to keep all your clothes out year long, that is terrific. You may only need to swap the placement of in season clothes to allow for easy access.

Happy swapping!

Photo: Pixabay

How to Have a Great Halloween

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Children, Halloween, Holidays, Safety

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year. Children come out dressed in colorful costumes. Parents walk along with them from house to house in the crisp fall leaves. Everyone seems to be in a truly generous, happy mood. Trick or Treating is truly a fantastic way to kick off the entire upcoming holiday season. Going door to door in even a neighborhood you know well isn’t without its safety risks, however. Here are some tips to a healthy, happy, and above all safe trick or treat night, “witch”-ever side of the door you are on.

  • Stay in Your Own Neighborhood. Trick or treating on the street or in the development you live is safer and more fun for everyone. Your neighbors get to delight in seeing all the kids they know dressed up, and the kids get a boost of confidence from their compliments and kind words. You also know, for the most part, where every piece of candy your child collects, has come from. Don’t try to do every house. For younger kids, just a few houses, or a single street, is enough.
  • Don’t Demand the Kids Say “Trick or Treat.” Many children are shy. Others have disabilities, such as Autism, cause them to be non-verbal. “Oooh” and “Ahhh” over every child that comes to your door and hand out one treat to every child. When you are out of treats, it is okay to close your door and not answer. Do not leave the house and leave a bowl of treats on your porch. This poses a potential safety risk to yourself, and the kids coming to your door.
  • Trick or Treat With Your Kids, In Broad Daylight. Never send younger kids, or those with disabilities, out trick or treating on their own, or even with an older sibling. Go with them. Stand at the foot of the walkway and notice who opens the door. Never go out trick or treating with your kids, or allow them to go out, after dark. Even the most reflective Halloween costume can be missed by a driver, particularly at dusk. A child alone, or even with an older sibling, cannot adequately protect themselves from a potential predator even in broad daylight.
  • Remember that Trick or Treaters Come in All Ages, Stages, and Sizes. We typically expect Trick or Treaters to be younger kids, no older than 13 or 14. Many types of Intellectual Disabilities cause the individuals who have them to act and function at a much younger age level than they are chronologically. If someone comes who appears older comes to your door, before opening the door check through a window or peep hole to confirm there is a parent or responsible adult nearby and if so, hand them a treat.
  • Set a Hard Rule that All Candy Must be Checked First. Make sure your kids understand that no candy is to be eaten while they are trick or treating, and that even after they get home, all candy is to be checked by you before they try it. Check each piece of candy a child receives and toss anything that seems questionable. If your child has any food allergies, read the ingredients on each label to confirm there are no “hidden” ingredients or that the candy wasn’t produced in the same factory that produces the food your child is allergic to.
  • Stick with Sealed Candy. Many people like to hand out fruit, homemade treats, or wrapped candy such as lollipops and Tootsie Rolls, or Sweet Tarts for Halloween. Unfortunately, these types of goodies often get thrown away by parents because they are not “factory sealed.” Better yet, head to Party City and get a bag of non-candy treats such as pencils, fidget spinners, funny erasers, cheap sunglasses and the like and hand those out instead.  It will cost about the same, all children can enjoy them, and make a better investment for everyone.

Do you have a Trick or Treat tip that you think will make Halloween great? Share it in the comments!

Photo Licensed from Adobe Stock

Today’s blog is from:

Cristina M. Miller, CP APMP

Writer and Copyeditor

201-783-2994
 
I’ll Put Words To Work For You!

How to Keep Your Home Safe

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Fall, Safety, Vacation

In a few weeks most of the US will be turning our clocks back. That is a great time to change and check your smoke detector batteries. What else can we do to make sure our house is safe?

Fire Extinguishers – A fire extinguisher should be placed in the kitchen, of course, but also on every floor in your home. If you barbeque outside, you should also have one nearby in case flames get out of hand. The other important point to make is to not only have them on hand but to also know how to use them. Did you know that there is an expiration date on fire extinguishers? Make note of this by clearly labeling the expiration date with a black marker.

Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors – Check with your fire department to find out where these detectors need to be located in your home. Know the difference between the sound of each detector so that when they go off you are aware if the alarm signals fire or carbon monoxide. Not only should you check the batteries, but also clean the grille, if your unit has one, of dust for optimum detection.

Burglarproofing – Is your home safe when you aren’t there? Do you have a sturdy deadbolt on all the doors leading to the outside? For those of you that have an alarm system, do you have signs advertising you are using an alarm system? Look at your landscaping and make sure shrubs and bushes are trimmed and not blocking windows. Make sure tree limbs aren’t too close to an upper floor window to act as a ladder to that window. When you are away, set timers on lamps so that the house isn’t dark all the time. And stop mail delivery, keep lawns mowed and driveways plowed when you are traveling.

These may seem obvious, but are you doing all you can to keep your house safe?

Photo: Pixabay

Five Alternatives to Halloween Candy

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Children, Halloween, Holidays

Halloween is right around the corner. What are some alternatives to Halloween candy that you can give out to trick or treaters this year? With so many allergies to be concerned about, why risk throwing your money away with candy that may just end up in the trash? Here are a few suggestions for non-candy ideas to give out this year.

  1. Stickers – What child doesn’t love to have stickers to put on their notebooks or papers?
  2. Pencils or pencil erasers – If you are handing out pencils, don’t buy the ones that are already sharpened. We want the children to be safe and not poked with the sharpened points.
  3. Bouncy small balls – Lots of hours of fun will be had while playing with these balls.
  4. Washable tattoos – Children like putting these on and parents love that they are not permanent.
  5. Mini flashlights – They can attach them to their backpacks. Keep your children safe.

There are many more non-candy ideas. These are just a few to get you thinking. What will you be handing out this Halloween?

Photo: Pixabay

The Importance of Getting a Flu Shot and Other Preventative Medical Care

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Calendars, Fall, Medical

Not making time for preventative health care, including an annual flu shot, can cost you money, time, and stress, as well as potentially creating a health crisis later. Save money and stay healthy by making time for and understanding the importance of getting a flu shot and other preventative medical care.

This is the time of year when doctor’s offices and pharmacies are advertising that they have flu shots available. I am not a doctor, but I highly recommend that you get a flu shot this year. From personal experience, I have faithfully gotten a flu shot every year for as long as I can remember. My mother, on the other hand, has refused to get one. Last year she got the flu in January and then again in early June. She is now, after all these years, going to get a flu shot this fall.

Unfortunately, it may take a health crisis to realize the importance of being on top of preventative care for yourself and your loved ones. I also know a business colleague of mine who last March, in the middle of an extremely busy work cycle, got hit with the flu and had to work from home, lost contact with her husband, an accountant, and missed out on numerous volunteer events all because she forgot to get her flu shot.

How can we avoid these unfortunate situations? I often talk about the importance of using a calendar. This is another instance when scheduling preventative medical care ties into the use of a calendar.

Pull out your calendar now and see if you have a doctor’s appointment already scheduled in October or November. If not, can you call and schedule one for the specific purpose of getting a flu shot? See if your town offers flu shot clinics or just stop into a pharmacy and get your flu shot there. I just looked at my calendar and see that I have an appointment with my primary care doctor in early November. I now know that this is when I will get my flu shot. If they are out of them when I am there, I will then go to my local pharmacy and get it there.

There is other preventative medical care that you can be on top of such as bi-annual dental cleanings, annual physicals, and mammograms. I find that once I have scheduled these, as soon as I am checking out from that appointment, I am making the next one. I find that if I leave the doctor/dentist office without a next appointment, I will either keep forgetting to call, or keep pushing the call off due to my busy schedule. If you haven’t had any of the annual appointments in a while, may I challenge you to pick up the phone and schedule them?

I know too many ladies who, if they had not been faithfully getting annual mammograms, would have had much more advanced breast cancers. Once you hear of these jarring events, I would hope that it would encourage you to run to your phone and schedule an important annual exam.

Being in control of your health related appointments really will help save you time and money. More importantly, it may save your life!

Photo: Pixabay.com

Grocery Shopping and Delivery Services

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Budget, Finances, Groceries, Shopping, Time Management

Have you explored the use of grocery shopping and delivery services yet? How do you get the best value from services like Instacart, Amazon Subscribe and Save, Prime Pantry, Peapod, and other grocery shopping services?

Grocery shopping and delivery services – even online “order and pick it up at the customer service counter rather than walking through the store and waiting in line at the check-out” services – are gaining in popularity, but are they really worth it? Here’s how to quickly decide if using a shopping and delivery service such as Instacart (Groceries), Amazon Subscribe and Save (Household items), Amazon Prime Pantry (Groceries), and Peapod (Groceries) are worth the money.

Costs – There are several factors that go into determining if these services are worth your money. Considerations include your gas and car mileage to go to and from a store to buy your items. What about your time? How much is it worth? If you are a person who likes to compare prices, how much time are you spending determining if buying in bulk at a Costco or BJ’s is less expensive than ordering online at one of these shopping services?

You also need to factor in the cost if you frequently do take out for dinner or eat out for a number of meals. Those costs really add up, and it may be that the extra dollars you will be spending on delivery fees make sense. Plus, the added bonus is by eating at home, you are more than likely eating healthier.

When you shop, if you buy items that are not on your shopping list, you may really benefit from using online shopping services so that you only purchase what you need and aren’t tempted as you walk through the store. You won’t be able to smell yummy bakery items in their ovens tempting you to buy baked goods just because it smells great and you are hungry.

If you live in rural areas and you forget a few items, these services really are a valuable resource. Just the gas alone to have to run back out and pick up the items you forgot will be a no brainer in using delivery services.

Timing – You may find that there are times when these services can be a life saver such as when you are sick and can’t get to a store. Or what about when you are traveling? A client was just telling me how she uses Instacart when she and her family travel. Her daughter has two small children that are still in diapers. Rather than packing 2 weeks’ worth of diapers or having to locate a store when they arrive, she has the diapers and other bulky items shipped to her at her travel destination. Moreover, if you are in a really busy phase of your life, these services can be a true life saver. The delivery fee, if any, is well worth it for peace of mind!

Timing may also be an issue when choosing a delivery time. Will you be home to bring your groceries in your house? It may not matter if your order doesn’t include perishables. However, if you are ordering items that have to be refrigerated, having someone at home to accept the delivery is a must. If you can be more flexible with the delivery window, you may be able to save some money.

There are definitely pros and cons to using these services. You need to evaluate your situation to see if they will work for you. Let me know your experience with using grocery shopping and delivery services.

Photo: Pixabay.com

Celebrating Back to School

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Back to School, Calendars, Children, Fall

The kids are back to school, family summer vacations are over, and the house is at peace again. Here’s to celebrating back to school with your children, including your teenager, so that they all get off to a great start.

Night before prep – To avoid running around during the morning, what activities can you accomplish the night before? May I suggest preparing lunches so all you have to do is gather any refrigerated items and add to lunch bags/boxes? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have your children make sure their backpacks are loaded and ready to grab on the way out the door? Can you or your children pick out their clothes and have them ready to put on?

You might also consider having the breakfast table set and ready with anything you are able to lay out for breakfast the night before. Talking with your children to make sure they don’t have any permission slips or papers to sign the night before will avoid last minute panic. Do they need gym clothes or anything special for the next day?

These tricks will speed up the morning activities and perhaps allow a few more minutes of precious snooze time.

Calendar – How does your family communicate and stay on track? Do you use a digital family calendar like Google calendar or iCalendar? Or do you use a paper calendar? Regardless of the method, are you and your family making sure all your activities are on the same calendar? It is so easy to assume everyone knows that dance class is on Tuesday at 6pm but having it on one calendar that the entire family can see will avoid double booking or missing an activity. Seeing all events in one place will allow better planning of transportation and meals. Even color coding each member of the family will make it easy to know which person is doing what each day of the week.

Shopping Lists – This time of year as school begins seems to be the time that you may feel as if you are at the store every day picking up a last minute school supply for your children. How do you organize and coordinate your shopping lists? Is there a central place for all members of your family to list items that they need? Alternatively, do you use a digital shopping list that everyone has access to? Sharing the list will allow everyone to add items they need; therefore, when you are out and about and near a given store, it is easier to grab the item instead of going all the way home, only having to run out to that store.

Some of these tips may already be in place in your household but if not, I am hoping that at least one of them will help make your school year a more enjoyable experience at your home. What are some other ways you create a successful school year?

Image by A3DigitalStudio from Pixabay 

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