I spoke to my friend who works at the IRS. She said the
message I’m seeing out on the irs.gov website is completely normal. She also
informed me that folks who are using the dependent deduction for the first time
will see a slight delay. I guess there are additional checks that go on before
your refund is released. It makes me nervous, but I’m going to try to be
optimistic.
I did make a major decision today. One that I’m really
afraid about, but that is necessary. I’m going to move forward with getting a
car and a car payment. I have the numbers completely worked out to where I’d be
using my income tax to make the monthly payments. I cannot find anything decent
to buy outright and I don’t want to end up putting all of my money into
something that might end up breaking down because the quality wasn’t good to
begin with. This just makes sense. Instead of throwing a few thousand away on a
piece of junk, I’d rather put that into a better car. The only downfall is I’ll
end up having to do this every year at tax time. Using that refund money to
cover my car payment for the year. The upside is I’ll still get to use some of
my income tax because each year I won’t be using some as down payment. I’ve
thought about this moment for the last year. Getting my income tax and getting
a reliable mode of transportation. This isn’t a decision that I’ve made on a
whim either. I’m also not looking for something brand new and very expensive. I’d
like a lower monthly payment and something I can potentially pay off early. I’ve
already begun looking and have a few prospects. I’ll keep you all updated.
First, I need to get my refund!
Every March, our company gives us a bonus. It’s usually a
nice chunk of change. Because I’m using my entire income tax on a car to get us
around, I wanted to be a little more whimsical with my bonus. The numbers haven’t
been finalized yet, so there is potential that we won’t get one at all, or it’ll
be small. These ideas are under the assumption that we get what we typically
have gotten in prior years. Anyway, I want to get Emerson a playhouse for the
backyard. I’ve thought long and hard about this and have checked every and any
store I can think of that carries them to price check and do my homework
against reviews of the product. So, you’re
probably wondering why I want to get him a playhouse. Well, originally, I wanted
to get him a playhouse and a table/chairs. The one I found is at Wal*mart and
it is a house with an attached picnic table. We have an amazing backyard that I
cannot wait to utilize in the spring and summer. Emerson was too small last
year to really get full use out of the yard. With him being able to walk and
run already, it’ll be nice to hang out in the yard when the weather is nice. I
thought having a playhouse would be nice and a table and chairs for him to eat
lunch outside too. The fact that I found a beautiful combination is even
better. It’ll be nice to have something in the yard that he can play in. My
parents have a sandbox for him too, and I’ll set up a baby pool again this
year. This way, we have some
entertainment at home instead of constantly having to drive to the park. During
the work week, I like being at home after I pick Emerson up from daycare. The
dog has already been at home for 11 hours by herself, so picking Emerson up and
going to the park seems silly. To me, it seems like a better idea to invest in
some backyard fun, so that we can hang out at home without making the dog suffer.
I found a slide too, but I’m not sure we’ll be splurging quite that much. I’ll
see how good the bonus is before I start adding on additionals like that. A
playhouse, sandbox, baby pool, and some outdoor balls will be plenty. I feel
like I’ll make my money back because we’ll be at home in the yard playing
instead of wasting gas and driving to the park. I don’t know why I feel the need
to justify my decisions though. It’s my money. I’m spending it on something
that I know Emerson will enjoy over using it on myself.
Outside of beefing up the backyard play area, I’d like to
finish off the playroom in the basement. We’re about $60 away from being able
to use that space. It’s actually too cold to use in the winter time, but will
be a perfect spot for evenings and rainy days when we can’t play outside. The
absolute last thing that I’d like to use some of that money for is to buy a
washing machine. We have a dryer that’s in perfect working order, but no
washing machine. I’m still toting our laundry to and from my parent’s house
each week. I almost feel guilty spending that money on a washer because we’re
doing okay without one now. It almost feels selfish because I know I’m going to have to drop at least
$300 on one unless I can find a used one somewhere. There are so many other
things I could do with that money, but having a washing machine would be
amazing. I’d like to stash the rest of my bonus away for emergencies, or to
just be able to take Emerson to the zoo and fun things like that over the
summer. As happy as I am to have some extra money to play around with, it’s so
stressful. I want to make the right decisions and do the best thing with that
money for us. It scares me to go from having money to not having money too. I’m
just trying to make decisions that’ll have a long-lasting impact and that make
our lives feel a little easier and joyous. I think all of the above will do
that.
Outside of the above that is constantly reeling in my mind,
nothing too much is going on. The staff at daycare really enjoyed the
strawberry milkshake cookies that I sent in. I’m glad. They were so tasty. I
plan on making some of those again. I hope they really enjoy all of the things
that I’m sending in on Friday. I had such a great time crafting for Valentine’s
Day.
Tomorrow, we’re going to lunch with my sister and mom. I’m
excited to be off of work. It’s supposed to be in the 40’s too, so that’ll be
nice! We’re meeting around 12:30pm, so that means we can sleep in a little
while. I never sleep in though. I’m sure I’ll still be up at the same time. I’ll
just get ready, hang out with the dog, and enjoy some quiet time until Emerson
wakes up. It’ll be nice to get out of the house for a bit tomorrow too. We have absolutely no weekend plans either
aside from celebrating Valentine’s Day. That’s
okay though. We can save our pennies. Alright, that’s really all I have for
today. Have a good day, all!
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