Oy - taxes!

So today I determined to figure out my taxes and take the news like a grown up. I hate doing taxes. My head doesn't work well with all those "if this, then pay that" rules. Don't forget x and make sure you take into account y. Phooey.

My son had been bugging me to try TurboTax for the last two years, but I had declined, thinking I had to buy and install some software, and not wanting to have to fuss with all that. I used to pay someone to do them, but after watching them go through it, I knew I could at least do as well as they did. Easier to just slog through those darn tax manuals myself and hope for the best.

But this year, I noticed a link to TurboTax from my online bank, so I settled down with armloads of paperwork and a determination to tackle this to the best of my ability. At least I should know something by the time I finish.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was once I plugged in the information. The questions were straightforward, and if you didn't understand, there were links that would take you to more information. And once you had the federal done, the state was a breeze, just uploading the same info and plugging it into their formulas.

It wasn't bad. Not at all. And the news wasn't even as harsh as I had feared. Sometimes it pays to listen to your kids! Of course, I won't rest easy until I am sure everything is kosher, but for the most part, I am pretty happy with the whole thing. Not bad (except for the amounts!).