Today I Celebrate---My Taxes Are Done!

Today I finished preparing my 2010 taxes!

I hate doing taxes. Being a somewhat organized person, I do keep labeled folders where I deposit receipts during the year, but I avoid even thinking about those receipts once they have been deposited.---Until January 1 that is.

My husband would put the typical "nagging wife" to shame. On the first day of January, every year, he says something like, "Hmm. Isn't it about time to start working on the taxes?" I put him off with, "Can't start yet. Have to wait until all the interest statements come in from our banks." That's right, banks, not bank.

I like life to be simple, but I am married to a guy who watches interest rates like a hawk. If a bank anywhere within driving distance raises its rate by even a quarter of a percent, he must immediately start a new account with it and transfer most of our savings there.

If we happen to have a CD that hasn't matured at the first bank, he leaves it in, but marks the maturity date on the calendar so he won't forget to snatch the funds as soon as possible and transfer them, too. Thus, we have ended up with a bunch of small accounts in a large number of different places, which I am supposed to keep track of for tax purposes.

Back to the taxes. After the middle of January, the interest statements begin to show up in the mailbox and each time my husband hands me a new one, (collecting the daily mail is one of his self-assigned tasks since he retired), he eagerly asks if that is the end of them so we can get on with the business of preparing the taxes. You'll notice that I said he says, "we," but so far his contribution has been to carry the interest statements from the mailbox to my desk.

Anyway, today I celebrate. The taxes are done and I am demanding dinner out as my reward. All this and Valentine's day just around the corner. What more could a gal ask for?