It's Tax Refund Time (hopefully)!
Jan 29th, 2009, 12:55 PM
#21
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Agreed, Suzy Q... that was exactly why I started this thread. Because let's face it, we could also use something to look forward to right now, even if it is a make believe trip to somewhere we've always wanted to go.
I hope everyone realizes their travel dreams in 2009, one way or another. Maybe we can borrow Citibank's new jet
I hope everyone realizes their travel dreams in 2009, one way or another. Maybe we can borrow Citibank's new jet
Jan 29th, 2009, 01:02 PM
#22
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Maybe we can borrow Citibank's new jet
Yes, if all the people who are angry with Citi gave them $1 each to use the thing, I think the company would actually turn a sizable profit - for once - in 2009.
Yes, if all the people who are angry with Citi gave them $1 each to use the thing, I think the company would actually turn a sizable profit - for once - in 2009.
Jan 29th, 2009, 05:30 PM
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Faina- They announced that quite long ago, about the state being out of money and I.O.U.s probably going out. That's what I was referring to in my post above.
Kylie- Yes, we do pay a lot of tax, here in California, and I never know how much I will owe exactly since I have a complicated situation and although I have withheld extra money over many years, it still doesn't balance out.
And I understand Kylie that your thread wasn't meant to be Financial Planning 101, or a thread for folks to berate other folks, but one for folks to just "dream" if they are going to get some money back. And it's nice to be able to "dream" in these difficult financial time. I like this thread although I know that I won't see a dime coming back. Smiles. Happy Travels!
Kylie- Yes, we do pay a lot of tax, here in California, and I never know how much I will owe exactly since I have a complicated situation and although I have withheld extra money over many years, it still doesn't balance out.
And I understand Kylie that your thread wasn't meant to be Financial Planning 101, or a thread for folks to berate other folks, but one for folks to just "dream" if they are going to get some money back. And it's nice to be able to "dream" in these difficult financial time. I like this thread although I know that I won't see a dime coming back. Smiles. Happy Travels!
Jan 29th, 2009, 07:30 PM
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Christina, Christina, Christina.....sigh. I can see the look of horror on your face at the thought of all of us financial ignoramuses. Think of it this way: people like us make you look really smart.
Jan 29th, 2009, 09:12 PM
#30
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I just noticed I forgot to reply to this myself (probably because I was busy filing my return)!
If a large sum of money was dropped in my lap courtesy of the government and/or my personal loan to them, I think I'd take the Palace on Wheels train through India. Man, it looks cool...
If a large sum of money was dropped in my lap courtesy of the government and/or my personal loan to them, I think I'd take the Palace on Wheels train through India. Man, it looks cool...
Jan 30th, 2009, 02:10 AM
#31
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If I got more money back than I expected in my tax return this year...I'd try to pay off my school loans as much as possible. Years of college and graduate school at an Ivy-League university were a good investment in my career but they were surely expensive!
Jan 30th, 2009, 07:14 PM
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My parents aren't responsible to pay for my graduate school education, so I don't expect them (nor will I ask them) to pay for my school loans. Being financially responsible is important in today's economy. Thinking and acting in a practical manner is an advantage. I know people from my high school who, as teenagers, had not planned for their future. They spent every dollar their parents gave them, bought BMW's on their 16th birthday, didn't study in school, and some ended up getting pregnant before high school graduation. They made fun of the "practical", future-planning kids who studied hard, got good grades, applied to college, and saved for a rainy day.
Today, the same individuals whom I have mentioned above have no college degree, make $7.50 an hour, struggle daily to pay the bills, and have no idea what traveling and living in Europe is like (it's only something they could dream about). As adults, they didn't think very practically either -- signing up for 0% down mortgage loans even when they knew the banks shouldn't have given them that loan, or buying a third car/suv instead of investing that extra money in an IRA or 401k.
That being said, I think that there should be a balance between planning for the future and living in the present. I still travel to Europe every year, sometimes twice a year. Having more or less money back from uncle sam won't prevent me from enjoying the joys of travel.
But to answer the OP, if I got back more money than I expected, I would use it to reduce my school loan balance so that I'd have less of a financial burden later on in life.
Today, the same individuals whom I have mentioned above have no college degree, make $7.50 an hour, struggle daily to pay the bills, and have no idea what traveling and living in Europe is like (it's only something they could dream about). As adults, they didn't think very practically either -- signing up for 0% down mortgage loans even when they knew the banks shouldn't have given them that loan, or buying a third car/suv instead of investing that extra money in an IRA or 401k.
That being said, I think that there should be a balance between planning for the future and living in the present. I still travel to Europe every year, sometimes twice a year. Having more or less money back from uncle sam won't prevent me from enjoying the joys of travel.
But to answer the OP, if I got back more money than I expected, I would use it to reduce my school loan balance so that I'd have less of a financial burden later on in life.
Jan 30th, 2009, 09:53 PM
#36
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Given that this post appears to have degenerated into a squabble about the US tax system, how about moving the entire post to the lounge or the US Forum.
The rest of us couldn't care less about how the US tax refund system works.
To answer the question properly - PARIS!!! :
The rest of us couldn't care less about how the US tax refund system works.
To answer the question properly - PARIS!!! :
Jan 31st, 2009, 03:07 AM
#38
Sigh...
For once (and only once) I have to quote CW and say that you are all being so humorless! Kyliebaby is trying to talk travel not the darn finance thing.
I love the idea of that Palace on Wheels through India. I am looking it up right now.
I'm also itching for a trip to Scotland and I hear the spring is the best shot at good weather. So refund time would be great!!
Or, maybe the trip to Istanbul I got gypped out of by my husband's company in November. I still feel "owed" that as I had gotten myself so excited.
My problem now is accumulating enough vacation days!
gruezi
ps. My husband's hobby is memorizing the Sprouse guide to income taxes (yes, I try to love him anyway) and he has often corrected things done by his accountant. Still, our taxes are complicated, we do itemize, and quite often we get a return either from state or federal.
For once (and only once) I have to quote CW and say that you are all being so humorless! Kyliebaby is trying to talk travel not the darn finance thing.
I love the idea of that Palace on Wheels through India. I am looking it up right now.
I'm also itching for a trip to Scotland and I hear the spring is the best shot at good weather. So refund time would be great!!
Or, maybe the trip to Istanbul I got gypped out of by my husband's company in November. I still feel "owed" that as I had gotten myself so excited.
My problem now is accumulating enough vacation days!
gruezi
ps. My husband's hobby is memorizing the Sprouse guide to income taxes (yes, I try to love him anyway) and he has often corrected things done by his accountant. Still, our taxes are complicated, we do itemize, and quite often we get a return either from state or federal.
Jan 31st, 2009, 11:40 AM
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Thanks Cathies and Gruezi! After the first day of posts, and getting over the shock that people can't even dignify having a shred of imagination, I've decided to blatantly disregard all responses that don't address the initial question.
I'm mildly obsessed with the Palace on Wheels trip, but it costs a fortune! So, that will probably be something for down the line. In the meantime, I'll be collecting coins from the couch and saving them in a jar for the next 20 years or so.
I think I'll use my tax refund for a long weekend in Munich for Oktoberfest later this year. I'm sure I missed something the last three times I was there, so I should probably get another one in before I'm 30
Or Scotland. Shockingly, it's been nine years this June since I studied abroad and I immediately loved Edinburgh and Glasgow when we were there. I would love to go back.
I'm mildly obsessed with the Palace on Wheels trip, but it costs a fortune! So, that will probably be something for down the line. In the meantime, I'll be collecting coins from the couch and saving them in a jar for the next 20 years or so.
I think I'll use my tax refund for a long weekend in Munich for Oktoberfest later this year. I'm sure I missed something the last three times I was there, so I should probably get another one in before I'm 30
Or Scotland. Shockingly, it's been nine years this June since I studied abroad and I immediately loved Edinburgh and Glasgow when we were there. I would love to go back.
