what exactly can you deduct for office supplies? i have been told that coffee, creamer, paper cups, candles, picture frames, etc, etc can be considered as office supplies. is this correct? i have a home office. any advice will be greatly appreciated. thank you .....janet
If you're just starting to use applesauce in recipes, try replacing half the fat with it the first time. If you're happy with the way that turns out, gradually increase the ratio of applesauce to fat each time you make it. I find that my family eats most recipes better if they still have a small amount of oil/butter. I also agree with Myscha that if you can get a homemade applesauce it seems to work better. I wonder if simmering or slow-cooking a commercial variety until it thickens might yield better results? Might be worth trying...
Everyone has to die one day.agreed.
So yes the final destination is death indeed.
But then we all can decide to some extent, depending on our situations(financial,social or family related), which path we take starting at birth and ending at death.
life is not a book with a fixed script .
The script is written by man & god together.That is why the Geeta(sacred hindu scripture) says - "karm kar phal ki iccha mat kar".(do what you feel is right for you to do , and leave the returns to god)
So friends - just do whatever you want to do to be happy(without compromising morally ofcourse) ,b'coz you never know when the final destination arrives.
Another great LOCAL organic skincare company that is certified is MADE FROM EARTH. I have been using their products for the last 6 months - and now stopped. . . Because my skin has naturally improved itself and I have seen a real decline in the amount of wrinkles on the side of my eyes. I would recommend the "VITAMIN ENHANCED FACE FIRMING SERUM". This is the cream I only used for 6 months and now stopped because it naturally has improved my owns skins ability to heal itself
As a body lotion, I use the HONEY HONEY cream. Smells like honey. Definitely check them out and they are way better priced than most organic skin care lines. . .the website is madefromearth.com
I didn't even realize how much I could reasonably deduct on my taxes as a business expenses. I especially like #98. Daughter gets .50 to dust my desk and empty my trash once a week.
I think it's a great plan. It's not just helping out the bogus sub prime mortgages that were written. It will help alot of people lower there mortgage payments. If you had pay cuts, or lost your job, or even your hrs cut at work. It will be a good thing. Start thinking positive, he is a caring classy President, Who want's to help the middle class, and the unfortunate. Wake up people,he came into this mess.At least he is doing something about it. We had nothing but 8 years of taking care of the rich people. It's about time, we have a president who cares about the economy.
Employees should also be aware that a direct deposit agreement typically gives employers the right to both deposit and withdraw from the specified account. If you are overpaid via direct deposit, they are likely within their rights (according to the contract you signed) to take that money right back out of your account - without asking or even telling you. This happened to me with a former employer - they deposited a salary check into my account for one more pay period than I actually worked. I neglected to do the math and realize that I had been overpaid, and spent the money. Meanwhile they took it back, though neither the company or my bank notified me of this. I found out a few days later when I was suddenly overdrawn. It was made worse by multiple $30 overdraft fees (on small purchases like meals). Fortunately the bank agreed to write off most of the fees, but it still caused some hardship for me.
A rule of thumb I always tell my clients is "you need to be able to justify the expense as the cost of doing business." If you cannot, with a straight face, say this is why I spent the money to help with my business, then don't attempt the deduction. Also to consider it a business, you need to actually receive income from it. Otherwise it's just a hobby and not a business tax deduction.
I guess there's something to be said about us "lower middle class" people, eh?
We worked hard, cheered when we got accepted for a mortgage, and continued working hard to PAY our mortgage every month.
How did we do it?
We bought a house we KNEW we could afford!
A-HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But you snooty, snobby people, in your track suits and gleaming white sneakers, with your perfect, do no wrong darlings at the playground, in their Children's Place clothes and $70 sneakers that will fit them for a month, till you buy them another expensive pair (while MY kids have most of the year to grow INTO their sneakers, just so I won't have to buy them a new pair for the whole school year!)...looking down at me because my kid's sneakers are a bit tattered and (gasp) WORN LOOKING, and who think they are so much better than me because they have nice things.....all you snooty snobby people...HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW???????????????????
I am paying my mortgage. Still.
I am living in a house that I'm being crowded out of, but that I can afford. Actually, I can afford MORE than this house....but I'm making a smart decision, and NOT buying up, because, well...I'm SMART!!!! And REALISTIC!!!! And I'm not SNOOTY!!!!!
And THINGS do not make me who I am!
But here....let me work as hard as I can, so I can pay for YOU to keep your house. Because YOU deserve it. I don't.
YOU work hard, ya know...shopping at Children's Place and Gap Kids, and all that horror. (I know the horror well, because I too, shop there....in that little forgotten rack in the back, that says "CLEARANCE- $4.99 and under".
Why don't you put a cup out in front of your spot at the playground, so all us working people can drop whatever spare money we have with us, into it for you?
Because it's a REALLY WORTHY CAUSE.
Pshhhhhh.
As I've said before...the people who do NOT need it, always get the help. As I sit and "suffer" in my row house, living from check to check (thinking it's a better effing day if we can put $100 into savings!) raising my OWN kids (as opposed to having someone do it FOR me.)
Yes. I'm that person who caused a stir a while ago, about how backwards America is, and welfare and all that...
Here we are again. Helping people who do NOT need it.
What would happen to all these "yuppies" (remember that term?) if they lost their fancy houses??
They might have to buy a ROW HOME!!!!! OH THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!
Can you IMAGINE what their "friends" would say?? I bet you, they'd NOT be their friends anymore!! I've seen it happen first hand. My husband's friend used to be rich, having picnics with expensive crawfish flown in from the south, people in clean starched collared shirts everywhere, awkwardly trying to have fun, as I watched and smirked in the corner, and then...he lost his business. It went down the drain.
And guess what?
ALL his fancy friends were gone. Not a single one left. Except us. And then my husband got him a job at his work!
And he still works there. Slaving away, being "one of us".
And we still like him the same. And we're all he has left.
So much for thinking that since we borrowed money from him at times in the past, that was the only reason we hung out with him...cause he was rich.
Nope. I think he got the clue, now!
Just goes to show who the actual GOOD people are, eh?
Just watch Titanic, with Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and see how it STILL IS today.
Well, gotta go work to pay for the rich people's houses now. And the "poor" welfare people's acrylic nails.
Cause that's how I roll.
One question: If we use the internet (or cable, ect.) for both business and personal use, can it still be a write-off? Must we deduct the percentage of business use - i.e. I use the internet 50% business, 50% personal, so I can deduct half the cost?
This is a difficult question because there are so many factors. Assuming you were a w2 employee and received a formal severance package that specified both a weeks paid and an amount paid you would ethically want to abide by that. If there was no letter stating a time and amount I would venture to say the employee wouldn't ethically be bound to return the money.
Imagine though you dumped the whole sum into your Roth account and will be hit by a early withdraw fee in order to pay it back, who should pay that fee?
US itunes are popular because there's about twice as much content available on the US itunes store compared with like the next biggest store (UK, CA). People from Europe and Canada go out of their way sometimes to get into the US itunes store, and there are some "legit" ways of doing this without the use of itunes gift codes (a simple Google search will show you how). And it's all due to things like licensing and distribution agreements between American movie and TV studios and foreign companies (like Sky) that broadcast and sell that content abroad.
To David, there are no discounts of that magnitude in the US. The most you'll get is an occasional 10% off. Check American deal forums/sites (like FW) for big itunes discounts and you'll find none.
If we must trade stereotypes, how about criticizing khaki-wearing, ever-anxious, suburban cubicle-gerbils whose own class position makes the reality of the cash payments such exotica? As a child of people who collected some of the above scant social benefits, I caution you that you have missed an opportunity to see the way that cable/tv/entertainment media are the "circuses" to accompany the begrudgingly given "bread".
While we cannot afford to enjoy ourselves very often due to unemployment issues in our household, any of the Entertainment coupons would be of GREAT VALUE.
In years past, we used the Entertainment book for dining (TGIF's -- our favorite for BBQ ribs), car washes, cleaners, travel, hotel, car rental, you name it!
Thank you for considering me for your Giveaway. It would be a treat and an honor to be the winner.
In some ways, more people saving more money doesn't always have to mean drastically less money circulating in the economy from spending. In essence, saving money can be viewed as delaying spending. Everyone is essentially saving for something, whether that be a new car, a new house, retirement, a vacation, etc. If this continued period of overall savings throughout the economy matures, in other words, people have been saving for long enough where their goals have been achieved, then those people will start to spend again, and then may offset the amount of people newly starting savings. This could result in more balance, once the economy adjusts, and could create a more sustainable overall economic philosophy, instead of constant rampant consumerism and excess wasteful spending.
Malting is a very simply process that is cheaper than sugar if you want to spend a little time and elbow grease. Just take a large sheet pan lined with paper towels and place a single layer of seed corn on the paper towels. soak the paper towels with water and place in sunlight. The corn will germinate and sprout in 4-5 days. Once the corn sprouts the starch has been turned to sugar or glucose to feed the seedling. 50 lbs of corn malt is equivalent to 10 lbs of sugar. the corn malt also makes a different taste, has a residual yeast flavor to the whiskey. The alcohol made with the sugar is referred to as sugar head here in the moonshine capitol of the world...Wilkes County, NC, USA
Best of Luck and keep slugging the back
P.S. 50lbs of seed corn will run you 8-10 dollars
Thanks for sharing. LOVE the giant jar of epsom salts and small wine bottle ideas. And I'm definitely with you on displaying garden produce. It really adds color and that extra organic element, doesn't it?
what exactly can you deduct for office supplies? i have been told that coffee, creamer, paper cups, candles, picture frames, etc, etc can be considered as office supplies. is this correct? i have a home office. any advice will be greatly appreciated. thank you .....janet
i live in a normal house but i would rather live in a small house. I could live in a bathroom! haha sleep in the tub.
Great post. I need to get focused on my taxes too. I bookmarked it for future reference thanks.
If you're just starting to use applesauce in recipes, try replacing half the fat with it the first time. If you're happy with the way that turns out, gradually increase the ratio of applesauce to fat each time you make it. I find that my family eats most recipes better if they still have a small amount of oil/butter. I also agree with Myscha that if you can get a homemade applesauce it seems to work better. I wonder if simmering or slow-cooking a commercial variety until it thickens might yield better results? Might be worth trying...
:] i got the right cloths for it and everything
Everyone has to die one day.agreed.
So yes the final destination is death indeed.
But then we all can decide to some extent, depending on our situations(financial,social or family related), which path we take starting at birth and ending at death.
life is not a book with a fixed script .
The script is written by man & god together.That is why the Geeta(sacred hindu scripture) says - "karm kar phal ki iccha mat kar".(do what you feel is right for you to do , and leave the returns to god)
So friends - just do whatever you want to do to be happy(without compromising morally ofcourse) ,b'coz you never know when the final destination arrives.
Hey everyone,
Another great LOCAL organic skincare company that is certified is MADE FROM EARTH. I have been using their products for the last 6 months - and now stopped. . . Because my skin has naturally improved itself and I have seen a real decline in the amount of wrinkles on the side of my eyes. I would recommend the "VITAMIN ENHANCED FACE FIRMING SERUM". This is the cream I only used for 6 months and now stopped because it naturally has improved my owns skins ability to heal itself
As a body lotion, I use the HONEY HONEY cream. Smells like honey. Definitely check them out and they are way better priced than most organic skin care lines. . .the website is madefromearth.com
I didn't even realize how much I could reasonably deduct on my taxes as a business expenses. I especially like #98. Daughter gets .50 to dust my desk and empty my trash once a week.
I think it's a great plan. It's not just helping out the bogus sub prime mortgages that were written. It will help alot of people lower there mortgage payments. If you had pay cuts, or lost your job, or even your hrs cut at work. It will be a good thing. Start thinking positive, he is a caring classy President, Who want's to help the middle class, and the unfortunate. Wake up people,he came into this mess.At least he is doing something about it. We had nothing but 8 years of taking care of the rich people. It's about time, we have a president who cares about the economy.
As with most of these business/personal crossovers, it seems like a gray area. However, this article may help with your answer.
Do you have to sprout whole corn to make shine or can you just use crack corn in the mash.
Employees should also be aware that a direct deposit agreement typically gives employers the right to both deposit and withdraw from the specified account. If you are overpaid via direct deposit, they are likely within their rights (according to the contract you signed) to take that money right back out of your account - without asking or even telling you. This happened to me with a former employer - they deposited a salary check into my account for one more pay period than I actually worked. I neglected to do the math and realize that I had been overpaid, and spent the money. Meanwhile they took it back, though neither the company or my bank notified me of this. I found out a few days later when I was suddenly overdrawn. It was made worse by multiple $30 overdraft fees (on small purchases like meals). Fortunately the bank agreed to write off most of the fees, but it still caused some hardship for me.
A rule of thumb I always tell my clients is "you need to be able to justify the expense as the cost of doing business." If you cannot, with a straight face, say this is why I spent the money to help with my business, then don't attempt the deduction. Also to consider it a business, you need to actually receive income from it. Otherwise it's just a hobby and not a business tax deduction.
Actually, you don't have to go quite that far! :-) But eMail me if you want to know the secret. You might find it very interesting.
Don
I guess there's something to be said about us "lower middle class" people, eh?
We worked hard, cheered when we got accepted for a mortgage, and continued working hard to PAY our mortgage every month.
How did we do it?
We bought a house we KNEW we could afford!
A-HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But you snooty, snobby people, in your track suits and gleaming white sneakers, with your perfect, do no wrong darlings at the playground, in their Children's Place clothes and $70 sneakers that will fit them for a month, till you buy them another expensive pair (while MY kids have most of the year to grow INTO their sneakers, just so I won't have to buy them a new pair for the whole school year!)...looking down at me because my kid's sneakers are a bit tattered and (gasp) WORN LOOKING, and who think they are so much better than me because they have nice things.....all you snooty snobby people...HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW???????????????????
I am paying my mortgage. Still.
I am living in a house that I'm being crowded out of, but that I can afford. Actually, I can afford MORE than this house....but I'm making a smart decision, and NOT buying up, because, well...I'm SMART!!!! And REALISTIC!!!! And I'm not SNOOTY!!!!!
And THINGS do not make me who I am!
But here....let me work as hard as I can, so I can pay for YOU to keep your house. Because YOU deserve it. I don't.
YOU work hard, ya know...shopping at Children's Place and Gap Kids, and all that horror. (I know the horror well, because I too, shop there....in that little forgotten rack in the back, that says "CLEARANCE- $4.99 and under".
Why don't you put a cup out in front of your spot at the playground, so all us working people can drop whatever spare money we have with us, into it for you?
Because it's a REALLY WORTHY CAUSE.
Pshhhhhh.
As I've said before...the people who do NOT need it, always get the help. As I sit and "suffer" in my row house, living from check to check (thinking it's a better effing day if we can put $100 into savings!) raising my OWN kids (as opposed to having someone do it FOR me.)
Yes. I'm that person who caused a stir a while ago, about how backwards America is, and welfare and all that...
Here we are again. Helping people who do NOT need it.
What would happen to all these "yuppies" (remember that term?) if they lost their fancy houses??
They might have to buy a ROW HOME!!!!! OH THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!
Can you IMAGINE what their "friends" would say?? I bet you, they'd NOT be their friends anymore!! I've seen it happen first hand. My husband's friend used to be rich, having picnics with expensive crawfish flown in from the south, people in clean starched collared shirts everywhere, awkwardly trying to have fun, as I watched and smirked in the corner, and then...he lost his business. It went down the drain.
And guess what?
ALL his fancy friends were gone. Not a single one left. Except us. And then my husband got him a job at his work!
And he still works there. Slaving away, being "one of us".
And we still like him the same. And we're all he has left.
So much for thinking that since we borrowed money from him at times in the past, that was the only reason we hung out with him...cause he was rich.
Nope. I think he got the clue, now!
Just goes to show who the actual GOOD people are, eh?
Just watch Titanic, with Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and see how it STILL IS today.
Well, gotta go work to pay for the rich people's houses now. And the "poor" welfare people's acrylic nails.
Cause that's how I roll.
Later!
Thanks, great list!
One question: If we use the internet (or cable, ect.) for both business and personal use, can it still be a write-off? Must we deduct the percentage of business use - i.e. I use the internet 50% business, 50% personal, so I can deduct half the cost?
This is a difficult question because there are so many factors. Assuming you were a w2 employee and received a formal severance package that specified both a weeks paid and an amount paid you would ethically want to abide by that. If there was no letter stating a time and amount I would venture to say the employee wouldn't ethically be bound to return the money.
Imagine though you dumped the whole sum into your Roth account and will be hit by a early withdraw fee in order to pay it back, who should pay that fee?
US itunes are popular because there's about twice as much content available on the US itunes store compared with like the next biggest store (UK, CA). People from Europe and Canada go out of their way sometimes to get into the US itunes store, and there are some "legit" ways of doing this without the use of itunes gift codes (a simple Google search will show you how). And it's all due to things like licensing and distribution agreements between American movie and TV studios and foreign companies (like Sky) that broadcast and sell that content abroad.
To David, there are no discounts of that magnitude in the US. The most you'll get is an occasional 10% off. Check American deal forums/sites (like FW) for big itunes discounts and you'll find none.
I have used the entertainment book for years and my favorites are the food coupons to different restaurants and fast foods
If we must trade stereotypes, how about criticizing khaki-wearing, ever-anxious, suburban cubicle-gerbils whose own class position makes the reality of the cash payments such exotica? As a child of people who collected some of the above scant social benefits, I caution you that you have missed an opportunity to see the way that cable/tv/entertainment media are the "circuses" to accompany the begrudgingly given "bread".
While we cannot afford to enjoy ourselves very often due to unemployment issues in our household, any of the Entertainment coupons would be of GREAT VALUE.
In years past, we used the Entertainment book for dining (TGIF's -- our favorite for BBQ ribs), car washes, cleaners, travel, hotel, car rental, you name it!
Thank you for considering me for your Giveaway. It would be a treat and an honor to be the winner.
In some ways, more people saving more money doesn't always have to mean drastically less money circulating in the economy from spending. In essence, saving money can be viewed as delaying spending. Everyone is essentially saving for something, whether that be a new car, a new house, retirement, a vacation, etc. If this continued period of overall savings throughout the economy matures, in other words, people have been saving for long enough where their goals have been achieved, then those people will start to spend again, and then may offset the amount of people newly starting savings. This could result in more balance, once the economy adjusts, and could create a more sustainable overall economic philosophy, instead of constant rampant consumerism and excess wasteful spending.
Malting is a very simply process that is cheaper than sugar if you want to spend a little time and elbow grease. Just take a large sheet pan lined with paper towels and place a single layer of seed corn on the paper towels. soak the paper towels with water and place in sunlight. The corn will germinate and sprout in 4-5 days. Once the corn sprouts the starch has been turned to sugar or glucose to feed the seedling. 50 lbs of corn malt is equivalent to 10 lbs of sugar. the corn malt also makes a different taste, has a residual yeast flavor to the whiskey. The alcohol made with the sugar is referred to as sugar head here in the moonshine capitol of the world...Wilkes County, NC, USA
Best of Luck and keep slugging the back
P.S. 50lbs of seed corn will run you 8-10 dollars
Yup, definitely cool.
Thanks for sharing. LOVE the giant jar of epsom salts and small wine bottle ideas. And I'm definitely with you on displaying garden produce. It really adds color and that extra organic element, doesn't it?