Archive for February, 2009
Cleaning Lady Day
Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Today is a great day in the Delfau household–it’s this month’s cleaning lady day! Maybe it’s the small things in life, but we look forward to this day each month as if it was a big event.
You might be thinking, if she’s writing these posts about saving money, how can she endorse having a cleaning lady? What an expense!
It is not cheap to have cleaning services for your home, particularly if you choose to use a company that is licensed and insured, as we do. Here are the whys and hows to building cleaning services into your budget, even if it is tight:
Whys
- It makes you clean up. There is the old question about “why should you have to clean up for the cleaning people?” We all get messy. In our house, we are not super messy, but like any busy family, things do pile up from time to time. Having someone coming in to clean makes us straighten up and put things away on a regular basis, before it gets completely out of control.
- Chores that get put aside get done. I actually like cleaning my house, believe it or not. And I do the upkeep between visits. However, after 3 knee surgeries, regularly scrubbing bathroom floors requires a fair amount of Advil, so it gets skipped in favor of the Swiffer mop, which really doesn’t do the same job.
- It is a huge time saver. We have a team of 2 ladies that comes once a month; it takes them about 2 1/2 hours to get through our house, including washing the floors. If it were me alone doing this, it would be 5 straight working hours per month in addition to my regular household upkeep–that means 5 working hours with no phone interruptions, no children interruptions, and no work interruptions. For my busy life, that’s impossible. And I can take care of more business clients if I am not tied up cleaning my house.
So how did we build it into our budget?
- Monthly, rather than biweekly services. Since I do the “maintaining” during the month (vacuuming, dusting, countertops, etc.), we can have services once per month. Twice a month is too much of a strain on our budget, but the once a month fits well.
- Cutting other services/expenses. We decided we would rather skip a dinner and lunch in a restaurant once per month and spend the money on cleaning services instead. We also cut yardwork help and do our fall and spring cleanup ourselves–I would rather rake and gather leaves on a spring or fall day than not have my house cleaned.
If you are considering hiring someone to clean your home (or if you are not thrilled with the folks you have at the present), try using www.servicemagic.com to find a cleaning service. Since they screen people for licensing and insurance, you’ll have a head start. Also, you can read comments from others about the company before you call.
How do you feel about cleaning services?
Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.
Tags: budgeting, house cleaning, top 10
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Medications
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
Being February and all, many of us are either just getting another cold, battling through one, or hopefully getting over one. Or the flu. Or bronchitis. I have talked to friends this winter in different areas of the country, and it seems like we are all sick or just getting over something! Personally, I seem to keep catching new colds every couple of weeks. Kleenex, doctors’ offices and Vicks are making a lot of money off of our family this year.
Which brings me to the topic of free antibiotics. Many grocery stores and pharmacies (such as Stop n Shop, Publix, Meijer’s, etc.) are offering free antibiotics through the winter cold season. With a prescription, of course. But is this such a good idea?
My doctor seems to think not, because the overuse/misuse of antibiotics leads to stronger strains of bacteria that we ultimately have to develop new meds for, etc. Also, he says it creates a situation where people demand antibiotics when they don’t require them (i.e. they have a virus) and put him in a difficult position. Other people don’t like the idea of companies using short-term meds to lure people into their stores…and want them to comp blood-pressure or cholesterol pills instead.
My feeling is that if it turns out that you truly need an antibiotic, this is not a bad thing, particularly if you are one of the many who have lost their health coverage along with your job. Or if you don’t have any health benefits to begin with–it’s a way to get your family taken care of, at least in the short-term. And as for giving away other meds for free, well, companies can only do these things short-term and still turn a profit. And supermarkets operate with razor-thin margins as it is…so this antibiotic offering is better than nothing.
However, the longer term prescription problem remains. If you don’t have prescription coverage and take on-going medicines (or if you have an elderly family member in the same situation), be sure to check the lists online for Walmart, Target and any other store in your area offering generic prescription discounts. There is much cross-over between the stores, but not 100%. So if your med isn’t on one list, it might be on another.
Finally, you can also try www.pparx.org. It is an alliance between prescription drug manufacturers to see if you are eligible for partial or full coverage of your medications. If you know of someone who is elderly, on a fixed budget and many medications, do help them out and review it for them as well, because they might not be as computer savvy. Saving others money helps us feel good as well.
Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.
Tags: health insurance, prescriptions
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Turbo-Mom TV and Blog Carnivals
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
Check out Turbo-Mom’s recent television appearance, where tips for saving money are shared.
Turbo-Mom’s blog also appeared on the following blog carnivals, which if you don’t know, are posts of similar content that you might find interesting.
They are:
Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.
Tags: Turbo-Mom TV
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Finding a GREAT tax preparer
Monday, February 9th, 2009
So how do you find a GREAT tax preparer? It can be tricky…do you go with a chain location? Or how about an independent? Or someone doing taxes “on the side” and “on the cheap”? And how do you figure out if they are any good or not? Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to finding your very own tax preparer:
DON’T go to a preparer who gets paid by receiving a percentage of your refund. This is not only unethical, but in many places it is illegal. And what happens if you owe money? Do they pay YOU for the privilege of doing your return? I don’t think so.
DO ask in advance approximately how much they think it will cost to prepare. Some preparers charge by the hour, some by the form, and some on a flat fee basis. All are acceptable ways of paying your preparer. Personally, I prefer to charge on a flat fee basis, because then there are no surprises for my clients when their returns are ready. If your preparer charges hourly, be sure to request to be contacted if your return takes longer than expected. This way, you won’t be expecting it to cost $350 and then it ends up being $550 due to a complication.
In addition, if your preparer charges hourly, beware: if you like to chat, it may be considered time “on the clock” and run up your bill. So if you meet with or call your preparer, be sure to stay “on point” during your conversation to keep your costs down.
DON’T agree to a Refund Anticipation Loan (a.k.a. RAL). Otherwise respectable preparers and chain tax prep shops offer this set-up that is a losing deal for the taxpayer. It is a short-term, super high interest loan. Instead, have your return E-filed and the refund direct deposited in your bank account. A federal refund handled this way can show up in your bank account in as little as 7 days, though 10 – 14 days is more likely. The State of CT can be even faster–prior years’ experience has shown me that CT can turn it around in one week or less–but that’s not always the case so don’t hold me to it.
DO choose a preparer who asks you a lot of questions. One that also provides you a “tax organizer” is even better. These are preparers who take the time to find out about you and see which well-known and little-known deductions may apply and can save you money. It will also save everyone time by getting your information organized in and in good order. You don’t want a preparer who just takes your envelope full of papers and just inputs them.
DO be aware that different tax preparers are held to different standards. Preparers that have EA (Enrolled Agent) or CPA (Certified Public Accountant) after their names are held to higher professional standards (such as IRS’s Circular 230), including fines, penalties, etc. and also require annual Continuing Education to stay up-to-date on the latest tax law changes. That doesn’t mean “undesignated” tax professionals can’t be as good or better, but be aware of the differences.
DO ask your preparer what kind of Continuing Education courses they take. You definitely want someone who stays in tune with all of the various federal, state, and tax law changes that could apply to you, no matter what their designations.
DO use a professional association to find a preparer if you are shopping for one. The National Association of Tax Professionals (www.natptax.com) and the National Association of Enrolled Agents (www.naea.org) are great places to start.
Next week, I’ll address some deductions that you’ll want to know about for this year’s tax return…to save you some money and time!
Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.
Tags: NAEA, NATP, RALs, tax preparers, taxes
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DIY Taxes
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
Hi everyone! We’re covering a weightier topic this week…
It seems like there’s that usual seasonal push/ads for tax preparation these days, including the do-it-yourself software. In these tough financial times, many people are looking to cut costs in any way they can, including doing their own taxes for the first time by themselves instead of paying a preparer. Some of you may enjoy keeping up with tax law changes and have been doing your taxes yourselves for a long time–my hat is off to you for following up on all the laws!!
However, as a tax professional, I think that having a good tax planner in your corner is worth more than the “savings” possibly generated by a DIY software, but it has nothing to do with promoting my industry or keeping myself in business!
There are several reasons I feel this way:
1. Many of the “box” programs are advertising “Free 5 Federal e-Files and the same product price as last year!” It sounds good until you find out that now you are going to have to pay for the state return itself in addition to the state e-File fee, unless you buy the most expensive of the software’s product line. So your $30 or $40 DIY will generally end up being around $80 – $90, unless you live in a state wherea you are not required to file a state return. I hate this kind of false advertising.
(On a side note, I have heard some gripes about, “Well, what am I going to do with 5 Federal E-files anyway?” which is pretty legitimate. The only people who will benefit from this are those who have to file returns for their children as well. And you can’t amend by e-File–that’s only by paper return.)
2. State-related DIY software may be out of date without you knowing it. DIY software is usually released in the end of December/beginning of January–which is usually before the states have finalized their tax forms for the year. Thus, if you don’t download a software update, you could be using the wrong forms which will delay your refund and possibly causing you to have to do it over again–wasting a lot of time. For readers who are CT residents, please click the notification about this problem and how to fix it here: http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?Q=432034&A=1436
3. DIY software is only as good as the user completely understands the question. Otherwise, your information can end up in the wrong places and thus generate an erroneous return. Or you could end up missing out on deductions because you didn’t quite understand the question–so you skip it, thinking it doesn’t apply to you. And customer service can be lopsided, a long wait or just frustrating if you are trying to work out a problem.
4. There are a lot of changes in tax law each year. Consciencious tax preparers regularly attend update classes to keep up with changes in federal and state tax law. My tax association hosts a 2-day, 8 hour/day event to inform us of changes each year so that preparers are up-to-date on the rules. As a DIY-er, in this case, what you don’t know can hurt you in the form of erroneous returns or missed deductions.
5. Tax planning and tax preparation are not the same thing. A good tax preparer will ask you lots of questions to figure out how to legally save you money on your tax return. A great preparer will work with you to plan on saving money in future years and finding strategies to maximize those savings. A DIY software or a generic customer service center isn’t going to do that for you.
Money issues are stressful enough these days without adding tax worries to them! There are plenty of good preparers out there so do inquire around if you think you might want one or are considering changing. And if you have any tax questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Next week, we’ll cover how to figure out if your preparer is any good or not. And where to find a new one if you are ready for a change!
Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.
Tags: taxes
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