Taxes Done
Woohoo! My taxes are done! I usually get them done by at least mid-March, but I think this is the earliest I’ve had them ready to go, two weeks earlier than last year. I used H & R Block’s free eFile service again. Very helpful service, one that makes sure you get most of the credits and deductions you deserve as well as helping speed up the process of getting your refund by sending the tax return electronically. IRS.gov has a section that lists many free eFile services, including but not limited to H & R Block, so be sure to check out this method if you haven’t already.
Once again, I’m getting a large refund, even more than last year and this time around I claimed myself on the W-4 this year, a change from last year. It’s amazing how much being a homeowner can change your tax situation. With the mortgage interest and property taxes, I get quite a deduction when itemizing, which greatly lowers your taxable income.
Hmm, now I’m thinking about what I should do with the refund. 
First and foremost is dumping some of it in my savings account and paying off the remainder of my credit card debt from the holiday season. That’s not too much, fortunately, which makes it tempting to splurge on a “big budget” item. My wish list includes a notebook computer (Dell Inspiron 6000), a 19″ LCD monitor (not sure which one yet, though probably a ViewSonic, Dell or Samsung) and a new mp3 player with video capabilities (Creative Zen Vision or iPod w/ Video). Smaller items include a new entertainment center, universal remote (Harmony 880) and a printer (not sure which one yet). I sure would like a notebook computer, but I’m not entirely convinced I’m financially stable enough to sink the money into it…
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Feb 11th, 2006 at 20:51:35
Can I have your old MP3 player, if you get a new one? Thanks.
Feb 11th, 2006 at 20:52:45
I should get an iPod to blend in with all the other vandy folks, but they are too expensive. If you want an Apple product though, let me know because I can get an education discount on it, and they you can give me your old one, like I said above.
Feb 11th, 2006 at 21:57:04
Lol, so let me get this straight - you want my mp3 player, huh?
Feb 12th, 2006 at 00:47:05
How about a Westinghouse 27 in. lcd tv/monitor. I hear they are pretty nice, especially for video games
Feb 12th, 2006 at 12:10:06
Then of course there is that matter of writing a nice check for 10% of the total to your favorite local church. If you need a suggestion of where to find a good one I might be able to help :).
Feb 12th, 2006 at 12:52:26
Honestly, I wish there was a church that I called home where I could give 10%. However, I’m still looking for a church home, so in the mean time I’ve been giving to various charities, though I’ll admit is hasn’t been 10%.
Feb 12th, 2006 at 13:31:53
I vote for the laptop. Intel is bringing their DUO Centrino out in full force starting this month and next so the prices of the “older” centrino’s should go down considerably.
Feb 18th, 2006 at 21:02:18
Hey Chris, How much does a note book computor cost?
Feb 18th, 2006 at 21:33:26
I think the average price for a notebook is around $1000 now. Some are cheaper, some are really expensive, but the average for a good quality notebook is about $1000.
Feb 22nd, 2006 at 11:15:33
Well, I did some quick research on flat panel monitors and decided to pick one up at a local store and give it a try. I didn’t want to order one online and then end up with the hassle of sending it back if I didn’t like it. I ended up with the Samsung 930B from Circuit City. This 19″ monitor was not top of the line model by any means but got some pretty good consumer reviews so I thought I’d try it out.
Horrible! The text on this monitor was very hard to read, the brightness varied throughout the screen and the colors were washed out. Yuck! Don’t know if I just got a bad one or what, but I don’t see how people could give this monitor such good reviews.
This got me thinking, though. As nice as it would be to have a 19″ flat panel, I think my money would be better spent elsewhere, namely on a notebook PC. I’m leaning towards ruling out a new mp3 player (sorry David and Jeff) because a notebook would quench my desire to be able to watch videos on the go, which is why I would have upgraded to video capable mp3 player.
I’m still leaning towards the Dell Inspiron 6000 notebook. Any other recommendations for notebook PCs? Can anyone convince me it’s worth the extra money to get a Powerbook?