ITSN 1/25

For my first New of the year, I did my own taxes. Not very exciting, I know, but still a milestone of sorts. Actually, its a little more than that. I work for Salvation Army now doing free tax entry for low income families. As if filing my own taxes wasn't nail-biting and surreal by itself, I spend half the week doing other people's as well.

It took me a while to get used to it, because I am not good at numbers. Thankfully, I just run the program (much like a TurboTax), and it puts everything in its right place.

But I think the strangest thing has been working with the welfare class. A year or more ago my mom and I painted an entire battered women's shelter.

... we learned so much...

Now here we are again (both of us), taking people living on nothing into a little room to tell the government how little that nothing is. Its so odd, and sad. I really don't know how half of them stay alive. They are single mothers with their children making less than $8,000 for the whole year! They live in a house! They have a car! How is this possible? And I can tell you that most don't have food stamps or cash assistance (its one of the questions). I just don't get it.

It makes me realize how very fortunate I am. Though I have no money, thanks to my parents I have a home and food and hot water and electricity and internet and gas money. I guess you could say, I'm a form of welfare. But these past few years of being poor have taught me a lot. Mostly, to be humble. Which usually is only learned by being made humble. Also it has taught me to watch my money. I don't take it for granted like I did in college. Every dollar coming in and out is carefully surveyed. I remember last week standing in Drug Mart with a movie for sale. It was $5.99 and I had a two dollar coupon in my hand, making it just under four bucks. Four bucks. I debated over that movie for at least 10 minutes.

I don't know if I should appreciate that or not.

Another thing I learned is how very insane our tax system is. I got my first return in my life this year, just a little money, nothing to gawk at. I got it for two W-2's and a 1099-Misc. For work. We had a lady come in who won the lottery, didn't work a day last year, and is getting 5 grand back.

....? Really? REALLY?

The last thing I realized is how skewed the welfare class' thinking is. I mean, think about it. If you had nothing, wouldn't you be grateful for anything? Not the welfare class. They have nothing, and when they go to someone that wants to help them, they complain its not good enough. Our tax program is FREE and we've had people complain about how slow the return will get to them, how we didn't tell them every little thing they needed to bring (how was I supposed to know it would want to know how much you spent on health insurance last year?), or that we wronged them. Mom had a lady rip her head off because, "You call yourself tax preparers!?"

Well, no. We just explained that we aren't, that the software does the taxes, and by the way... ITS FREE.

Her response? "Well, I guess you get what you pay for!"

So my first New of the year has been much more eye opening than I had ever hoped. Maybe the next New will be more fun.