Week 15: Sprucing Up for Uncle Sam

With the hours ticking before Sammy reviews our finances, I embarked on an ambitious itemizing project. Hunting down all of the home improvement receipts felt like a belated Easter egg hunt. Just when I thought I’d found them all, Clint would pull a few from an old coat or jeans. Dresser drawers and kitchen cabinets also hid the paper treasures. Here is where our personalities differ. My receipts are kept pristinely in a purse planner—not a wrinkle or blemish. Clint’s are usually crumbled, torn, and marred with strange colors. After smoothing and squinting to find legible text, I painstakingly entered the tax from each purchase. We can now claim $1062 in sales tax alone from purchases made in 2009. Wow. I refuse to calculate the amount that means we spent in total purchases, but a savvy accountant could divide the 1062 number by .096 and find the astronomical amount we spent at Lowes. We will use our return (if any is offered) to purchase stock in the company.