Tax time nosiness

It turns out my fed refund was about what I owe the state. So for me, it was a wash.

You do understand that a tax refund is sort of like going to the grocery store every week and paying $100 for $90 worth of purchases. At each of those shopping trips the cashier tells you, you'll get your $10 change back sometime the following year after you prove that they really owe it to you.
Many years ago when I was between full time jobs, I prepared taxes for one of the big tax prep companies. One of my clients got a refund of over six thousand dollars. Now many would say GREAT that's like winning the lottery but think about it that's $500 a month that SHOULD have been in his pocket to pay bills or even buy something fun from EF each month.
For me best case is that I have to pay Uncle Sam one or two hundred rather than get money back.

We got ours back in February, we got-

New glasses for me and the kids
New snow blower
18 face-cords of fire wood
Oil changes for both trucks
New cell phones for wife, kids and me
New tires for my truck
and still have a couple thousand to put away for bill's

Yes, we got one hell of a tax return.

I'll be getting about $500 back... I'm putting it towards a trip to see a friend in Scotland.

Modest refund this year so we're going to use it for some travel in the summer we already had planned, which is nice.

Ours goes where it always has. Paying our property taxes. Tax time and the refund is no great day for us. Our state doubled taxes, due to their being broke, so we're getting virtually nothing back from the state.

It's going back into the bank where it should have been before it was taken from me.

I won't say how much we are getting back, but holy cow. It was more than we expected. Hubby owes the IRS a couple hundred (since they didn't take out taxes during unemployment) and his ex wife a few hundred (they didn't take out enough for child support during unemployment), but even after that we are going to have enough to buy a new car and move. Which is exactly what we need to do. We are a family of 4 and drive a 2 door Ford Escort. And our house is a small one bedroom that we moved in when I first got pregnant with our first. But after my hubby lost his job we got stuck here for 4 years. Luckily he found a new job and now we can move and pay off what he owes. Hubby waits until the last minute to file as always. He is a procrastinator on everything.

Yet again as a business owner I owe both federal and state....even if I do not see them working their asses off with us just to barely make the bills.

We paid down some bills. Big fun.

half went to pay off student loans, some went to pay bills, and some is going to pay for hubby and my 10 year anniversary trip.

I'm self employed, so I had to pay this year, even though I made next to nothing.

We got ours back in Feb. We paid off my fathers car for him and put the rest in savings.

Mine is not enough to do anything spectacular...maybe get a toy or two and save the rest