Thursday, March 1, 2012

Too Bad I'm Not a Millionaire

I recently filed my taxes, and when I was looking over my return, I thought, "Wow. I did not make a lot of money this year." I did work three jobs in 2011, but none of them paid very much; not to mention the government took a big chunk out of all my paychecks. Hmmmph.

I did, however, get my tax refund. It wasn't very big, but it was a nice little sum that I definitely needed. When the money from my federal and state refunds were deposited into my account, for one moment (okay, for several moments) I was tempted to spend it all on fun stuff that I don't really need. Here are a few examples:

I've never been to a real spa before, a place where I could get stuff like a facial and a massage, preferably from a really cute masseur. (And when I say "massage", I don't mean that in a Lifetime movie of the week kind of way; I mean an actual massage.) I think that getting a massage would be a good way to relieve stress.

But the only problem is that I think I am physically incapable of getting one. I once got a back massage from a masseuse who was doing them for free at Jamba Juice (jeez, now I don't just sound like I'm in a Lifetime movie; I kind of sound like I'm writing a letter to Penthouse). But I kept giggling because I am extremely ticklish, and the masseuse kept saying, "Just relax. You're tensing up." And all I could think was, Relax? Telling me to relax is like telling Superman to stop flying around and just take a cab! 

My passport expired a few months ago, but I didn't bother to renew it because I haven't traveled anywhere (except to visit my parents, who live in a different state, twice a year) in more than ten years. I don't really have the money or the time to go anywhere. But if I did, I'd love to visit New York City, because I've never been there before.I've heard that it's a lot more metropolitan than Chicago, which is a big city, but sometimes it feels like each neighborhood is a self-contained small town. I've read so many stories that are set in New York that I want to go and see the places that I've read about in person. I also have the feeling that if I went to New York, I'd be just like one of those tourists that sometimes (read: always) annoy me here in Chicago, the ones that lean their heads back and remark, "Wow! Them buildings sure are tall around here!"

I rarely go shopping for new clothes, unless the clothes or shoes I already have are literally worn out, or if I have a special event to go to, like a wedding, and I can't wear my jeans and T-shirts to it. I don't mind having to wear the same outfits again and again, at least not most of the time. But every once in a while, I feel envious of the women who can afford to buy nice clothes and shoes whenever they want. I don't really care about designer labels, but I do wish that I could buy nicer clothes, so that maybe people won't keep thinking that I'm a lot younger than I am. (You'd think that people mistaking me for being younger would be a good thing, and it is sometimes. But one reason I look young is that I don't wear sophisticated outfits like a lot of thirtysomething women do.)

I was walking by a store the other day, and I looked in the window and saw a really pretty purse that I wanted to buy. It was actually a messenger bag, the cool kind that would have room for stuff like my journals, wallet, and M&Ms that I eat when I need a sugar rush or when I want to fling them at annoying people. I was so tempted to buy it, but it cost sixty dollars. And for me, splurging on a new purse means buying a bag at JCPenney's post-Christmas sale once a year, for less than twenty dollars.

But of course, I didn't get any of these things. I followed personal finance journalist Donna Freedman's advice and spent most of my tax refund on sensible things: my Roth IRA yearly contribution (I don't EVER intend to retire, unless they make me do it, because really, what will I DO with myself if I don't get to work at all? That would just be MADNESS, I tell you! But I still figure it'd be a good idea to have my own retirement fund, even though it's still pretty small right now.), new contact lenses (I'm also going to use some of it to go to Lenscrafters for an eye exam, since I don't have regular health insurance), and credit card payments, and a chunk of it went into my emergency fund.

I did buy one "frivolous" thing, though: a new iPod. The last time I got a new one was six years ago, and I think you're supposed to replace iPods every three or four years. So my old iPod kept breaking down and freezing up even after I recharged it, to the point that I kept breaking down every time it happened, shrieking, "Why won't you let me listen to Britney, darn you!" (My new iPod works very nicely, which means I'm a lot less likely to start sobbing over pop music now.) And I need an iPod because I do a lot of commuting; I don't have a car, and when I run errands without using the bus or train, I walk. Being able to listen to music makes that stuff less tedious, and it also soothes me. That way, I'm less likely to start flinging M&Ms at annoying people when I go out.

What about you? What do you plan to spend your tax refund on?

Side note: Check out this song by singer Meiko; it's called "Stuck on You". I came across her music by accident when I was procrastinating on the Internet, and I really liked it. Her music is not only good to listen to; it's also good to write to.



16 comments:

  1. Mine is small :( It's gonna be used towards moving out my crappy apartment in June...

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    1. Hi Gia,
      I'd saying using your refund to pay for moving costs is definitely important, especially because moving is so expensive.

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  2. I use my tax rebate to pay the rent during the summer. It's somewhat terrifying that the gov't takes enough out for me to be able to pay rent. But it's true.

    Except last year someone stole Husband's identity and we didn't get our refund until August. I sweated out the summer working a part time job, and when we finally got it straightened out, we got $20 in interest. What what! Very cool, until we realized that we have to claim that interest on this year's tax return.

    I'm telling ya, this working stuff is for the birds.

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    1. Hi Anna,
      That's awful that someone stole your husband's identity; I think identity thieves should be given harsher punishments than they're currently being given. The damage that they do isn't just financial, after all.

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  3. Okay, just retire, get a massage and write all at the same time.

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    1. Hi Rick,
      I'd love to be able to write full-time, but I'll have to wait until after I actually get published and can earn a living from what I write.

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  4. I giggle in massages too, hehe. My boyfriend thought I was kidding when I said that's why I've never gotten one. Then he tried to give me one. I practically made him fall over with all the squirming I did.

    New York is totally more metropolitan than Chicago. It also has its own small cities, but those cities are more metropolitan than those of Chicago. I don't know what places you'd really want to see from books though, except like the touristy places. I'm curious now, actually...

    That music video had nothing to do with the song. Which was highly frustrating for me.

    I will get zero tax refund. I probably owe them money. Even though I live out of the damn country. Which I had to leave because the country failed to provide me steady employment. But I owe them money... Isn't that ironic?

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    1. Hi mmarinaa,
      I'm not quite sure why Meiko's video is more about her cooking than the song; you should see her other videos. One of them is a love song, but the "love interest" in the video is dressed up as an actual monster. But I like her music.
      If I did get to go to New York, I'd definitely want to go to Chinatown, because I've heard it's much bigger in NY than Chicago, and I'd want to do touristy things like go to Statue of Liberty. But I also just want to walk around and see what the city's like.
      That's too bad you won't get a tax refund; taxes are frustrating, especially when you look at your paychecks and see how much you could have gotten if it wasn't for the taxes.

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  5. Well now that you have dreamed away your tax refund, you can get back to work earning more money for the government. I'm not sure what we'll spend ours on. Probably to pay bills!

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    1. Hi Karen,
      I think that a lot of people (including me) do use tax refunds to pay bills, but it is kind of fun to dream about what we could do with the money if we didn't have bills to pay. One thing I don't get, though, are those CEOs on Wall Street who earn six figures and claim that they're "struggling" (I think it's because of their sense of entitlement); I'd like to know how big their tax refunds are and how they spend them.

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  6. I live about 2.5 hrs from NYC, so it's really only a train ride away. I was just there last weekend. It's a great city; you must go when you have The chance.
    Also, as far as clothes go, have you ever tried second hand? I too am a poor student who couldn't afford a $60 messenger bag, but I have a decent wardrobe because I shop all thrift stores. I get brand named clothes for a fourth of the price, and I feel good about it too because most second hand shoppes support some kind of charity. Just an idea :-)

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    1. Hi Teddi,
      Secondhand clothes are a good idea; thanks for the suggestion! One place I go to for less expensive outfits is Marshalls; it doesn't sell secondhand clothes, but it does sell decent stuff at cheaper prices. I've bought shoes there too. There are thrift stores in Chicago, but I've only been to a few of them.

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  7. I try not to go into stores so I don't feel envious of what I can't afford. TJ Maxx is great.

    I hope you get to your next goal next year, and life will get easier. It's long in coming?

    (Massages are weird to me. I got one for free in a health food store once.)

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    1. Hi Theresa,
      There are some stores in Chicago that I've never gone into because I feel too intimidated; I feel like the salespeople will know right away just from looking at me that I can't afford to buy anything.
      My goal for this year is to finally finish my dissertation prospectus (especially since it was supposed to be finished a while ago) and get a chunk of my dissertation done. I hope that it will get easier eventually, because I still feel scared sometimes.

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  8. Jealous. I owe the government money this year, as a result I am totally putting off filing: it's bad. I think your are wise with your refund spending, but that you had a fun splurge too! Since you couldn't make it to NYC, my advice is to live vicariously through me :)

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    1. Hi New York Cliche,
      I had to pay the government a little money this year too, which sucked since they already take a chunk out of every paycheck I get. But I always file my taxes as soon as possible because I'm always anxious to get my refund by that point.
      Your blog about your New York life is definitely fun to read; the fact that I can't afford a trip to NYC is actually one of the reasons I started reading your blog.

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