Sales Tax v Property Tax

We watched the Texas gubernatorial debates last night and I’m really digging the independent candidate. Her platform includes a radical idea to eliminate property tax in lieu of sales tax. Now, already Texans pay 8.25% in sales tax, which is high but we technically don’t have a state income tax. Candidate Medina’s thinking is that property tax penalizes everyone, even people that don’t own property. If you’re a renter the property tax that the owner of that property is paying is ultimately passed on to the renter so I’d definitely agree with that. It’s a tax then on one of your most basic needs.


By leveraging a sales tax (and she cited 6-14% would be the final number, to be worked out by the legislation and it could be higher on certain products) then the tax burden is placed on those that purchase more, which is generally those that make more. I’m liking this idea!

I’m especially liking that as a consumer, I can choose to buy products online and avoid sales tax altogether (unless Obama changes that). I like that the tax burden is also distributed to people that travel here and spend money here. In Austin, we see a huge influx of sales tax paying patrons twice a year with our big music festivals. I think this definitely has potential to save the average Texan money by taxing on the back end instead of on the front end.

As a side note, candidate Medina also seems to understand that the role of government has gotten completely out of control on a state and national level and that we’re ignoring the structure of government originally defined in the Constitution.

Work Life Balance

This phrase didn’t exist a few years back. That begs the question of why it exists now.


I think it’s because work and life have both become so busy and complicated that it’s impossible to juggle both without going a little bit crazy. It’s expensive to live, much more so it seems than it used to be. But why? My thinking is that it’s because we have new technology. New technology was supposed to make life easier but didn’t it just make it more expensive?

Think back 25 years… did you have a cable bill? A cell phone bill? An internet bill? Nope! For fun let’s take an average modern family… Mom, Dad, 2.5 kids, and a dog. Because we can’t do anything without technology now, this family likely has 4 iPhones, 2 laptops for the parents, 2 desktop computers for the kids, a couple of flat panel TVs, maybe a couple more upstairs, and wireless highspeed internet access throughout (the kids don’t even know what dialup is). How much does this cost every month? Judging from my own bills and the ads I see: high speed internet- $50/mo, cable- $100/mo, unlimited family plan with texting- $250. So we’re talking $400-$500 a month for technology. That’s $4800-6000 a year!! And this doesn’t even include the price of all these gadgets in the first place (another $10K seems like a reasonable number).

What can you do with that kind of money?

Well, a lot of families might be able to afford a better work life balance. One reminiscent of the 1960’s where Dad works his 9-5, Mom takes care of the kids, and the family spends time together after work and school instead of watching TV, playing video games, and texting. Work then becomes work, a means to an end. Once you come home, you’re done with work. Without technology we can’t become Pavlov’s dog trained to jump as soon as that little red light starts flashing on the Blackberry. Life then becomes play, time to enjoy hobbies, play with your children, teach them about personal responsibility and the ways of the world and watch them grow up. But instead, we’re all too busy in the rat race to do these things anymore. We rely solely on school to teach our children, television to entertain them, and their peers to mold them. I’m thinking this could end up being the downfall of society.

I’m obviously not preaching though. I’m the first to admit my addiction to the Crackberry, and I’m writing this from a laptop while watching a flat panel TV. I’m just positing that maybe life is hectic because we’ve made it that way. I’m also not saying that all families are like this or that all people with jobs, iPhones, laptops, and cable TV are bad parents. I’m just citing the extreme and am nostalgic about “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best”. The term work life balance then becomes the desire we all have to be successful at work and have a healthy family life. We want both. We want the technology and the rat race and we also want the perfect family life. I’m just not sure it’s possible to fully have both extremes, something has to give.

On that note, the Product of the Day makes me slow down a bit. For moms, baby-wearing can be soothing and comforting for both mom and baby. And, it allows you to get what you need to get done: whether it’s fielding emails on a Blackberry or strolling through the Farmer’s Market on a lazy afternoon. This particular wrap is awesome, it’s easy to tie, easy to get baby in and out, and unlike the wildly popular Moby wrap, this one has some spandex in the fabric to provide some stretch meaning you don’t have to retie after you take the baby out. (And, as the picture shows, if you get a neutral color like black or grey, your man can wear the wrap too without looking like a ninny. This particular man looks pretty good IMO!)

Got Milk?

Who else thinks that someone needs to be spending money on baby translation research? Sometimes it’s really clear what the problem is… hunger, pants full of poo, tired, bored. Those are the easy ones. But what on Earth is going on when baby goes from perfectly happy and smiling to suddenly fussy? I really want to know what she’s thinking.


Like in the movie “Up” with the dog translation device. When the dog got the goofy distracted look on his face you knew he was thinking “squirrel.” I seriously need something like that for baby Zoë.

I’ve spent a lot of time with her while on leave and it seems to me that she only sees me as her source of food. When she gets fussy and I try to console her she starts making her little “fishy faces” (her cue for “I’m hungry”) even if she’s just eaten. If Daniel is home and she gets fussy he can pick her up or play with her and she’s typically happier. Sometimes she gets even fussier if I try to do that, I think she thinks I’m teasing her. It can start to feel like a thankless job. That’s definitely one thing to add to the pro column for formula feeding- you can get a more equal division of labor among Mommy and Daddy so that Mommy isn’t the only one associated with food.

Anyone else out there have that same experience where as a mom it feels your baby only wants you for your milk?

New Mommy!

I’m going to refocus my blog in the coming months as my life has taken a different turn. In November I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I’ll be blogging more about life as a new mom, saving money, finding deals, photographing children, and the occasional ranting about stupid things that happen in the world. I'm also going to post a Product of the Day. This will either be something I can't live without or something I think looks cool

Being a new mom is hard! Not only to babies NOT come with instructions, but you’re forced to sink or swim… all on the most ridiculous sleep schedule ever.
This is how we should torture terrorists for info- put them on the mommy sleep schedule!

Okay, not really, but you get my drift. It’s rough. I have HUGE respect for all the single moms out there that do this on their own. No matter how rough a day you’ve had your heart is lifted when your baby smiles at you, but a little extra support of another adult human is a life saver.

I’d like to start my refocused blog with something fun…
You know you’re a new mom when…

-your Spock hearing skills trigger a milk let down because your husband/cat/dog is smacking in his sleep. (Yes, this actually happened).

-your sleep shirt is crustier than your burp cloth.

-you can vividly remember every explosive diaper your baby had today but you honestly have no idea when the last time you pooped was.

-you openly talk to other women about chapped nipples, in vivid detail.
So, for all you new mom’s out there… add to this list. It’ll be interesting I’m sure!

Product of the Day:


This is crazy funny. I don't have a boy so I have no idea if it works or not but you gotta give props for the product name!

Not Much

Sorry for the lack of blog entries over the last few days. Ever have one of those weeks where there’s just so much to do and people to see and such that you get through it and then hibernate? That was pretty much my week and then Sunday I literally never got out of my PJs, I left my phone on vibrate, and took about 4 naps throughout the day. It was awesome! I did at least do about three loads of laundry but that’s the extent of my productivity. I guess I also worked some too, I have to go to San Antonio early Monday morning so I needed to followup on some emails, get my expense report and activity report done, and make final preparations for Monday. But that’s it. Uneventful Sunday overall.

Costco is Boss

Costco is the best way to save money on grocery items! Here’s why…

First off, unlike Sam’s, Costco isn’t owned by WalMart and thus actually has high quality stuff. (Yes that is a slight to WalMart, I hate them). Even Costco store brand stuff (coined Kirkland) is really great. For example- Kirkland paper towels are way thicker and more absorbent than any other store brand I’ve ever tried. Their Kirkland Organic Natural Peanut Butter is the best natural PB ever. Unlike most natural versions it doesn’t completely separate and make an icky mess. Kirkland frozen ravioli- extra plump and cheesy, Kirkland fresh muffins- HUGE and the best ever ($6.49 for a dozen), Kirkland Take n Bake pizzas- more toppings than any DiGiorno…

Second, Costco has everything from the freshest cuts of meat (we have family friends that own a little Italian restaurant and they get all their meats from Costco), great fresh produce, bakery items, packaged items, frozen foods, beer, wine, vitamins, beauty store procudts, and even things like office supplies, books, motor oil, and large and small appliances, movies, clothes (seriously: 7 For All Mankind jeans for men and women for $78, Ed Hardy t-shirts for $28, lounge wear, socks, undies, outerwear, seasonal swimsuits, etc)

Now, you do have to do your homework. It’s always a good idea to know about how much you pay at the grocery store for different items. This way you always know you’re getting a good deal.

But here’s the real kicker on the savings…
A regular Costco membership is $50. You can upgrade to Executive Membership and pay $100 instead. If you do this you get 2% cash back on all Costco purchases (excluding Liquor Store sales and Gasoline sales). Let’s say you get the Exec membership and you don’t end up shopping there quite as much as you’d expected so your 2% cash back check at the end of the year is only $30. You take the check to your Costco with your Exec membership and they’ll give you $50 instead. You are guaranteed to get the $50 extra you paid to upgrade to Exec!

But wait!! There’s more!! (*channels inner infomercial host*)

Costco offers an American Express card. There’s no annual fee with your paid Costco membership and the card also pays you cash back. You get:
- 3% back on Gasoline (just buy at any standalone gas station- so no grocery stores, except Costco)
- 2% back at restaurants, get paid to eat out!
- 2% back on travel (including hotels, car rentals, flights, travel agent services, etc)
- 1% back on everything else
You can combine this with your Exec membership and double dip. So when you go to Costco and use your Amex to pay you get 2% back for your Exec membership and 1% back on the credit card. Plus, the Amex has your picture and membership info on the back, so there’s only one card to keep track of.

When you signup you can add a household member at no extra charge to your Exec membership and add them as a secondary Amex card holder so you both work towards your cash back.

With interest bearing savings accounts at 1.5% or less, it’s nice to be able to get a little money back on what you’re spending. Especially when most credit cards are only offering 1% or have lots of crazy rules for eligibility.

Your first 3 months on the card are interest free and you do have the flexibility to pay over time, unlike a lot of other Amex offerings. Because of the current economy they aren’t giving large credit lines, but after 3 months you can request an increase. Account management is easy to do online too.

If you’re using the membership and Amex for things you were going to buy anyways and avoid going over what you have cash for then you’re making money. That’s the trick with any credit card… if you want a $1500 television but don’t have $1500 in the bank, you should wait until you have the money. This day and age credit cards should not be used to extend your wealth, they should be used to work the system and make money off the things you need anyways.

Any other cash back deals out there that you’d like to share?

Tax Day

It’s a necessary evil I suppose. I just really wish there was more accountability in how the money is spent.
Anyways, doing your taxes is always fun. In theory, when you select the correct withholding given your personal situation it should all come out even… though it never does.
In my opinion, a lot of money is spent on preparing taxes when people don’t realize how easy it is to do yourself, regardless of how complicated you think your taxes will be.
All your institutions send you the forms you need and then you just have to keep track of any deductions you may be able to take. If you’re questioning a deduction, just do a simple search on the IRS website to figure out if it really is a deduction and the form you need.
For instance, I thought it might be possible to deduct the items stolen during our break in that weren’t recovered or replaced. Indeed it was possible, with tax form 4684. Of course, upon reading the form I learned that it wasn’t going to help me any, but that’s beside the point.
My tax preparer of choice- Turbo Tax. And now you can even do it online so you don’t have to waste resources by buying a disk.
Anyways, it just interviews you. It asks simple questions about your situation and the tax forms you have and in the background it’s filling in the IRS forms.
When you’re done you can look at the actual forms to double check and it even goes through a double check for you and gives you an idea of your likelihood for auditing.
If you decide to enter charitable donations to Goodwill and you’re insecure about how much to claim for your items it uses a program called Its Deductible to give you fair market values so that’s one worry you can mark off the list.
I’ve used Turbo Tax every year since 1998, have gone from being a student with a part time job to married as a student with a part time job, to married with a full time job, to having 3 W2’s in a single year, to being divorced, to being married again. I’ve easily deducted charitable donations, tuition fees, mortgage interest, PMI, and stock market losses as well as claimed stock market gains and interest bearing accounts.
The H&R Block commercials make me laugh. You know you can be a Tax Professional there with absolutely no experience. If you’re going to have your taxes prepared by someone with no experience why not just do it yourself with a guide (Turbo Tax)? You’ll save money and after the 2nd or 3rd time you’ll have experience. And it’s valuable experience with your own situation.