I Could Have Had A Vacation!

Anyone else remember that V-8 commercial or is it just me?
(And you know there was coffee, not juice, in MY cup when I would see that commercial on TV!)

ANYWAY...
How did I get sidetracked to vegetable juice when this post is about TAXES?

Taxes?

You know that bane of most adults' existence... especially teachers?

As of yesterday, my taxes are done!

It's not that we make a lot of money--but that so much of our money is spent on the classroom!
(Increasingly so now that school budgets are so incredibly slim)

I've been doing my taxes the same way for two decades...

I keep a binder for each year.

I tape the receipts on paper--with the date and the total spent indicated.
(This year my Dear helped me.  He does VERY neat work! He got a gold star.)

It takes longer to find the date on a faded receipt than it does to spend the money!
I also put the charitable donations on different colored paper so they are easy to find, since they are tabulated in a different part of the return.
Then I arrange everything chronologically and separate the months with those pretty dividers.

I total all of the receipts on a spreadsheet using a sum function.
I don't really speak computer, but I sure was glad to have those columns add themselves up!


This year I also printed out a list of all of my purchases from Amazon--it's great that there is a place where you can do that on your Account page!

Since I worry about positively EVERYTHING, this ADD/OCD-driven system keeps me from worrying that I would crumble if I were to be audited.  (Well, I might still crumble, but my book would be complete as it sat on the auditor's table while I sat there crying!)

I'm pretty sure everything is present and accounted for!

Hmmmmm.
I just re-read what I wrote. 
As much as I love my pretty notebooks, it is scary how much money I continue to spend to make my lessons interesting and engaging.

And while I will never have as many books as Mor from A Teacher's Treasure, I seem to be buying a LOT of books each year as interests (and authors) change.

Further, despite my cajoling and/or lecturing, many books and countless supplies are lost, broken and/or damaged each year. Some things have been bought... repeatedly!

I can see I am making a choice.
We can make cuneiform clay tablets or I can spend an extra day on vacation.

I don't like having to choose.
When it's Wednesday and the kids are yawning while I try to have them discuss the progression from concrete to abstract symbols over time, the clay wins out. And they learn better and they remember--happily. We don't have clay in our supply room. We don't have much more than paper and pencils.

But when I added up those funny columns, I was surprised that it was getting close to what I bring home in a month. (Does that happen to you too?)
And I found myself wondering what I didn't get to do or see or visit.

I'm not complaining (because I know it is a blessing and a JOY to love what I do most days)
But I am thinking...

And this post might make me pause and reflect for a least a minute or two before I purchase that next book or box of clay...

Maybe I'll compromise and buy three boxes of clay instead of five.
Or, maybe I will find a new book that goes with the clay tablet-making lesson, and we'll have so much fun...