Income tax filing

Yesterday, I was on a quest to complete my annual TurboTax purchase. I went to Costco first because I had a rebate coupon to redeem. It didn't have what I was looking for.

I then visited Staples, which has been my go-to store for tax software for the last few years. Sure enough, it had the software that I was looking for. It was too bad that I had to shell out for it, as opposed to using my rebate coupon.

Tonight, I filed my tax return. I'll do my parents' returns later on this week. I'm a bit late this year completing them, especially mine.

I'm glad that mine is done. I feel accomplished.

Income tax return - filed!

On Sunday, I filed my income tax return. I like that I got it over with.

My parents still haven't sent me all their tax slips and such. I tend to do theirs in April. We have until the end of April to file our tax returns. For a few years now, I do mine in early March, but I slipped a bit this year.

It was a productive Sunday. It's one less thing to think about.

Happy shopping outcome

The weekend is here. Yay!

I have some errands to run later on today. I made a decent shopping list. Most of the items are food! Here's hoping that I get everything that I need.

On a slightly different note, I had placed an order online for an item with a small business that I frequent often. I got to exchange e-mail messages with the owner. I had ordered a plushie. She said that there was some glitch on her end and it wasn't available. I got a refund.

However, there was a larger version of the same plushie that she had, but wasn't listed on her site. I got it without tax. It was such a lovely outcome that I didn't expect. She has always been nice to me and it was such a nice gesture to have the tax knocked off.

Great customer service from a small, local store that has survived this pandemic. It's one of many reasons why I return.

Tax return and financial health

On Sunday, I filed my tax return. It's nice to get it out of the way. I am roughly 1.5 months early filing it.

I am pleased with how things are going with paying off my debt and getting back on track. This year has some exciting changes:

• Number of credit cards paid off: 2
• Number of loans paid off: 1

I will also be focusing more on saving money. It's sad that I have had to abandon this practice for a while to pay off debt. It's important to have a decent reserve for emergencies. These days, it's my retirement savings and I don't want to dip into it.

I'll need to build up my retirement savings, which I am looking forward to. I'm optimistic and excited! It's nice to feel good about how far I have come.

Unexpected money

Something unexpected happened to me the other day. I'll need to explain a bit of background.

On Wednesday, I received a notification e-mail from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), indicating that I had a new message waiting for me. I was pretty busy with work that I didn't have a chance to log on to the site and check my account.

I check my finances fairly often. I logged into my bank account after work and noticed that I had more money than usual. I looked closer and it said that I got a tax refund. That's funny. I haven't filed my tax return for 2018 yet.

I didn't know if it was a mistake with the deposit. Years ago, my back accidentally deposited $15,000 into my chequing account. I didn't touch it. A day later, the amount reversed by my bank. I wasn't sure if it was the same thing.

I finally got around to logging on to my CRA online account. My tax return for 2017 got reassessed and I ended up with a refund, including interest. Nice!

The amount pays for my recent round-trip flight to Dallas and my car rental. Yay!

Chatting with my guy about stick shifters

My guy called me as he was driving back from a small town forty minutes away from where he lives.

"What were you doing there?" I asked him.
"I'm getting a shifter for my classic car," he said.

He explained that he can't shift between gears well on the existing one.

"The shifter needs to be tight," he explained.
"Yes, I have lots of experience with your shifter being tight," I teased.

He was telling me that he found some in the States, but duty and shipping fees would kill him. I reminded him that I was driving over the border in less than two weeks. I advised that he could ship it to the hotel where I am staying and I'd drive back with it.

He loved that I would do that for him. I just asked him to let me know when he has completed his order. I'd then drop it off to him when I return from my weekend getaway.