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Making Taxes Less Taxing:
For many Americans,
April 15th is the most stressful day of the year. The date when federal
taxes are due can strike fear into the hearts of the most stoic taxpayers.
Writing that yearly check to Uncle Sam can be quite distressing, especially
if you find you owe more than you thought you would. What can be especially
troubling is that the stress can stay with you, year in and year out.
But for many people,
the stress begins long before the filing deadline. It may occur as
early as December when the tax forms first arrive in the mail. Or
it may happen when your W-2 form comes across your desk at work. It
may happen when you hear about tax season on television. Even getting
your yearly interest statement from your bank might be enough to put
you over the edge.
You may know some people who seem
completely relaxed when tax time rolls around. It seems that they
have everything in order, and they have little to worry about. For
such people, tax day seems to be a virtually stress-free experience.
You’ll find them whistling through the hallways at work—while
you’re hunched over your calculator, wondering whether you can
pay your tax bill.
You need to realize that you can
handle the stress of tax season without going ballistic. However,
this means that you must be pro-active when it comes to handling your
taxes. A little bit of planning can go a long way to reducing your
taxes—and your stress level.
To begin with, it could help you
immeasurably if you seek the services of a financial planner. He or
she can help you to take control of your finances, which can reduce
your stress level considerably. Also, the financial planner can help
you to employ certain strategies which will enable you to reduce your
tax bill.
Next, you have to seriously consider
whether it will do you any good to do your taxes yourself. While figuring
out your own tax bill can give you a feeling of control, it can also
increase your stress level tremendously. Therefore, you might seriously
consider hiring a tax accountant to handle the stress of your taxes.
While such a move will not eliminate your stress entirely, it can
seriously reduce it.
Keeping folders of all the documents
you need for filing your taxes can also lessen your stress. If you
keep the folders current throughout the year, you will not be in a
mad rush at tax time to find the papers you need to file your return.
You might consider color-coding the folders for easy reference.
Also, keep the folders in a central
location. While a filing cabinet might be the best solution, you might
also consider a hope chest, an end table, or a desk drawer. And be
sure to keep all your records for at least three years in case a question
arises about your return later on.
Another strategy for reducing your
stress is putting an end to procrastination. While it might be tempting
to wait until the last minute to file your taxes, it only increases
your stress level. If you file your taxes long before the due date,
you can rest easy when April 15th rolls around. You might be amazed
at how much easier it is to deal with tax season when you’ve
done some advanced planning.
If you find yourself facing a large
tax bill, chances are you will feel stress, no matter what time you
file. Therefore, you might consider opening a savings account specifically
earmarked for taxes. This way, you can save for tax day throughout
the year. Another option is to increase your withholding on your weekly
paycheck so that you don’t have such a huge bill to pay at the
end of the tax year.
There is no reason to become overly
stressed over taxes. They are a natural part of American life, the
means by which the government is able to function. If you take a few
pro-active steps, you can significantly reduce tax-related stress.
It may be hard at first to break old habits. However, once you do,
you might be amazed at how relaxed you feel when April 15th rolls
around.
Stress at the Mall
It’s a malady that tends to
strike around holiday time—although it can theoretically happen
at any time of the year. You find yourself in a sea of people making
its way through your local shopping mall. The crush of the crowd makes
you feel claustrophobic. You run from store to store, vying against
other shoppers for your turn at the racks. It seems as if no store
has exactly what you’re looking for.
You hear the strains of carols playing
over and over again on store speakers. The lines at the cash registers
appear to stretch for blocks. When you finally find something to buy,
you get behind someone who has to make a complicated exchange. You
wonder if you’ll get home in time to wrap your gift before the
office Christmas party.
You might not realize it, but even
in the best of times, going to the mall can be a stressful experience.
You can feel as if you’re undergoing sensory overload as you
take in all the sights and sounds around you. There are so many racks
to explore…so many clothes to sift through. Because of the variety
of stores offered in modern malls, you might wonder where to begin
with your shopping. Should you head to the shoe store first—or
to the music store? Which store is offering the best sales? It has
been said that offering an individual too many choices can be just
as—if not more—stressful than only offering a few.
Then, there’s the stress inherent
in dealing with other people. You have other customers to contend
with—customers who can be rude and irritating. You might encounter
clerks who don’t know their jobs well, or don’t care if
their work is done right. You might even run into managers who seem
to care little about the customer’s perspective.
You can deal with mall-related stress
in any number of ways. To begin with, you can purposely avoid the
mall during high-traffic times. You might even consider steering clear
of the mall altogether during holiday time. Instead, you might consider
shopping online, or through catalogues, or by going to specialty shops.
The less you encounter the mall during high-stress times, the more
relaxed your holiday shopping is likely to be.
Another important tactic to consider
is to write down exactly what you need at the mall and keep to the
list. In other words, you should resist the urge to impulse buy. Otherwise,
you might find yourself saddled with shopping bags filled with merchandise
you don’t need and will never use. You could also incur a tremendous
amount of unnecessary debt through “binge buying.”
Also consider limiting the number
of stores you visit at the mall. You shouldn’t feel as if you
need to visit as many stores as is humanly possible on each trip.
If your shopping is completed after browsing through a single store,
simply leave the mall. Otherwise, it’s likely you’ll be
wasting precious time and money.
Don’t be caught off guard by
sales. Some shoppers seem to believe that, just because there’s
a sale going on, they need to buy. The fact is, there will always
be sales. In order to save money, simply consult your local newspaper
in order to scope out the ads of stores having sales in a given week.
That way, you can plan out your shopping adventures ahead of time.
Otherwise, you can find yourself running from sale to sale and store
to store and becoming stressed out in the process.
Going to a mall can be therapeutic.
Store promotions can be fun and can help to take your mind off your
problems. You might enjoy an afternoon makeover or spending a few
minutes testing out easy chairs. And mall shopping can be a necessary
part of life. However, you have to recognize when you’ve hit
your limit. Too much shopping can tax your nerves and can leave you
feeling uneasy. What’s more, you can be left with huge bills
at the end of the month because of your shopping indulgences. As with
most things, mall shopping is best done in moderation. If you shop
only when you need to, chances are you will be removing an important
stressor from your life.
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