With the April 17 deadline looming, the headlines are focused on those who haven’t filed their taxes yet. People who they (whoever they are) have decided are procrastinators, fiscally irresponsible, disorganized idiots, and overall slackers.
They would be describing people like me.
I prepare the taxes for my household, or at least I should be right now. As I publish this post, I’m down to 8 days. Eight days that are going to go by in a flash. Eight days that are most likely going to be the most beautiful spring days ever. Eight days that I’m going to continue working, paying bills, some form of housekeeping, sleeping, keeping up with the kids’ comings and goings, fitting in a blog entry or two, trying to fit in a quick jolt to the beach…and somehow fitting in those damned taxes I’ve been putting off.
The real kicker is that I’m pretty certain we’re getting a refund this year. I can’t say how much because, well…I haven’t done the taxes yet. It makes complete sense to prolong the actual filing of the return when you owe the big, bad IRS, but when you’re getting a refund? It’s ridiculous, I know.
The deadline certainly comes as no surprise. I’ve had months to get this done. Hell, it’s an annual event chore time of complete chaos. I really have no excuse.
And yet I do.
So to help out those financial guru’s that can’t quite figure out what makes people like me, the procrastinator, tick, I present you with the reasons as to why I have not yet done our taxes:
- Other demands have required my more immediate attention.
- I tend to get lazy sometimes.
- I’m still plundering for receipts.
- I work better under pressure.
- When everyone else’s refund is gone, mine will be just getting here.
- There’s always something better to do.
