Spring Break and Tax Season, Affect You???


Fifer

Fifer

Member
I really , at my age do not have issues with this time of year but I know that many of you do have issues with this time of year.
Does spring break affect your modeling? IE kids , vacations , grand kids and such?
The tax season put a damper in model railroad funding?
I am just wondering about you comments and thoughts as Robin and I see a lull each year at this time in sales as do most of the distributors.

Thanks for all the inputs on this.
Mike
 
Not at all. Taxes were done in January and spring break has no effect as our kids are grown and out on their own.
 
Spring break and tax no big deal my problems is graduation my daughter a senior this year. And the invites and stuff not as cheap as it use to be.
 
I work for a university, so Spring break means a little extra work as we try to get a lot of things done while there are no students around but I'm still home by 5 (normal day is 7 am to 3:30 pm) and my modeling time is evenings and weekends, so no major impact. And we always deliberately overpay on our tax withholding, so we always get a refund..........$2000 goes into the vacation fund and we split the rest, so I have extra play money at tax time.
 
Thanks guys, I am getting such a wide variety of ideas and thoughts on this. I guess we all have some type of plan this time of year our thoughts generally move away from trains a little.
Thanks , Mike
 
Spring break means nothing to me since all of my kids moved out when they went to college years ago (and haven't moved back in either...a sign of successful parenting!). Tax season is another thing. I don't get a refund because I don't allow the government to use my money interest-free all year; but my wife is an H & R Block office manager. Preparing supper every night takes time from modeling, but I get extra time on my days off because the "honey-do" list is smaller!
Willie
 
Spring break has no effect on me unless the grand kids come out here. Tax season, I'm actually getting a small refund this year. I always try to owe a few bucks so I get the loan interest free.
 
Kids are grown and for spring break my grandson is with the other grandparents. Since I'm on a pension and SS, tax season is nothing. Meaning I get nothing back.
 
Spring Break is a busy time of year at my work. We try and take a vacation too even if it's a small one. I just finished my latest build (see the 'showing off' section) which was started earlier in the winter. I have to pay Uncle Sam of late on April 15, but it's expected so it doesn't affect my plans too much. As it warms up, I find myself spending less time indoors and more outside like most people. However, when the heat comes, I'll be out early and inside on the layout and doing inside activities during the heat of the day.
 
as a generality, sense I work at a big box store, (NOT Wallyworld) they generally know this time of the year is a lull time in sales because of the tax time, they even plan it. People who usually pay taxes (not those getting a refund) usually are moneying up to pay them and don't have money for extras or whatever......BUT,,,after April 15 lands, sales bounce back.
So kinda expect it this time of year, but the economy seems to be in a slight upswing. I tend to sense that here at my work.
AND, if rail freight traffic goes up its a really good measure how the economy might be also up.
 
Spring break doesn't have any effect on my modeling. I did my taxes back in early February and I always get a refund because I plan it that way. But that money goes for other projects generally. Though I did use a little bit of it this year to buy some old number boards from BN and MILW locomotives. I don't have kids to worry about and I'm not in school myself so it doesn't offer me more or less time to work on my stuff.
 
When I first moved into my current home, my kids were all under 17 so I got a tax credit for each of them and my mortgage interest made a sizeable deduction; so we always got a refund. After my kids got older and no longer qualified us for the tax credit, and we refinanced to a much-lower interest rate, we started owing money to the gov't. I rarely got to use tax refund money for trains anyway, but now when tax tax season rolls around, April 15 always hangs over like a dark cloud on the horizon and diminishes any fun I might otherwise have until I get the returns filled out and submitted. I can't simply increase my withholding, because our kids' college tuitions have forced us to live paycheck-to-paycheck.
 
Being a home owner and the son of a U.S.N. and WWII Veteran... I hope to get some $ back ! If I do it may go towards the new layout or the HOUSE!!!

BCK RR
 
Wow , lots of angles here and love reading them and folks spring habits !!!
Thanks Guys , Mike
 
Like Montanan my taxes are done in January. My kids are grown so spring break is not big deal. My grandsons are off from school so I have a train buddy, but I coach little league baseball and it takes up a good bit of our time.
 
This is the time of year I cross my fingers that I don't end up indebted to the federal government. I am self employed now . I have had a bad attitude at this time of because I haven't had a refund in years. When I was making buku dollars for a company the government was collecting a large percentage and I do have a house(no kids though) . If I had filed 1 dependent (myself)I would have owed $10,000 or more at tax time. My spending always drops at this time of year. I also had a slow winter for work. So I worry more about food and mortgage payments over fun. I am trying to fully enjoy the toys I already own since I can't afford anything .
 
I try to get as close to zero as possible, a couple hundred each way is okay. I don't want a big refund nor do I want a big bill. Adjusting the withholding is the key but you don't know if you did it right for a year. There are 3,321 IRS tax forms so I am all for a flat tax and fire 75% of the IRS employees.
 
Tax's drive me nuts. The whole tax code is counterintuitive. A flat tax or sales tax base would at least let you know how much you owe up front.
 
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